| July 25, 2014 09:55PM |
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Even if they don't have the right builder's plate, the Phillips Historical Society does have the real number plate from SR&RL 7/P&R 1 (Portland Company C/N 615), alongside what is apparently the original number plate from our beloved Sandy River 5/SR&RL 6/ KCRR 4/WW&F 9 (Portland Company C/N 622). Those Portland Company number plates were really elegant!
How do I know? Well we have the wonderful cover photo from Hazel Cushman Erickson's book to prove it! (The author's father was SR&RL engineer Dan Cushman.)
What I find really curious, however, is that the SR&RL boys were able to change the number on the plate from the original "1" to "7" after the consolidation, while keeping the outer part saying "Phillips & Rangeley R.R. 1890". Is the plate perhaps made of two pieces, something like a driver center and tire, or did they have to grind it down and re-engrave the number somehow? And why wasn't this done for other engines? (NB There was no P&R 7 to exchange plates with, and Eustis 7 as a Baldwin product of course carried a Baldwin number plate, while Sandy River RR 7 was another Baldwin but carried a star pattern number plate -- hence the nickname "Old Star" for the future SR&RL 16.)
Here's a picture of the engine at the Sanders tank around 1900 (pre-consolidation), carrying what I'm pretty sure is the same number plate (outer portion) but with her original number.
You know it's cold out when the engineer is wearing a bearskin hat!
-Philip Marshall
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2014 10:40PM by philip.marshall.
How do I know? Well we have the wonderful cover photo from Hazel Cushman Erickson's book to prove it! (The author's father was SR&RL engineer Dan Cushman.)
What I find really curious, however, is that the SR&RL boys were able to change the number on the plate from the original "1" to "7" after the consolidation, while keeping the outer part saying "Phillips & Rangeley R.R. 1890". Is the plate perhaps made of two pieces, something like a driver center and tire, or did they have to grind it down and re-engrave the number somehow? And why wasn't this done for other engines? (NB There was no P&R 7 to exchange plates with, and Eustis 7 as a Baldwin product of course carried a Baldwin number plate, while Sandy River RR 7 was another Baldwin but carried a star pattern number plate -- hence the nickname "Old Star" for the future SR&RL 16.)
Here's a picture of the engine at the Sanders tank around 1900 (pre-consolidation), carrying what I'm pretty sure is the same number plate (outer portion) but with her original number.
You know it's cold out when the engineer is wearing a bearskin hat!
-Philip Marshall
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2014 10:40PM by philip.marshall.
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.