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(erielack) On Shoemaker, Tross and preservation

In a message dated 10/5/04 10:21:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
ajtross_@_esva.net writes:

> a footnote to your story
>  One New Years day, I was working East Buffalo Tower on the DL&W in the
>  1950's.   I noticed a well dressed gentlemen coming up the stairs of the
>  tower.  He came and said he was Perry Shoemaker, president of the railroad.
>   He said he just stopped in to wish me a happy new year.  
>                  Art Tross

Very nice, Art, thanks.  I've printed your note and will keep it in Perry's 
file.  It isn't alone among accounts of Perry's genuine feeling and respect for 
those with whom he worked.  He demanded respect for his office, but didn't 
really feel he was superior to the rank-in-file. Everyone had their job to do, 
even himself.


> The 565 only survives because it had been sold to a short line then several 
> collectors over the years. It's still embroiled in various battles and will 
> likely never run again.  

This reminded me that I meant to mention that because of the 565, in the late 
1980s I went through the R&LHS Bulletin No.72, with the most complete DL&W 
steam roster, and went over every DL&W steam locomotive sold to a short line, 
hoping to find a mystery shortline engine somewhere in a park that the railfans 
missed.  None panned out, but I eventually found two that were not in that 
roster; one was a Lackawanna Coal Company 0-4-0 that was at Allaire State Park 
for a while and I think it's now somewhere else.  Hardly a Pocono, and 
Lackawanna in name only as the corporate ties were minimal.   The other was an Edison 
Portland Cement 0-4-0t that was in the Henry Ford Museum and sold to a private 
owner.  It was sold again to a restaurantuer in California who runs it.  I saw 
it hot and simmering at Sacramento in 1999.  It's significance is that it did 
the switching at Edison's plant at New Village, N.J., west of Washingon.  
Whatta gem of an engine, and driving wheels that are less than knee-high.  The 
lettering on one side is still the original Edison-era gold -- it was kept along 
a wall in Detroit so the sun only faded one side, and that side has been 
repainted. The other is still original.  Whatta fine engine to bring back to 
Jersey, but the owner loves it, too.

                            ....Mike Del Vecchio

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