Wordless Wednesday #106 of two weeks ago is a classic 3/4 rods-down view of S&NY engine #112. I am unsure of the location of this photo. I had originally thought Towanda, but given the company houses in the background, the location could be Masten or Laquin, or even Barclay Station in light of the early date.
#112 was purchased new by the S&NY from Baldwin in 1906 and sold to the Central Pennsylvania Lumber Co. in 1913. The engine looks essentially new in this view, with smart striping on the drivers, steam chests, domes, oil headlight, and cab.
Behind the engine is a Standard Steel Car Co. hopper car lettered for Jamison Coal and Coke Co. These hoppers were first produced in 1903, with over 11,000 produced by 1913 for various railroads and coal companies.
I really enjoy this picture, it is a typical freight locomotive from the era I’m interested in.
It is hard to believe that a loco would be built in 1906 with a long wood pilot and a joining bar for link and pin coupling but that appears to be the case here. The knuckle coupler (with slot for link and pin) was probably added by the S&NY shops. The smokebox and stack were probably painted with the same flat black that was used on stoves. The headlight housing appears to be gloss black and the hatch for removing and servicing the kerosene lantern is clearly visible. The handrail and it’s stanchions were probably brass. The lagging cover sheet on the boiler, tops of the domes, cylinders and air pumps was soft iron treated with acid and could have been dark blue, medium green or silver in color. The exhaust passed through the steam chest into the petticoat pipe at the bottom of the stack, there was no superheater. The cab was wood probably painted gloss black. The tender had a wood frame with a steel tank, probably gloss black. It rode on leaf spring archbar trucks which didn’t bounce as violently as coil springs. The valve gear is Stephenson inside the frames. The valve rod passes through a bushing on the crosshead guide hanger which confines its flexing to the space between the bushing and the actuating arm. The second driver is “blind” (has no flange) and the first might be. The round cover on the front of the cylinder might be brass or nickle plated steel. The striping and lettering would have been hand painted and was probably yellow but could have been much more expensive gold paint.
Great picture, thanks for posting it.