Welcoem to posts!!
in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
#ThrowbackThursday — Today’s photo comes from a collection of privately owned slides from the dying days of steam in and around Milwaukee, Wis.. Most of them are captioned with flowery descriptors of late steam and early diesel — except for this one: “Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 type on freight near Milwaukee.” That was all the introduction the Milwaukee’s 4-8-4s needed.
Let’s introduce them anyway. This one, No. 204, came from Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1937 as the fourth of 30 class S-2s. The S-1 preceded this class by seven years, originally consisting of one locomotive numbered 9700, later 250. In 1938, No. 250 was duplicated by the West Milwaukee Shops, becoming the second S-1 No. 251 and the last steam locomotive built there. Following was another order 10 of S-2s, built in 1940 by Baldwin, and finally the 10 S-3s, arriving from the American Locomotive Company in 1944, and also the last steam locomotives ever built for the Milwaukee Road. That made for a total of 52 locomotives.
Evident in how early and often they ordered these locomotives, the Milwaukee, like many roads of the time, embraced the Northern. They equipped them with the latest technology of the time — firebox circulators, exhaust steam injectors, one-piece cast frames, roller bearings and more. With their 74-inch drivers, they were equally capable in freight and passenger service, but freight was where they saw the lion's share of their work. Most of them were coal burners working in the eastern half of the system, but select engines were converted to burn oil and sent to the west.
Postwar dieselization came in droves on the Milwaukee Road, and the Northerns, modern as they seemed, were no better off than the rest of the steam roster. Retirement came for the first of them in 1953, and by 1956 there was not one 4-8-4 left in service on the railroad.
Two were saved, both of them S-3s: No. 265, displayed in the Illinois Railway Museum, and No. 261, whose status can go without saying thanks to the Friends of the 261.
Why Milwaukee? This collection of slides originated from various photographers associated with Kalmbach Media, the original publisher of @trainsmagazine3026, Model Railroader and other special interest publications. Most of them were sold this year to Firecrown Media, and after these publications relocate to Chattanooga, Tenn., Kalmbach will become defunct after 90 years in business.
Milwaukee, Wis., was the home of Kalmbach — as it was for its founder and namesake, Al C. Kalmbach, who took this photo.
@FiredUpTrains collection.
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On this day two years ago, we were on location for "Inside the Indiana Rail Experience", marking the beginning of our collaboration with @fortwaynerailroad and a major pivot in the evolution of our brand. Last year, we followed it up with "Clear Iron Ahead", examining three significant milestones that, along with an expanded calendar and offerings, helped further flesh out the program.
This year, the Indiana Rail Experience has welcomed more passengers on a wider variety of rides than ever before, and we feel privileged to be a small part of it.
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This morning in Port Clinton….
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👋🎥 It has been a summer of shooting for various upcoming projects!
We have three documentaries on tap for 2024, and principal shooting for the first of these is poised to begin within a week of today. Look out for more of the most riveting stories in railroading in the third and fourth quarters of this year!
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💡 While uploads have been quiet this winter, it has hardly been quiet behind the scenes! Pennsy Productions will continue its commitment to the most riveting stories in railroading in 2024, from the most prolific to the most obscure. Expect several documentaries big and small later this year!
Until then, we’ll soon begin posting never-before-seen content from 2023 and previous years, so be sure you have notifications turned on!
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How can a railroad preservation movement be born, how can it grow, how can it thrive... and how can it die? We urge you to lend an ear to the @aheadofthetorch podcast if you're searching for answers to these questions.
The first episode lays down some ground rules:
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It's hard to believe that we're already approaching the second anniversary of @westernmarylandrail No. 1309's inaugural photo charter — and even harder to believe is that our take on the event just surpassed 100,000 views, making it our first main channel video to reach such a figure!
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#ThrowbackThursday — Leading the Greg Brown Slide Collection in 2024 is this May 1991 image of Nickel Plate Road No. 755, posed at the place it has made home since 1964, the Conneaut Railroad Museum.
Outshopped from the Lima Locomotive Works in August 1944, the 755 led the Nickel Plate's second order of S-2 class Berkshires that year. Aside from a rollover wreck in Erie in its first year of use, it led a fairly unremarkable service life crisscrossing freight throughout the system. Like most of its sibling engines, it was outfitted with modifications such as a Valve Pilot speed recorder in 1947, a Mars Light in 1951 and a radio and third turbogenerator in 1955.
Originally retired in the twilight of 1957 at Conneaut, a projected traffic surge early in 1958 prompted the 755's return to the Conneaut locomotive shops for overhaul. When this traffic surge never came to pass, however, the 755 returned to the deadline in pristine mechanical condition. The same occurred to several Berkshires, and two of them survive: No. 759 at Steamtown National Historic Site and No. 763 at the @ageofsteamroundhousemuseum2468. No. 759 has since been operated, and No. 763 has twice been considered for operation.
Being a zero-mile engine naturally made the 755 a prime candidate for preservation in Conneaut, where it was spotted along the ex-Lake Shore & Michigan Southern on October 14, 1964, and where members of the museum still keep it in pristine condition. The engine nearly got a reprieve from display when it was considered to power the 1975-76 American Freedom Train as a doubleheader with the aforementioned No. 763, but different locomotives were ultimately selected.
Its superheater units were removed for use on operating sibling No. 765 in 1981, after its original units failed during the previous operating season. According to reports from @fortwaynerailroad volunteers at that time, a copy of the local newspaper from May 1958 still laid in the 755's combustion chamber.
Greg Brown photo, Pennsy Productions collection.
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Like the spark of a weld, we hope your New Year prospects are bright!
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Your viewership has made Pennsy Productions’ fifth year a remarkably formative one. As 2024 nears, we feel it apt to reflect….
👀 Look out for our 2023 Year in Review in the coming weeks! As always, watch this space for updates and make sure your notifications are enabled.
📸: Kelly Lynch
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The Most Riveting Stories in Railroading
"The story tellers, gathering attention into their tales, spoke in great rhythms, spoke in great words because the tales were great, and the listeners became great through them."
- John Steinbeck
Pennsy Productions has built a strong reputation for quality since our founding in 2018, and through our videos, we tell the most riveting stories in railroading. How do you save a railcar from scrap in your own backyard? What does it take to restore a mainline steam locomotive in the 21st Century? What can a new rail preservation initiative do to keep in tune with the ever-changing times? How does a passion for railroading blossom, and why do so many share such a passion? We're exploring these questions and countless more — and you'll be hard-pressed to find content like ours anywhere else.
If you like what you see, climb aboard and subscribe!