The Holy Grail of Railroading—A Most Unusual Find

The Holy Grail of Railroading— A Most Unusual Find

Article by: James LuBrant, the sight and some of the CMO, The New Jersey Museum artifacts that had been recovered. of Transportation, Inc. In the film, we noticed that these locos had canted cylinders, By now, the episode of Crosshead feedwater pumps and Deep-Sea Detectives featuring some equipment that would help the Sunken Locomotives off the in narrowing the time frame of coast at Long Branch, NJ has construction. We noticed that aired. Our involvement began they were equipped with riding about two and a half years ago. cutoff valve gear as was apparent

Members of the New Jersey by the two rods in each valve One of the Locomotive Historical Diving Association, chest. They also had wagon top Bells after it was recovered Dan Lieb and Neil Norell boilers. In later meetings we and restored. Photo by: stopped in the shop on a cool were shown try cock valves and Dan Lieb autumn day to see if we could brass tallow cups as well as brass provide any information that trim rings that we believe to NJHDA, KPI Productions and might be of help to them about have adorned the wheel fenders. the History Channel became two locomotives that they were involved. Several of the researching. As we learned more In all of the research, the interviews were filmed at NJMT. about their project, we only markings that were found The interior of the coach was discovered that these were very were on the whistle. The used as was #26 and the Ely unusual artifacts. marking read H.N. Hooper, Thomas #6 Shay for background. Boston, #3. The beautiful bell is It was at this point that NJMT a typical shape for locomotive began to discuss the possibility use, but has very ornate rings on of arresting the sight in an effort the casting. The bell weighs to protect these rare finds. about twenty-five pounds and is in remarkable condition. In With the help of Peter Hess inspecting some of the valves, it and US District Court Judge appeared that there was virtually Irenas, We were given the arrest. Photo by: Dan Lieb no wear on them. Stems were un Due to rough seas, we postponed warn, threading was as if they the attaching of the arrest papers As we talked, it became clear were brand new. to the site. I am happy to report that these were among some of that members of NJHDA and the earlier examples of As we became more involved NJMT were able to serve the locomotive construction. we were able to shorten the time papers to the sight on Saturday, Through photos taken on sight, frame for possible construction September 25, 2004 at we discovered that they were date. The wagon top boiler approximately 5:15 PM. On the Planet Class 2-2-2 loco's. In later design showed up about 1850 deck of Venture III operated by meetings, we were able to get a and the riding cutoff valve gear Paul Hepler, the one that better idea of details of fell out of favor about 1855. originally located the locos, We construction. On one occasion, rang the bell of one of the locos we were shown a digital film of Through connections of in celebration.

Article by: Dan Lieb, President, were two of the oldest remaining conserved and interpreted, we New Jersey Historical Divers steam locomotives ever built in were not the organization to do Association, Inc. the United States. Part of what it. Fortunately for all involved, makes them unique is that they the NJMT stepped up to the plate In the late 1980's, dive boat are a matched set. What makes and took on the task. captain Paul Hepler asked me if I them even more unique is that wanted to go diving a see a they most likely have the Members of the NJHDA have couple of locomotives on the original hardware they were now joined NJMT to act as bottom of the ocean. At the time equipped with when they left the technical advisors on this I thought to myself, "I dive to factory floor some 150 years tremendous effort to preserve see shipwrecks. If I wanted to ago. these valuable pieces of railroad see locomotives I'd visit a heritage. We have made contact trainyard." Several years ago, a with archaeologists that are friend reminded me about the involved in the CSS HUNLEY locomotives and asked if I'd like submarine conservation and to see them. Now, a shipwreck world renowned railroad investigator and historian, I said, historians from across the Nation "Yes." that were involved in the

Photo by: Dan Lieb interpretation of the steam It only took several dives to locomotive PIONEER. If record some basic information The New Jersey Historical successful, these locomotives about the two locomotives, Divers Association (NJHDA), will be raised, conserved, which sit upright and next to who were investigating the interpreted, and maybe one day each other in nearly 90 feet of locos, quickly realized that this replicated to run on the tracks of water 5 miles off Long Branch, find was of national historic the Pine Creek Railroad at New Jersey. Photography and significance, and that something Allaire State Park. With a video followed. The information had to be done to preserve and practical, common-sense we brought back was shown to interpret these two, rare steam approach along with contacts members of the NJMT and other engines. NJHDA preserves with solid experts in the railroad historians around the shipwreck history, not applicable fields, this effort will world. In short order, the results shipwrecks. If these locomotives not only be successful, but came flooding back. What Paul were going to be raised, rewarding to everyone involved. Hepler discovered back in 1985

Photo by: Dan Lieb

As printed on Sun, Sep. 19, historian who lives in Los abandoned steam locomotives. 2004 in the Philadelphia Angeles, said the find is unusual Inquirer because "these machines are They presented him with several This article was reproduced with the exactly as they were when they pieces of physical evidence exclusive permission of the Inquirer. went down in the early 1850s." removed from the engines, Most similar engines that survived including a foot-long bell and a By John Shiffman Inquirer to become museum relics, he said, 38-inch piece of decorative trim Staff Writer were refitted again and again over that hung above a wheel. decades, and represent hybrids Two rare, pre-Civil War steam with modernized parts. "They could probably raise this locomotives, almost completely thing without a court order intact, have been discovered "These engines are extremely because they are outside of New sitting upright, side-by-side, at the rare," he said. The Smithsonian Jersey waters, but the real reason bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, Institution, for example, owns a to do it is to protect their rights several miles off the central New similar one, the Pioneer. A and keep interlopers away," said Jersey coast. somewhat smaller, slightly Peter E. Hess, a Wilmington younger, eight-wheeled steam lawyer who represented the The submerged engines were engine, the People's group. discovered in 1985 by a charter- boat captain. But the significance Railway No. 3, is on display at the The discovery is bound to of the find was not realized until Franklin Institute. become more publicized this two years ago, and not made month, Hess said, and will be public until Friday, when a federal John H. White, a former railroad featured on a History Channel judge ordered the relics protected. curator for the Smithsonian, documentary tomorrow at 9 p.m.. described the discovery of the two "Everyone and their brother will In the next few days, a surrogate steam engines near New Jersey as want to go and try to grab a piece U.S. marshal will dive 90 feet to "unusual, an oddity." of brass off the trains," Hess said. the ocean floor a few miles east of Asbury Park, to attach a laminated "They don't tell anything we don't Crisanto and historians said they notice to one of the locomotives. already know," White said. "It's have little information about the The notice includes a marshals' just interesting that they survived engines' history - the precise year warning that tampering or all this time. We don't have much they were built, for example, or poaching is now illegal. from the 1850s. These are new how they landed at the bottom of pieces that were unknown." the Atlantic Ocean. Two organized groups of amateur railroad and diving enthusiasts To recover the steam engines But by analyzing certain clues - obtained the court order. They from the Atlantic, the leaders of the wagon-top boiler and the hope to retrieve and restore the the diving and train enthusiast valve controls, for example - distinctive and decorative steam groups acknowledge they will historians believe the steam engines, which are encrusted with need professional help. locomotives were manufactured a century and a half of barnacles in New England, probably and other sea life. "This is, really, out of our realm," Boston, between 1851 and 1854. said Victor Crisanto, chair of the Beyond that, they say, little is "It's a real archeological find - New Jersey Museum of certain, because railroad records there are only a handful from that Transportation, which won the were poor. Some historians era that still exist," said David legal protection for the engines. suspect the engines slipped off a Dunn, director of the Railroad The private museum has operated freighter headed south during a Museum of Pennsylvania, which the Pine Creek Railroad, a railroad storm. But that is just a guess. is not involved. The six-wheeled preservation organization at engines are among the earliest Allaire State Park, since 1952. Apparently, the engines sat American workhorse locomotives, undisturbed several miles from designed during "an era when The group took the first legal step Asbury Park for more than a these machines were considered on Friday, when it appeared century, until 1985, when a the space shuttles of the mid-19th before U.S. District Judge Joseph charter-boat captain, Paul Hepler, century." Jim Wilke, a railroad Irenas to ask for custody of the found them while checking

The New Jersey Museum of Transportation, Inc. is a private, volunteer-operated, 501(c)3 not-for-profit, educational organization. Donations are tax deductible. New Jersey Museum of Transportation, Inc. is owner and operator of the Pine Creek Railroad. Old trains discovered off NJ coast are called 'real archeological find' (continued) netting. At first, some speculated that the Lieb, who had been reading trains were sunk by the Germans White's book, American "The captain told me about them during World War II, citing well- Locomotives: An Engineering History, years ago," said Dan Lieb of known attacks in the area at the 1830-1880, took the news to Neptune, the president of the time. Crisanto and his fellow train New Jersey Historical Divers enthusiasts. "They came to one of Association. "We were out on his Eventually, the divers' nformation our board meetings and brought boat, looking for lobsters, and details reached White, the drawings, pictures, a few exploring shipwrecks. And when former Smithsonian curator. artifacts," said Crisanto, the all- he told me about the locomotives, volunteer museum's chairman. "They finally sent me a videotape I thought, 'I don't want to look at "And... our jaws kind of hit the - and I said, 'Aha! I think I know trains,' I want to see shipwrecks." ground." what these are,' " White said. "The Years later, Lieb said, he finally cylinders were on an angle, a very Contact staff writer John Shiffman at decided to see the trains for antique feature. The double 856-779-3857 or himself. He and fellow divers valves, one on top of each other, [email protected]. soon became infatuated. They another antique feature." Phone: 732-938-5524 took pictures and made drawings. Fax: 732-938-2970 Then he began making inquiries They were tank engines, circa via the Internet. 1850.