LIRR STEAM SOUNDS |
Steel Rails to the Sunrise – The Long Island Rail Road by Ron Ziel
and George H. Foster. 1965 |
Steel Rails record jacket
Archive: Brad Phillips
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Steel Rails record jacket back cover
Archive: Brad Phillips |
Published in 1965, a 45rpm record selling for $1.00 that could be
ordered with Steel Rails to the Sunrise, of LIRR Steam Engines
recorded while in service.
Archive: Brad Phillips
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Archive: Bob Andersen |
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Side 1
1. K-4 No. 5406 Floral Park, slowed down by a westbound Hempstead train
crossed over ahead and now accelerating.
2. G-5 No. 5704 Eastbound main line local leaving Mineola. He's five minutes
off the advertised; here he comes...and THERE HE GOES!
3. K-4 No. 3880 It's late at night and old train 647 is leaving New Hyde
Park, last train 'til morning. The distant signal at Floral Park reads "high
green". Next stop - Jamaica!
4. E-6 No. 460 Think of old train 5 leaving Speonk - late as was often the
case due to loading the mail. Making good use of the downgrade to Eastport,
reluctantly stopping there, the 4-4-2's whistle echoing off the buildings of
the Eastport Milling Co.
W. S. Boerckel, Asst. Supervising Operator, LIRR |
Side 2 1. H-9 Switching sounds of the busy
Long Island City passenger yard. Shuffling over the crossings, wearing out
the bell clapper, side rod bushings loose and slapping; hallmark of a Pennsy
locomotive.
2. H-9 From the yard onto the main at Blissville. Working easy, down from
the cut-off, as the helper handles the load. The 2-8-0 whistles for
Greenpoint Ave. under the bridge.
3. L-1 Riverhead and more famous PRR rod-slapping as the largest class we
ever operated slows to pick up the brakeman flagging Roanoke Avenue. We are
getting our potato extra together, westbound for Holban Yard.
4. G-5 Just left Hicksville, westbound building speed as she whistles for
the Charlotte Avenue crossing - just enough to cover the law and satisfy the
rules examiner.
W. S. Boerckel, Asst. Supervising Operator, LIRR |
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L1s Class: The 2-8-2 Mikados were leased to the LIRR from the PRR during the war years. As most railfans were serving overseas, and any who weren't were under the restrictive wartime photography ban, very few negatives of them in use on the LIRR were ever produced. They were used primarily for freight service on the Bay Ridge branch and Montauk branch between Fresh Pond and LI City, however they did make the occasional trek as far east as Riverhead. They were too long to turn on the turntable there, so they had to be backed to Manorville where they'd be turned on the wye.
PRR leased to LIRR 2-8-2 Class L1s Numbers: 714, 1286, 1385, 1478, 1542, 1625, 3078, 3408, 3518, 3580, 3590
Research: Dave Keller L1s at
Riverhead: |
Pennsylvania Railroad L1s #804 Juniata Shops, PA 1917
Archive: Edward J. Ozog
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PRR L1s #8283 as a stationary boiler at Wheelspur Yard, LI City c.1956
Archive: Dave Keller
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PRR L1s #8148 as a stationary boiler at Wheelspur Yard, LI City 2/22/1956
Archive: Dave Keller |
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wheels on one axle, usually in a trailing truck. This configuration of steam locomotive is most often referred to as a Mikado, frequently shortened to
Mike.
The 2-8-2 wheel arrangement allowed the locomotive's firebox to be placed behind instead of above the driving wheels, thereby allowing a larger firebox that could be both wide and deep. This supported a greater rate of combustion and thus a greater capacity for steam generation, allowing for more power at higher speeds. Allied with the larger driving wheel diameter which was possible when they did not impinge on the firebox, it meant that the 2-8-2 was capable of higher speeds than a 2-8-0 with a heavy train. These locomotives did not suffer from the imbalance of reciprocating parts as much as did the 2-6-2 or the 2-10-2, because the center of gravity was between the second and third drivers instead of above the
center driver. At times it was also referred to on some railroads in the United States of America as the McAdoo Mikado and, during the Second World War, the
MacArthur. After the war, the type name "Mikado" again became the most common for this locomotive
type. Source: Wikipedia |
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E6s Class: The
Atlantic type 4-4-2 engines were leased to the LIRR from the PRR as
follows: |
4-4-2 Class
E6s Numbers: 51, 169, 198, 230, 402, 435, 460, 530, 563, 645, 737, 779,
1179, 1238, 1287, 1321, 1333, 1347, 1351, 1470, 1564, 1600, 1611, 1680,
1694, 5209 Research: Dave Keller |
E6s #460 westbound at KO Signals Ronkonkoma 3/1938
Archive: Dave Keller |
E6s #460 Wreck train - Old Southern Rd., Laurelton 10/20/1939 Archive:
Dave Keller |
E6s #1287 running against traffic Roslyn 1940 (T. Sommer-Keller) |
E6s #169 - Oyster Bay 7/23/1944 Archive: Dave Keller
E6s at Speonk:
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E6s #1600 freight at Montauk View E 1939 Archive: Dave Keller
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E6s #737- Patchogue Loco Terminal View NE c.1946
Archive: Dave Keller
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Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, 4-4-2 represents a configuration of four leading wheels on two axles, usually in a leading bogie with a single pivot point, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle, usually in a trailing truck which supports part of the weight of the boiler and firebox and gives the class its main improvement over the 4-4-0 configuration.
This wheel arrangement is commonly known as the Atlantic type. Although quickly ceding top-flight trains to the larger K4s Pacifics, the E6 remained a popular locomotive on lesser services and
remained in service on the LIRR until 1949. Source: Wikipedia
The class E6s replaced the earlier E3sd Atlantic types. Among
other things the E3sd locomotives were recognizable by their taller
smokestacks. Research: Dave Keller |
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G5s Class: A class of 4-6-0 steam locomotives built by the PRR's Juniata Shops in the mid-late 1920s. It was designed for passenger trains, particularly on
commuter lines, and became a fixture on suburban railroads (notably the Long Island Rail Road) until the mid-1950s. The G5s was the largest and most powerful 4-6-0 locomotive, except for a single Southern Pacific 4-6-0 that outweighed it by 5500 lb.
In the 1920s the Pennsylvania Railroad needed a locomotive for commuter
trains. When the first G5s rolled out of the Juniata shops in 1923, the
Pennsylvania Railroad hadn't built a 4-6-0 in more than two decades.
Mechanical Engineer William F. Kiesel, Jr. who designed the engine used
the boiler from an E6s Atlantic and designed one of the largest and most
powerful ten-wheelers ever built. Smaller drive wheels than an Atlantic
and the lack of a trailing truck put more weight on the drivers and
produced an engine with great power and acceleration but a lower top
speed. The 4-6-0 wheel arrangement could provide sufficient tractive
effort, (41,000 lbs of tractive force) but at the same time, allow
the locomotive to accelerate the train more quickly. Such a design was
ideal for the frequent stops on PRR commuter lines.
The G5s (#20 thru #50, inclusive )was the primary passenger locomotive on the Long Island Railroad until the end of steam operations, sharing the duty with K4s's and other G5's leased from the PRR, as well as diesels such as the Alco RS3 that ultimately replaced them. The G5s locomotives on Long Island differed slightly from those produced for the PRR, with a larger tender typically used by the K4s.[2]
The G5s was the last steam locomotive to operate in revenue service on Long Island. The last seven in operation, numbers 21, 24, 32, 35, 38, 39, and 50, were in service until late 1955. In October of that year, a special "End of Steam Ceremony" was held at Hicksville. Engines 35 and 39 each pulled a single coach to the station with local Boy Scouts on board. Upon arriving, the coaches were uncoupled from the two steam engines, and each coupled to an Alco RS3 diesel locomotive. 35 and 39 were then coupled nose to nose, and ran west to the shops at Morris Park. 35 would run one more fantrip the following
week. Source: Wikipedia |
G5s #22 Morris Park Shops 2/04/38 Archive: Dave Keller
G5s #22 is seen here laying up at Morris Park Shops on
February 4, 1938. In the foreground can be seen the remaining wooden
safety guard for a section of electrified third rail which apparently had
been removed at the time of this image. Looking northwest, this photo
appears to have been taken about where the "new" concrete
coaling tower would be constructed 6 years later. Research: Dave
Keller |
G5s #21 - Sunrise Special tender Archive: Art Huneke
G5s #39 at Oyster Bay Photo/Archive: Art Huneke
G5s #39 westbound
from Hicksville whistle for the
Charlotte Avenue crossing:
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G5s #49 c. 1940 at Port Jefferson. The building behind the loco is the REMZ Purina Feeds Bldg. fronting Rte. 112 across from the
station platform.
G5s #42 westbound leaving Mineola 3/02/1941 (Winslow-Ziel)
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H9s Class: The Pennsylvania Railroad's class H8, H9s and H10s steam locomotives were of the 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type, the last three classes of such built by the railroad. The three classes differed only in cylinder diameter and thus tractive effort, each subsequent class increasing that measurement by an inch. The first H8 was built in 1907 and the last H10 in 1916; within a few years they were replaced on heavy freight assignments by 2-8-2s and 2-10-0. They became the railroad's standard light freight locomotive, replacing all other class H
2-8-0s. A number of H8 locomotives were rebuilt to H9s specification and were leased to the PRR-owned Long Island Rail Road, becoming the primary freight-hauling type on
this system and remained in service on the LIRR until 1949. Source:
Wikipedia |
2-8-0
Class H9s Numbers: 155, 237, 357, 363, 392, 396, 429, 486, 540, 543, 580,
614, 692, 746, 813, 910, 1084, 1111, 1144, 1265, 1370, 1382, 1421,
1484, 1493, 1495, 1500, 1504, 1508, 1532, 1558, 1559, 1561, 1795, 1797,
1803, 1806, 2090, 2386, 2486, 2824, 2826, 2927, 3217, 3419, 3468, 3470,
3475, 3478, 3493, 3513, 3521, 3522, 3523, 3526, 3527, 3530, 3534, 3539,
3540, 3601, 3602, 3615, 3620, 3685, 4147, 4153, 4180, 5139, 5172, 5264,
5624 Research: Dave Keller |
H9s #2826 on garden tracks - Morris Park Shops Jamaica
View NE 10/31/1948 (N. Rolf-Keller) |
PRR leased H9s #580 with well-stocked tender
is westbound on a yard track opposite the station platform and is about to
cross Osborne Avenue at Riverhead, NY in this view from June, 1933. The
fireman is watching the photographer.
(Dave Keller archive) H9s at LI City: H9s at
"Banshee Whistle" Blissville: |
PRR-leased H9s #910 is running light eastbound at MP6 in Glendale, NY. on a
cold, snowy January 31, 1948. The steam from the stack is tight and crisp
in the cold air. This view is looking west with Woodhaven Blvd. behind the
photographer. (Ed Hermanns photo, Dave Keller archive) |
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H10s Class: The PRR
issued Form MP229 which listed the PRR-leased locomotives that were on the
LIRR property by month and year. Some locomotives came over for a brief
period of service and were returned. Some locomotives went back and forth
numerous times. Other locomotives spent many years on LIRR property and
nearly their entire career on site. For example the LIRR's roster of H10s
locomotives built in the early to mid 'teens and received from the PRR
between 1928 and 1930. Dave Keller |
LIRR H10s #110 2-8-0 - LI City ex-PRR #8610
Photo: 1934 just west of the Harold Ave. overpass in Sunnyside/LI City
either by George Votava or one of his friends, i.e. Bill Lichtenstern,
Jeff Winslow, et. al.
This engine is still sporting classification
lights atop the smokebox. These were gone from freight engines by 1939.
Many lost them much earlier. Info: Dave Keller
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LIRR H10s #113 2-8-0 crossing Main St./25A, Kings
Park c.1950 Photo: Ernie Lanzer
Archive: Kings Park Heritage Museum Bell:
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LIRR H10s #117 2-8-0 - Babylon 1940
PRR H10 at the Sandusky, Ohio Yard - "Banshee
Whistle"
Recording: Ryan Hoover Collection
Courtesy: Columbusrailroads.com
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The LIRR acquired their H10s engines from the
Pennsylvania Railroad between 1928 and 1930. Only one H10s that the LIRR
owned was built by the PRR, however ALL were previously OWNED by the PRR
and were assigned PRR road numbers. Research: Dave Keller
Roster of LIRR H10s engines, previous PRR number, build date and builder: |
101 7146 1913 Baldwin
102 7174 1913 PRR
103 7205 1913 Baldwin
104 7732 1915 Lima
105 7558 1913 Pittsburgh
106 7140 1913 Baldwin
107 7616 1915 Baldwin
108 7152 1915 Baldwin
109 7952 1916 Brooks
110 8610 1916 Brooks |
111 8239 1916 Brooks
112 8246 1916 Brooks
113 9732 1916 Brooks
114 8222 1915 Lima
115 8814 1916 Lima (ex-Vandalia RR)
116 9888 1915 Baldwin
117 7931 1915 Lima (ex-Little Miami RR)
118 8527 1913 Baldwin
119 8566 1913 Baldwin
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K4 Class: The
Pennsylvania Railroad's K4s 4-6-2 "Pacific" (425 built 1914–1928, PRR Altoona, Baldwin) was their premier passenger-hauling steam locomotive from 1914 through the end of steam on the
LIRR in 1955.
Attempts were made to replace the K4s, including the K5 and the T1 duplex locomotive, but none was really successful, and the K4s hauled the vast majority of express passenger trains until replaced by diesel locomotives. Source: Wikipedia |
4-6-2 Class K4s Numbers: 269,
383, 389, 518, 719, 830, 920, 958, 1139, 1384, 1395, 1554, 1730, 1737,
1984, 1985, 3655, 3728, 3731, 3734, 3738, 3740, 3741, 3744, 3750, 3751,
3752, 3753, 3754, 3757, 3771, 3805, 3838, 3841, 3843, 3854, 3873, 3880,
3887, 5072, 5238, 5296, 5336, 5348, 5349, 5365, 5375, 5385, 5387, 5389,
5393, 5394, 5395, 5396, 5406, 5407, 5409, 5410, 5411, 5414, 5428, 5432,
5434, 5438, 5455, 7267, 7270, 7275, 7938, 8225, 8378 Research: Dave Keller |
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K4s #830 Jamaica 5/21/1940 Photo: Ron Zinn |
K4s at New Hyde Park:
K4s at Floral Park:
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K4s #5406 Train #4613 - Cold Spring Harbor 3/16/1947
Archive: Dave Keller |
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