Dunlop Porter Moves back to A&A

[BSOR Patarak]

The 0-4-0 Porter (ex - Dunlop Tire) that sat with the Warwick Car and then moved to the Erie County Fair Grounds has been moved back to the A&A. The locomotive will be put on display at Curriers. It will be fixed up so that there is something "new" to see while stopping at the half way point. A good full size photo box to get pictures in!

The display at the Fair Grounds is to be moved elsewhere on the grounds later this year. The Porter was on a short term lease for the OLS display. It was felt it would be better as a display on the A&A, rather than only viewed for the two weeks the Erie County fair runs in August.

The Locomotive is Porter Locomotive Company, Construction Number 7187. Built in 8/1930 it is listed as 34 tons. It was built as Management & Engineering #1 for Raritan River Power. It was sold to Dunlop Tire in Tonawanda, NY as #1. It was stored in the boiler house and kept charged with 250 lbs steam. It would run for about 45 minutes. It was replaced by a 45 ton center cab that was later sold to the Buffalo Southern RR. The engine was used up until the left side cylinder cracked. Ed Lewis acquired the locomotive to be used in a period freight train display and was moved to several locations around Arcade before the lease to the fair. It is a unique piece of local history and another type of steam locomotive that adds to the educational value of the A&A steam operations.

[umtrr-author]

Excellent news, thanks for sharing.

Being that I'm from "Joisey" originally, it's interesting that the original owner was Raritan River Power. I wonder if this is a reference to the power plant in South Amboy, the site of which is being discussed in the "Photo Op in South Amboy" thread.

[Benjamin Maggi]

Does the railroad ever take time to slow down? This is incredible! I have never seen so many wonderful things happening to the A&A in such a short time span. In the past two years they have: built a nice public display in the parking lot, returned #18 to service, repaired/restored the foundation at Curriers, rehabilitated much of the main line, installed a new siding at North Java, run a railfan special, created new ice cream trains, repainted the coaches (well, this seemed to happen a lot), redesigned the interior flow of the Arcade station, installed a new roof on the gondola, and returned the fireless engine back to where it was displayed for ages. Un-believable!

Congradulations.

[thebigham]

Great news, pat!

Where is it? Curriers?

[thebigham]

It's in Curriers. Already on display!

[Mountcastle]

Well, this announcement was just as good an excuse as any to get me down to Arcade today to ride the train. I only had to drive through a hurricane to get there, though it was sunny in Kenmore when I left. Glad they put that roof on the gondola! Big crowd on the second train today, incidentally. Three full coaches.

At any rate, when we pulled into Curriers, there it was: the little Dunlop switch engine, off to the left (which I suppose would be the West side of the property). It was very nice to see it again. That little engine was always a part of the environment at the Arcade & Attica and I'm delighted to see it back where it belongs.

I was a bit taken aback by the gigantically disproportionate #22 on the cab (and the big, orange A&A logo next to it), with the quote (in quotation marks, no less), "I THINK I CAN!" beneath the numerals. But I have no doubt that the Little Engine That Could will one day be properly repainted as part of the Arcade & Attica's ongoing--and absolutely smashing--1920s era regentrification effort. It would be nice to see it re-logoed (I'm sure that's not a word) for Dunlop or, perhaps better yet, for the original company--'Raritan', was it? Onward and upward.

I have to vent a moment about something, however, and ask a question: have parents simply lost their minds these days? How much common sense does one really have to have to know better than to lift a five year old child off of the floor of gondola and hover him above the pilot of the locomotive during the return trip to Arcade? I see parents doing this all the time and it just baffles me. And I love the ones who try to force their terrified, screaming children to get up close to the locomotive as it's making, what must be to a young child, the most loud and horrifying sounds imaginable, trying to reason with them that "there's nothing to be afraid of". Don't try to reason with a terrified four year old who's screaming his head off and crying his eyes out, you idiot! Take him back to his seat already! Honest to God.

Okay. Thanks for letting me vent.

[Benjamin Maggi]

Any pictures to share? I don't think I have seen it in at least a dozen years. Maybe closer to twenty.

[Mountcastle]

I'm afraid I didn't take any pictures on today's trip. I just wanted to enjoy the ride without camera in hand, this time. And despite the new roof over the gondola I still managed to get splashed with black soot, ruining another outfit. I ruin more clothes that way.

But to describe it, it's displayed on a section of track to the 'front' of the depot and to the left of the gravel road, if you're looking at Curriers from the street. The engine faces the street. The paint is peeling quite a bit. The wheels are whitewalled. And as I mentioned, a great big #22 is painted on the cab, in white. To the left of the number 22, the A&A logo is reproduced, in orange and black. Beneath the logo and the #22 appear the words "I THINK I CAN" in quotation marks, also in white.

Finally, there is a big, blue, funnel-shaped smokestack with wide eyes and an optimistic smile painted on the front of it.

Okay, no there isn't; I just made that last part up.



On a completely unrelated note, "High Noon" was on TV when I got home. I love that locomotive. It's got a rather A&A look about it.

[Mountcastle]

Also...forgot to mention...at Curriers, the locomotive wasn't brought over to the side track for viewing on this trip, as per the usual custom. They left the locomotive at the front of the train for viewing, the way they used to during the 70s and 80s. I didn't ask why, but it was rather nostalgic for me that way.

Too bad they don't still put the portable stairs on either side enabling passengers to walk through the cab the way they used to back then. I know its on account of insurance prohibitions that they no longer do this.

I hate insurance companies.

[Benjamin Maggi]

I hate insurance companies.

Be that as it may, it only takes one injured person to file an insurance claim and then the prices go up, up, up. High enough to slow down or stop an operation completely. As the former NYS Assembly's Insurance Counsel, I can tell you with confidence that- were it not for the many lawsuits that are brought into court (some with merit, some without) and were it not the insurance companies who end up paying out when someone wins- insurance companies would not demand the things that they do.

It just takes one person to stick his hand on the engine's backhead and get burned, or slip coming down the steps, or...

[Mountcastle]

Let me rephrase my objection, in that case:

I hate killjoys, be they insurance companies or litigious dimwits who burn their hands by touching the hot parts of steam locomotives.

Perhaps we need more judges who'll say things like, "no, you can't have $250,000 for being an inept moron, sir/madam. It was your decision to walk up to a great big boiling hot steam locomotive and put your hands on it. Go home."

When I was young, not only could you walk through the cab, you could ride in it if you asked nicely. Manley always let my dad and I ride in the cab when I was a kid. I think we had to sign some sort of liability release form, of which they kept copies on hand on a clipboard in the cab. And if you burned your hand like a dope touching something hot, the reaction was "ouch". Not, "I'll sue you!"

But when you're a kid who loves trains riding in the cab of a steam locomotive and ringing the bell at grade crossings, you could care less about the occasional "ouch".

People are made of cotton candy these days.

[jgallaway81]

I doubt it is anything as substansive as cotton candy.

[Otto Vondrak]

It just takes one person to stick his hand on the engine's backhead and get burned, or slip coming down the steps, or...

Here's the new waiver I came up with: "By exiting the womb, you hereby accept all responsibility for your own actions."

-otto-

[railroadcarmover]

It just takes one person to stick his hand on the engine's backhead and get burned, or slip coming down the steps, or...

Here's the new waiver I came up with: "By exiting the womb, you hereby accept all responsibility for your own actions."

-otto-

Hahahaha

[thebigham]

Pics of #22 are here:

http://naphotos.nerail.org/show/?order= ... ttica%20RR