Bob wrote... As expected, the computer hasn't been achieving overload from the responses to my question, about the air hornes on the Lackawanna 4-8-2 1450 class steamer. ooOOOOoo ooOOOo ooOOOOo oOOOOo We are all so deprived when we view images of Lackawanna or Erie Steam Locomotives. Volumes of personal stories, antidotes and tall tales could be written about each of these DL&W engines if the hoggers were list members! Of course, most all of them have received the call from the ultimate crew caller himself by now :( I always remember a friend, who’s Uncle worked for the Lackawanna would sit down and stories would unfold whenever he flipped through a copy of Erie Lackawanna Story back in the 70’s, he worked as a Fireman for DL&W in New Jersey, mostly commuter runs. He would ultimately retire running MU’s and U34CH’s for Conrail prior to the NJ Transit takeover of operations. I wish I had a tape recorder of his intimate descriptions of each engine, how well it steamed its quirks and of course personal experiences running them. We get a sample from some of the EL stories we see posted here on the list, and I always enjoy reading them… but the classic Steam photos pass so quietly. I was too young to get more information at the time, but I recall you could show him a any photo of lets say a Camelback, and engine numbers would start to rattle off with great stories attached to each one! It’s a fact Steam engines had more personality than any diesel. It must be since they were each a custom manufactured machine these traits were so apparent. These engineers were a suppositious lot too, many engines were blessed… and a few cursed! Were missing so much, so please keep the personal EL stories coming… but the tales about making up time with a 4-6-4 or such and such an engine throwing a drive rod on the Passaic River Bridge and other interesting hair rising stories are sadly, now lost forever. Todd (ELHS 1318) - --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard. ------------------------------
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