Nostalgia & History > AC&Y 505

In yesterday's (July 20, 2019) Trainorders' "Eastern Railroads" discussion forum, it was reported that a Galveston, Texas museum had AC&Y 505 for sale. Here is AC&Y 505 (FM H20-44) leaving the N&W (ex-AC&Y) turntable in Akron, Ohio in late 1968/early 1969.
Bob

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Is that a 'pole' I see being cradled on the side of the front truck? Interesting, since the locomotive itself 
lacks 'pockets' for its use and especially so since poling was common in the industry when 505 was built.
Maybe the handrails of the turntable are hiding the pockets.
Charlie

Is that the pocket bracket just above the pole and centered on the truck. One by the other truck too.

What a great shot this is.
It brings back plenty of memories of seeing these units in service on the AC&Y.
I have a picture of it in Galveston I'll have to dig up.
Thanks again.
Gary

Milw6166 Wrote:
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> Is that the pocket bracket just above the pole and
> centered on the truck. One by the other truck too.

I believe you're right!  But why would they place it there? The pole would not even reach the end-plate of the locomotive----so you've 'cornered'
the car even before you can reach it with the pole. Must be more than meets the eye, here. Or are those the jacking pads?

Charlie



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/19 14:26 by cewherry.

In addition to the air horn by the engineer's side of the cab, there is another collection on the front hood above the headlamp.

Milw6166 Wrote:
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> Is that the pocket bracket just above the pole and
> centered on the truck. One by the other truck too.

Jacking pads.

Uncle Joe
Seffner,Fl.

Most H20-44's had the poling pockets low and a bit inboard on the pilot, between the cut levers and the footboards:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/130647200@N05/22525879794/sizes/h/
https://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=153697
https://condrenrails.com/NYC/NYC-7110-Mitchell-IL-5-1-65.jpg
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/prr/prr8930s.jpg
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?3,4300838

AC&Y, though, appears to have either specified or modified the ends of the jacking pads to act as poling pockets:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4426368
https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4243006
https://www.thedieselshop.us/FM-HMD-19.HTML

In the case of the two Pittsburgh & West Virginia H20-44's they acquired from Norfolk & Western, it does appear that AC&Y modified the jacking pads to double as poling pockets.  All the photos I can find of P&WV H20-44's show poling pockets on the pilots (half-blocked by the straps holding the footboards - see the first two photo links above), but AC&Y 507 (ex-P&WV 69) has the modified jacking pad.  In the first photo link below, you can just make out the filled-in divots where the poling pockets used to be on the pilot:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/acy/acy507gea.jpg
https://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=114092

AC&Y's H16-44's appear to have had the same jacking-pad placement for the poling pockets:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,4620620
https://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr1002/acy204.jpg

AC&Y's lone H15-44 #200 also appears to have been a modification, with filled-in divots in the pilot where the pockets used to be.  You can make out one filled-in pocket on the right in the photo link below, and both are clearly visible in the photo on p.25 of Sweetland's H15-44 and H16-44: Fairbanks Morse's Distinctive Road Switchers:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/acy/acy200gea.jpg

A builder's photo of the 200 exists, but the version available online is too small and dense to make out if it has poling pockets on the pilot or the jacking pads:

http://www.lkorailroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/200-1949.jpg
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1564979

Well composed roster photo of a most interesting unit.
FM swiitchers always bring back memories of K&I.
Thanks for the nice post.
ALLEN