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(erielack) Erie steam locomotives

Re K-5s stretching their legs, the NY Div at the time allowed passenger
trains 70 mph from the Hksk River bridge to Rutherford, from west of
Garfield to east of Glen Rock (Berg Cty MP 11.7 -18), Ramsey-Suffern (MP
26-30.9) Trk 1, Ramapo-Newburgh Jct (MP 32.87-45), and Graham westbound (MP
80-86). In later diesel days, the eastbound morning express I rode behind a
PA would, if late, crest above that 70 mph limit once east of Glen Rock and
also take the Garfield curves appreciably above the allowed 50. It is
reasonable to assume that steam engineers took the same liberties a decade
earlier to arrive on the money.
 
Childhood memories are not the most accurate but it certainly seemed to me
that a late eastbound Chicago train down the mainline would often be
steaming through Glen Rock at more than the allowed 60; that's why I got
freaked out once when I decided to watch the train from the trackside
station bench and could feel the forces pounding up underneath me on the
seat as the still accelerating K-5 passed by. (One other time I felt such
forces was when I standing very near trackside in the early 70's for a photo
runby of a Steamtown (VT) tripleheader; the furiously working trio made it
feel like an earthquake beneath my feet...even a bit scary to an adult!) 
 
Don Stefee's (sic?) passenger speed surveys in Trains would usually list
some Erie runs in the western divisions in his honorable mention category. I
presume these would be on the stretches noted in yesterday's post by Steve
Timko. 
 
Almost a year ago I posted a question about the veracity of a rumor I once
heard that an old Erie engineer spoke of hitting 100 mph in a K-5. Below I
am pasting some responses, as they are relevant to the present thread.
 
Joe Braun
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Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 21:24:42 EDT

From: RJFlei_@_aol.com

Subject: (erielack) Erie K - 5a Speed 

List, I was told by an operator at SN tower that when steam ruled the
Cleveland 

line,  K -5's were quite fast. Supposedly, a passenger train behind schedule
on 

this line had no speed limit. I was told that K - 5 powered trains had run
at 

90 mph. on this line toward SN, but had to slow down fro the interlocking. I


imagine they had to slow down to about 30 mph. 

 

Perhaps  Steve Timko can shed some light on this subject. 

 

Rick Fleischer

ELHS # 1426

Cortland, Oh.

___ 

 

Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 19:30:32 EDT

From: Wdburt1_@_aol.com

Subject: (erielack) K-5 Speed Capability

 

From memory--

 

Albert Isaman was killed at the State Street grade crossing in Dalton, N.Y. 

on the Buffalo Division one day in 1937.  This was a rather steep grade 

crossing that my great-grandfather, Nunda Town Supervisor William D. Burt,
tried to 

get replaced with an underpass.  Isaman had been slipping the clutch to hold


his automobile on the upgrade, when suddenly the car shot out in front of a 

fast-moving eastbound mail train, which most likely was headed by a K4 or K5


Pacific.  The engineer applied the brakes but to no avail.  Isaman's car was
thrown 

over the telegraph wires, which were about 40 feet above the ground due to 

the need to clear sidetracks, and he was killed.  The collision froze the 

locomotive's speed recorder at 92 MPH.

 

The train had just topped over the rise between River Junction and Dalton
and 

was beginning its gradual descent to Hornell.

 

WDB

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