“WW #81” from last week is a wide shot of the S&NY facilities at Newberry, I believe looking south, probably near the time of abandonment in 1942. Everything exudes an atmosphere of decrepitude: MoW bunk car #210 is looking the worse for wear, and a Model-T rail car is junked in the foreground. Still, we can get an overall sense of the layout of the place, with the engine house to the left and the car shop to the right.
Talky Tuesday #52
Last week’s “WW #80” comes courtesy of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. This view shows flat cars nos. 1239 and 1235, probably at Newberry, PA sometime in the mid-late 1920’s.
In 1905, the S&NY rostered 80 36-foot flatcars numbered 401 to 500. I cannot account for the difference, unless some were lost in earlier wrecks. 21 “racked flats” listed as being 33 feet in length and numbered 601-699 are also present on the 1905 ORER. These were presumably used to haul hemlock tan-bark and lumber out of the large tracts of forest surrounding the S&NY.
By 1926, all but 6 were gone, and were renumbered between 705 and 726, with an outlier numbered 838.
Interestingly, by 1938 there were 7 flatcars on the roster, numbered 1230-1239. These measured 38 ft. 10 in. long, and therefore the cars in the photo are not renumbered survivors of the cars on the ORER from 30 years earlier, but must have been acquired in the interim between 1926 and 1938.
Likely these 7 were used as tie cars in MoW service, as evidenced by the old and new railroad ties in the foreground of the photo.
Talky Tuesday #51
A group of section hands with their speeder took a break and paused for the camera in last week’s “WW #79”.
I am unsure of the location. I believe the man in the center of the photo with his foot on the speeder is named Lyal Bond and the man to the left may be Ed Miller. (See “WW #53” ) I do not know the identities of the other two fellows.
Talky Tuesday #50
S&NY #115 leaves Marsh Hill yard heading south to Newberry in last week’s “WW #78” . Behind us is the S&NY Marsh Hill station, the PRR Elmira Branch, and the junction of the S&NY and the PPR.
Talky Tuesday #49
I used another “trainless” view along the S&NY RoW for last week’s “WW #77” for a couple of reasons.
First, I already had it scanned and ready to go!
Mainly though, even though no trains are in the shot, it is still valuable for the historian and modeler of the era.
Despite being a backwoods shortline in the depths of the Depression, the track is still well-maintained. The ties are aligned, there are no dips or jogs in the track at the rail joints, and the roadbed is generally free of weeds. I remember MUCH worse track on supposed Class 1 “mainlines” during the Penn Central and Conrail era.
What I presume is the branch to Ralston climbs and curves off to the right. This track is less maintained, but was probably only in use a couple of times a week by 1942. The branch line does give us an idea of the grades the S&NY had to contend with, being built originally as a logging railroad.
Lastly, the mountains of the Pleasant Stream and Lycoming Creek valleys loom in the hazy distance. This appearance needs to be kept in mind when painting the backdrop for the model S&NY.
Talky Tuesday #48
Last weeks’ “WW #76” gives us a calming late winter / early spring view of a typical Eastern Pennsylvania mountain stream, possibly Schrader Creek. If we could return to this location in the present day, I doubt the view would be much changed beyond a few taller trees. One can almost hear the muted roar of the shallow falls in the foreground, but don’t fall in! Even in summer the water is cold enough to curl your toes, shall we say…
Talky Tuesday #47
Last week’s “WW #75” is a view of a mixed freight eastbound at Laquin, PA. By this late date (ca. 1942), the town is nearly abandoned. To the left are the foundations of either the Laquin store, or the S&NY depot. In the right distance is the old Laquin schoolhouse. In its heyday, Laquin was home to 2000 people, several industries including the Barclay Wood Chemical plant, two churches, a hotel, many homes, and a ballfield.
Compare with this view from earlier in the 20th century from nearly the same location:
And this view of the S&NY depot:
Talky Tuesday #46
A 3/4 view of snow flanger #11 is the subject of last week’s “WW #74” . The cobbled-together appearance of this fascinating piece of equipment suggests just that; that it was home-built by the S&NY shop forces. The flanger is present on my 1926 ORER, but is not listed in 1905, so it was built in the 11 years between those dates. #11 has a wealth of interesting details: note the piping and airtanks on the deck for raising and lowering the flanger device integrated into the rear truck, which itself may have been a scavenged locomotive pilot truck; the bolted-on deckside reinforcement; the side grab-irons giving access to the roof and a probable surplus locomotive headlight; the smkoejack; and the fabricated sheet-iron plow.
Certainly a scratchbuilding project for “someday”…
Talky Tuesday #45
In last week’s “WW #73”, S&NY #20 meets #21 at an unknown location, possibly Cabin Run or Long Valley. Some of the crew waiting “in the hole” relax in the shade of a derelict section house.
Talky Tuesday #44
An overview of Marsh Hill yard looking generally northeastward was the subject of “WW #72” of two weeks ago. The western end of Sullivan Mountain looms in the background, and the railroad will curve to the right after leaving Marsh Hill yard, following the Pleasant Stream valley generally eastward to Masten, the top of the grade near Ellenton, and thence downgrade past Wheelerville into the Schrader Creek valley. Behind the photographer is the Marsh Hill station and the junction with the PRR’s Elmira Branch.
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