Simms Collection -- Sacramento Northern

Ted and Jim, we finally get around to presenting the Sacramento Northern.  These pictures are for you!  They were all taken by W. C. Whittaker and have dates and locations (except for the 605) on the backs, which is fortunate because I would have no idea where any of these scenic places might be.

SN 603 and 604   Montclair    2-8-44

SN 605   8-18-43

SN 1006    6-15-40   Valle Vista

SN 1008   Broadway Terrace   2-19-39

SN 1008 and 224     Sacramento

SN 1011    Havens    6-19-39

July 3rd Abandonment Post-Mortem

In spite of some rather unpleasant weather, the annual CA&E abandonment festival went off pretty well.

The first train out was the wood car train, with 319, 308, and 309.  On each trip we actually needed three cars to handle the crowd of passengers.

And then the steel cars 460 and 431.

To reduce expenses, since we're on the brink of insolvency, we have here two crews in one picture:

(L to R)  Steven Jamrog, Aaron Sucharewski, Drew Beveridge, Will Knogl, and me.  The younger generation all did a great job of running the trains.

At noon, the wood cars unloaded our passengers at Seemann, as we usually do, and then ran extra back to Wheaton.  The passengers were soon picked up by the North Western bilevels, who did an efficient job of rescuing them. 

And since heavy rain was approaching, the wood cars had to rush to get back into the barn before the deluge.  It's not easy changing ends, throwing switches, and doing it all in a hurry!  And it was so hot, I really didn't mind being thrown out of work.

Besides the CA&E cars, of course, there were several other trains operating all day.

If you missed the first day of Independence Day Weekend, there are still two more coming up with different consists each day.  Don't miss it!

Help Wanted

CA&E Abandonment Day is coming up soon, (like tomorrow!!) and we need help.  We will be running a two-car steel train and a three-car wood train, and we need at least one more trainman to help on the wood cars.  Now I know it's been pretty hot the past few days, and if the weather gets too brutal we may decide to abandon the abandonment, rather than risk having people suffer from the heat.  But the trains will still be running in any case.  So we could use one or two trainmen.  You do not need to be rules-qualified.

Simms Collection -- Piedmont & Northern Passenger Cars

As before, numbers in parentheses have been added for reference.  Other captions are taken verbatim from the prints.

(2051)

P&N #2100
Gastonia NC   11/13/43
DO NOT COPY
Vic Wagner

(2100)
Greenville, S.C.
6-17-47
John F. Humiston

(2100)
P&N Tr. 6
Honea Path, S.C.
6-19-47
John F. Humiston

(2101)
Greenwood, S.C.
6-19-47
John F. Humiston

(2101)

(2102 - 5103)

(2104)

(2104)

(2104)

Granville shops
Aug. 8, 1947

P&N #2103-2051
leaving Charlotte N.C. station
May 18, 1950

P&N #2103
Mt. Holly N.C. station
May 18, 1950

#2104
Spartanburg, S.C.

P&N #2101
Greenwood S.C. term.
July 16, 1934

Coming into Charlotte Station
Nov 1941 when on Carolina
maneuvers

S.C. Div.   P&N
194-

Simms Collection -- Piedmont & Northern Locomotives

The Simms collection has a large number of pictures of the Piedmont & Northern, about which I know little and will have to learn.  We'll start with some of their many large electric locomotives, since the line had a substantial freight business.  Most of these prints have little or no information on the back.  Numbers in parentheses have been added for convenience.

River Jct., S.C.
6-16-47
(351 - a freight motor rebuilt from ex-PRR MPB-54 combine 350 following a wreck)

River Jct., S.C.
6-16-47

(351)

(5005 - Baldwin/Westinghouse, 1911)

#5006 ex SL&U
Greenville S.C. Shops
Aug. 3, 1947

(5102 - GE, 1913)

(5104 - 5100 - both GE, 1913)

(5105 - GE, 1913)

(5601 - homebuilt, 1924)

(5601)

(5601)

#5601   now on Northern Division
Greenwood S.C.
Jan. 1941

Lyman, S.C.
6-18-47
(5610 - homebuilt, 1938)

Spartanburg, S.C.
6-17-47
(5611 - GE, 1941)

(5611)

(5611)

5612 Built Nov. 17th 1949
8 568 Westinghouse motors
Motors Ball-Bearing Journals
Weight 252800
Horse Power 3200
Clasp Brakes
16 Brooke Cylinders
This Engine was built at GN [Greenville, SC] Shops

Spartanburg, S.C.
6-18-47

Trolley Weekend Sunday

Many thanks to Zach Ehlers, freelance blog reporter as well as IRM president (we'll let you make the call as to which of those is the more prestigious title), who sent along some photos taken on Sunday of Trolley Weekend, which my father and I both had to miss.

Saturday evening, Zach and the other guys switched around the CA&E wood cars to add the 308 to the middle of the train. Many thanks to all! Here's the three-car train on the ladder track, ready to go into service, with West Towns 141 in Yard 6 poised to go out on the streetcar line.

The 319, 308, and 309 are seen on Station 1 with ComEd 4 and the coach train on track 2.

That's a snappy-looking crew! Zach is in the cab as motorman, with Drew and Aaron as trainman and conductor, respectively.

And here's a motorman's-eye view of the D13 cutting off the caboose train; it pulled the caboose train for the first half of the day and was then swapped out for Charles City Western 300.