At the moment, he and I were talking about the Reading T1, the one used on the American Freedom Train. Known as the T-hog, she was a real brute, a massive 4-8-4. Great puller, but nothing out of the ordinary on that one. In fact, she was rebuilt from an earlier 2-8-0.
Their main claim to fame is surviving late into the steam era and then being used on the Reading Rambles excursion trains.
Chet and Bob: My first up close and personal experience with steam power was a Ride on the Reading, age 4 or so, they were still using steam power on their Main Line trains from Philadelphia to the Coal region. (G3sa?). However, the steam era was about done. When I became aware of the Reading Rambles, I tried to persuade my dad to take us on one, but he wasn't interested.
I was at Delaware Park, when the AFT made it's Inaugural appearance in Stanton, DE., (in 1975). For reasons unknown to me, the train arrived behind two freight GG1s, Delaware Park was wired, to accommodate the Race Trains. The train was pulledin as I recall, and yarded with a GP9. The GG1s sent back to Wilmington. The T1 was placed on display and everything was set. I was invited up into the cab to check it out., but the T1 was along for the ride. The next night, we came back, after the exhibition closed for the night, and towed the T1 to Wilmington Shop, where it needed to go on the drop table. Imagine, a live steam locomotive inside the
"Electric locomotive Shop". Following night, we returned it to the park. After the exhibit finished it's run, we reassembled the train, and hauled it (2 GG1s) North to Philadelphia, where we gave the train to another crew to advance it to the next location.
The Run from Belmont to Aberdeen was one of the last exhibitions, possibly in September or October. Amtrak, had just taken over operation of the NEC from Conrail, and was receptive to a Steam run. Armed with an FRA waiver to run freight speed while not equipped with cab signal, it came down off the former Reading. Among dignitaries, on board, was Rollie Anders, System Road Foreman of the Reading Co., and Kenny Clark, the RF of E from Reading.
My last experience with a live T1, was one Saturday morning, in 1977. I was up early, and walking my dog, when I heard a B&O train blowing for the crossings east of my home. The distinctive sound of the whistle, told me to get trackside, just in time to witness the passing of the "Chessie Steam Special" resplendent in it's Chessie System colors.
Yes
Bob. I remember it was blue, as part of the Red, White and Blue Bi-centennial theme. As I recall, the blue was closer to the Dark C&O blue.
BTW: I do not have a BLI PRR T1, in my collection, but I do have a Reading T-1, (in in service scheme). The PRR T1 was cooler looking, but the Reading T1 ran better. And, ten were leased to the PRR during 1955 and 1956, to alleviate a power shortage.