Adventures With
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Adventures with STEAMRailfans recall thrilling rides in PRR, CN, CP, IC, and GTW engine cabs AN unforgettable RIDE A surprise trip aboard a Pennsy K4 remains a treasured memory after 50 years BY DON STOTt • PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR t is a glorious thing to watch a train A buddy of mine, Bob Flack, and I being pulled by a steam locomotive of decided to go see for ourselves, so the two any size, and at any speed. But large of us piled into my 1952 Chrysler and I locomotives, at high speeds, are headed up to Bay Head. It was February, especially satisfying. I am also able to and cold. Sure enough, there were K4’s in relate that riding in the cab of a large the yard, and a doubleheaded train was engine running at high speed is an about to leave. What a find! enormous, indescribable thrill. I learned Bob suggested that we should ask for a this 50 years ago, aboard a Pennsylvania cab ride. My reaction was, “Sure Bob— Railroad K4s Pacific. fat chance!” Undeterred, Bob walked up Growing up in Washington, D.C., I to the second engine of the doubleheader spent much time either riding trolleys or and shouted at the engineer that we would watching trains. When I was about 12, I love to ride in his cab. “Sure, come on up,” got a ride on a steam locomotive near the was his reply. You could have knocked me Benning Carbarn of Capital Transit. I was over with a feather. riding trolley cars between the corner of We climbed up, and were greeted by 14th Street and New York Avenue and the hogger, who was a small man about 5 Seat Pleasant, Md.—a favorite trip of feet 5 inches in height. In his mouth was a mine. As we approached Benning, I saw a great big cigar, which he took turns Baltimore & Ohio 0-6-0 working, signaled chewing and smoking. He said we were to the trolley motorman that I wanted off welcome, but when we passed the yard at the next stop, got off, and walked over office, we must duck, because cab rides to the B&O tracks. The engineer invited were against the rules. We readily agreed, me up into the cab, and I enjoyed a and within a few minutes the two engi- marvelous hour riding up and down the neers whistled off and moved the train tracks, switching freight cars. It was slowly into the station to load passengers. certainly a thrill for a 12-year-old, but After loading, the head engine whis- small-time. tled, ours replied, and we were off. The The big-time came in 1956, when I was stubby engineer actually had his legs 22. I had learned that Pennsy K4’s were curled under him so he could adequately regularly pulling commuter trains on its see out of the cab window. Sander on, jointly operated (with the Central Rail- reverse lever in the corner, throttle jerked road of New Jersey) subsidiary New York out, the trip began—and in no time at all, & Long Branch, from Bay Head Junction, we got up to 60 mph. The noise was N.J., up the coast to South Amboy, where deafening. I looked out the gangway, and GG1 electrics took over for rest of the way in front was the other K4, pulling for all it into Penn Station, New York. It was one of was worth, as were we. The rods were the last steam operations on the PRR, and going up and down so fast that they were it wouldn’t last much longer. a blur. Whistles moaned at crossings, 22 STEAM GLORY 2 ∣ 2007 Not long after his thrilling cab ride, author Stott climbed atop the Manasquan River drawbridge at Brielle to catch K4 830 going all-out with a northbound train. classictrainsmag.com ∣ STEAM GLORY 2 23 water in the tender jostled and splashed, in a while, he would glance at the pres- Trailing a B60 baggage car and six P70 and the fireman worked the stoker and sure and water gauges to be sure his coaches, K4 5471 powers out of Mana- injector to keep steam pressure up. The fireman was doing his job correctly, and squan with a southbound for Bay Head. engineer was chewing on his stogie, adjust the reverse lever, but mostly the leaning out the cab window with his concentration he showed was amazing. goggles over his eyes and neckerchief Looking back from the gangway, I could around his neck to ward off cinders. see the 13 cars rocking along nicely, the This little guy, chewing on a cigar and passengers headed to Manhattan giving sitting on his legs so he could see, was little thought to what was going on at the manhandling 230 tons of swaying, jerking, head of their train. smoking, roaring steam locomotive as if it We stopped at several stations to pick were a toy. His left hand was resting on up more passengers, and then were off the throttle, right arm leaning on the cab again, seemingly at every mile per hour window’s padded arm rest, and that K4 those two K4’s could muster. Brielle, was putty in his gloved hands. Every once Manasquan, Sea Girt, Asbury Park, Red Sad day at South Amboy The date was November 4, 1957. The phone in PRR Engineman Charlie Hess’s comfortable home in Bricktown, N.J., was ringing off the hook. Charlie answered and took a call from the crew dispatcher. He wanted Charlie for a light- engine move from South Amboy to Cam- den. The South Amboy K4s Pacifics were based down at Camden Terminal Engine- house, where monthly boiler washouts and light repairs were handled, so this was not an unusual assignment. Diesels had begun displacing steam from Pennsy trains on the New York & Long Branch in April 1956, and now there were only a few K4’s left there. Charlie drove over to Bay Head Junc- tion and hit the cushions of a northbound train for the deadhead run up the NY&LB to South Amboy, where he signed on at the enginehouse. He was informed that he DON WOOD had K4sa 612, which was coupled behind 612 and 830, last K4’s at South Amboy. K4s 830. The two engines had arrived at South Amboy earlier that day. The 830 came up on an early-morning train out of Bay Head, turned her train over to a GG1 electric, and headed for the engine terminal. Engine 612 had been the regular power for 710 and 733, a pair of trains known as the Banker and the Broker that operated in and out of PRR’s Exchange Place Station in Jersey City. Because their runs did not include New York’s Penn Station and the Hudson River tun- nels, 710/733 ran with steam all the way; 710 didn’t even stop at South Amboy. This day, the crew on 710/733 was told at Bay Head that Camden had called, telling the dispatcher to scratch the 612 on 710 and send her on another job—one that required an engine change at South Amboy. When 612 arrived at South Amboy that morning and cut off, no one knew that it had just completed the last steam run on the NY&LB. On the deadhead move later in the day, Charlie Hess’s fireman on the 612 was Russ Clayton; the 830 had Andy Yuhas firing for Al Roland. They whistled off at 5:30 p.m. for Camden. Charlie, as fireman on the trailing engine, was aboard the last K4 ever to leave South Amboy, which had become synonymous with the great 4-6-2’s in recent years. On arrival at Camden, 60 miles south, the two crews spotted the engines on the inbound pit track, and noted there were several K4’s steaming softly on the ready tracks. Seven days later, one of these, No. 5351, would make Pennsy’s last steam pas- senger run, on a short Pemberton-Camden commuter job that, unlike the long consists and fast running on the NY&LB, was anything but challenging for the 5351. The fate befalling Camden’s K4’s was claiming other PRR steam power as well. Before the month was out, there would be no engines in steam anywhere on the vast Pennsylvania system.—Don Wood 24 STEAM GLORY 2 ∣ 2007 water in the tender jostled and splashed, in a while, he would glance at the pres- Trailing a B60 baggage car and six P70 and the fireman worked the stoker and sure and water gauges to be sure his coaches, K4 5471 powers out of Mana- injector to keep steam pressure up. The fireman was doing his job correctly, and squan with a southbound for Bay Head. engineer was chewing on his stogie, adjust the reverse lever, but mostly the leaning out the cab window with his concentration he showed was amazing. goggles over his eyes and neckerchief Looking back from the gangway, I could around his neck to ward off cinders. see the 13 cars rocking along nicely, the This little guy, chewing on a cigar and passengers headed to Manhattan giving sitting on his legs so he could see, was little thought to what was going on at the manhandling 230 tons of swaying, jerking, head of their train. smoking, roaring steam locomotive as if it We stopped at several stations to pick were a toy. His left hand was resting on up more passengers, and then were off the throttle, right arm leaning on the cab again, seemingly at every mile per hour window’s padded arm rest, and that K4 those two K4’s could muster.