The Home Machinist!

Anyone here remember the Centerville and Southwestern Railroad? I was at the train show a few weeks ago in Springfield and a used 1955 pamphlet of the railroad caught my eye and came home with me. I found the info on it has later been reposted here http://ibls.org/mediawiki/index.php?tit ... n_Railroad

Perhaps the line that caught my eyes the most was as follows;

Mr. H.B. Ayers, retired president of the H.K. Porter Locomotive Company of Pittsburgh, with the aid of Mr. J.B. Innis, then the vice president of the American Locomotive, as consulting engineer, was proceeding with the design and construction of the 4-8-4 "Pocono" type live steam locomotive in Bridgeport, Conn.

Made me wonder if there was more to this story. Imagine the retired president of Learjet and the vice president of Boeing coming together to help build you a nice 2"scale model airplane?

Adam

I remember it well! My Aunt Marion lived in Caldwell and we would go past it to and from visiting her. She loved to tell the story of me misbehaving at 5 years old. I was warned that if I didn't start behaving, we wouldn't stop. She told of the look of disbelief as we drove right past it!
I rode it on Saturday of the last weekend. Later Keith Muldowney and I went and visited Gene Becker while he was winding things up.
I would say Keith Muldowney probably knows the most about the C&S. Some of the equipment now operates in Phillipsburg, NJ.

There is a nice DVD that was offered years ago and I think is still available that gives a nice history and overview of the C&SW. Wish I had been born early enough to see it at the Becker Dairy Farm.

I know Dave Sclavi lobbied hard to get it relocated and rebuilt in Monmouth County. The 4-8-4 I think is still in Detroit in a private collection. Would love to see it returned to NJ and a real operation set up. What is set up in Phillipsburg is OK, but it's not what it could or should be.

Rob Gardner

Here is my version of the C&SRR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2ZuHZyLvG8&t=2s

Dave,

So where is the Hudson now?

Nyle

Florida

Dave, has Sherman figured out a way to operate it? Has it been steamed or have any of the refinements been made to it that you talked about like asking the larger injectors or replumbing the engine?

Rob Gardner

It will never run on steam .This is a sore subject for me.

Sad to hear, Dave.

Rob

Although it appears the Wikipedia article copies the Miniature Locomotive article pretty much verbatim, here is now it originally appeared, with the cover: https://www.dropbox.com/s/r9vzcwodpuuhn ... e.pdf?dl=0

Enjoy,

-Mike