Nostalgia & History > C&O / Pere Marquette Steam Engines

These images are from the collection of Cornelius Hauck.  He has had to downsize, and much of his collection has been donated to various railroad historical organizations.  Although many of his images were labelled with dates and locations, these four were not.  The envelope that contained the prints and negatives was marked July 1948.  As to location, I would guess somewhere "up north" in Michigan, perhaps Traverse City or Muskegon.  Any help with location ID would be greatly appreciated.  

#1 and #2 - The 715 was built by Alco in 1921 and according to the roster published by the PM Historical Society, it was retired in 1950.  This 4-6-2 was a Class SP-3.  

#3 and #4 - I believe this is a former PM 2-8-0 that was re-numbered and re-lettered for C&O after the 1947 takeover of the PM.  The PM had about 150 of this type in several classes, all built from 1903 to 1911.  The PM Society roster indicates that the last PM 2-8-0 was retired in 1952.  I could not find reference in Stauffer's C&O Power to engines in this number series, so I don't know the class or the original PM number.  

Steve Salamon
Valley City, OH  



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/22 17:59 by cr7998.

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Images #3 and #4



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/22 06:57 by cr7998.

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First-class steam photos - Thanks fo sharing these.
Bob

Those are some fine steam portraits. Those PM Consols were attractive and slightly beefy looking. I wonder if someone can give locations.  

Thanks for these fine images form Cornelius Hauck's prolific camera. Images of Pere Marquette power are not terribly common, and these are particularly fine roster-style shots.

My guess on location (pending some further research) is at Muskegon, Mich. for all four images.

Numbers 1 and 3 seem pretty likely for Muskegon. Concerning number 1, there was a coal gas plant and gasometer tower at Muskegon not far from the C&O - PM North Yard, located on the south shore of Muskegon Lake, northeast of downtown. The position of the gasometer in #1 seems a little out of place from my recollection working with other photos and maps. I tried to verify with aerial photos, but the earliest currently available is 1955, and by then the structure had been demolished. Aerials with earlier dates are no longer available online that I can locate, and I do not have copies. I could not find any other PM engine terminals with adjacent gasometers in checking older maps from the postwar period.

For number 3, there was a building near or at North Yard in Muskegon with a tall clerestory center section like the building visible in the image. It is in the background in an image on p.114 of Tom Dixon's and Art Million's Pere Marquette Power (Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society, 1984). The clerestory in the posted image is a little narrower at the top than the one in the image in the book, which may have been the engine house at North Yard. But, it's a fair guess, particularly with the coal or ash loading apparatus adjacent.

There isn't anything distinctive in the other two images that particularly says, "Muskegon". But the feel and the context seems right as compared to other steam-era photos I have seen near North Yard in Muskegon, and perhaps they are part of a group of images which Corne Hauck took there, or which he obtained in trade from another photographer.

If not Muskegon, then another possible location is St. Thomas, Ontario. PM had a yard, shop and engine terminal there, and some of the details and context in these images look like St. Thomas, although I can't match anything up directly.

In any case, wonderful images. Thanks for posting them for us to enjoy.

MC
Muskegon, Michigan