Steam in Alexandria in 1958-59?

[NW Mailing List]

I'm not an expert on the geography and wasn't even born then, but my bet 
would be on the "honorary steam engine" -- an Alco diesel.

Andre Jackson and/or Lisa Burrows
Life is short; update your anti-virus software
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2007 9:50 AM
Subject: Re: Steam in Alexandria in 1958-59?



> Gee Bob...

>

> I dunno.  I started Grade school in '61, so I wouldn't be home. It was 

> mid morning (9-11am) as I remember.

> I was after '56, because I was just too young.  That makes it '57 thru 

> '59.  It was most likely Spring (70% chance)

> as my mom was doing spring house cleaning, and at the time she noticed  it 

> and called to me,

> she was cleaning the outsides of the 2nd floor windows.

> We lived less than 1/2 mile from the RF&P/SRR overpass.

>

> could their be any records of SOUTHERN passenger trains that, because  of 

> a breakdown,

> been pulled by either a J or K??  Maybe even from Petersburg, Bristol or

> somewhere north of where N&W turned over the trains to SRR power?

>

> Their is an 'outside' chance that it MIGHT have been the General.

> When during the year might it have arrived?

>

>

> Mark Lindsey

>

> On Dec 9, 2007, at 9:22 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:

>

> Mark, Ed and all:

>

> According to Lloyd Stagner in his last of Steam

> articles, the final C&O steam run was I think in WV in

> January 1957.

>

> As for Reading and their famous T-1's, there was a

> visitation to the area from one of these but that was

> not until mid-August 1964 I think and was part of a

> Philadelphia-Washington excursion. They tended to stay

> on or near home rails for the most part and the

> Reading Rambles were run from 1959-1964 when they

> ceased.

>

> As an addendum, the General also visited the DC area

> in 1963 as well as 1962, the major difference being

> that from what I have discerned in went no further

> north than Alexandria in 1963 as opposed to staying at

> Washington Union Station and the Navy Yard the

> previous year. If we remember, 1962 was the 100th

> Anniversary of the Andrews' Raid on the old Western &

> Atlantic RR.

>

> I know that the St. Elizabeth's engine, the 0-4-0

> Oil-burning Porter which now resides at the Baltimore

> & Ohio RR Museum in Baltimore, was active on the other

> side of the River until the latter 1960's. I

> personally remember seeing this in operation chugging

> its' way up hill with a car or two of coal, while I

> was stuck in traffic on nearby South Capitol Street in

> the morning rush hour. This was in the 1965-1967

> period. I don't think this engine would have strayed

> over to south of Pot Yard as you describe but that is

> a slim possibility, which also brings up the fireless

> cooker or two which might have been in use at either

> the Alexandria Power Plant or down on the RF&P near

> Cherry Hill. Maybe even the old Buzzard's Point Pepco

> plant had a fireless cooker as well?

>

> Maybe even a real smokey Alco?

>

> I can't figure which, what or if any steam engine

> would have been in the region in that period.

> Something like that would surely have attracted

> attention and other reports would have surfaced before

> this time.

>

> Might it have been in 1962 when W&A "The General" came

> to town?

>

> Bob Cohen

>

>

>> Mark,

>>

>> I don't believe C&O or Sourthern was operating any

>> steam locomotives as late as 1957. Does any one

>> remember when Reading  began their rambles behind

>> their 4-8-4 and whether that ever strayed to foreign

>> roads?

>>

>> Sam Putney

>>

>>  ----- Original Message -----

>>  From: NW Mailing List

>>  To: NW Mailing List

>>  Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2007 9:48 AM

>>  Subject: Re: Classic Calendar faux pas?

>>

>>

>>  Thanks Ed King!!

>>

>>

> D'Oh! RF&P. I totally forgot about them!! (Senility is

> transparent to the user)

>

> So would C&O have run a steam engine into Alexandria

> after 1957? I seem to remember a story about a SRR

> passenger train being brought into Alexandria because

> the Diesels died on the road. Possibly more of that

> senility thing though ....

>>

>>  Mark Lindsey

>>

> OK History Buffs! When I was very young, We lived in

> Alexandria, just 1/5 mile from the crossing of

> Southern tracks and Atlantic Coast Line tracks (CSX,

> ATL, Seaboard?). I believe it was spring of 58, but

> possibly '59. Mid morining. Mom was cleaning the 2nd

> floor windows and called me to see a STEAM ENGINE

> coming north into Alexandria. I missed actually seeing

> the engine, but saw the smoke rising from the trees.

> As a Steam engine was by that time an unusual event, I

> was wondering If anybody had any idea what engine it

> was? It almost HAD to be a Norfolk and Western K or J,

> and pulling one of the Southern trains.

>>

>>    Mark Lindsey

>

>

> 

> ____________________________________________________________________________________

> Never miss a thing.  Make Yahoo your home page.

> http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

> ________________________________________

> NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org

> To change your subscription go to

> http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list

> Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at

> http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/

>

> Mark Lindsey

> y3a at earthlink.net

> Jupiter 2 Fanatic

>

>

> ________________________________________

> NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org

> To change your subscription go to

> http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list

> Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at

> http://list.nwhs.org/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/