End of Steam Ceremony 50th Anniversary and a request

The Oyster Bay Railroad Museum (Friends of Locomotive #35) in cooporation with the Hicksville Historical Society will be holding a ceremony to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the End of Steam Ceremony at Hickville on Saturday October 8 at noon.

At the ceremony in 1955 a young Boy Scout named Fred Ruff rang a steam locomotive bell to symbolize the end of steam. This gentlman is still around and is expected to ring #35's bell at this years event.

To add to the atmosphere of the event we would like to blow a steam locomotive whistle using compressed air. The problem is that #35's whistle was stolen many years ago (the whilstle part itself cut off from the rest of the casting with a hack saw) so we are without a proper whistle. Does anyone know where we might come up with a whistle that we can borrow for the event? While we would prefer a Pennsy passenger whistle, we are not overly picky, besides whistles never sound quite right on air.

Great Idea. RMLI to what i understand cannot find 39s whistle either but it is some where. and i am not to volenteer is use of it is via permission of RMLI only. and that is if it is found.

as for the event, how will it be ran out all but 1 peice of the equiptment is here on LI, non of witch is railworthy. i have said this plenty times in the past more like 10 years ago as i young kid, but this fall was the year to have both enginines running to do a 50 years "return to steam" ceremony now to honnor the event, maby we can get the M1 to replicate the steam and the M7s the new. but i dont know what it is that you have instored and if the lirr is involved to that extent. unfortunatly another railroads steamlocomotives would not be aloud down here for the day.

buy any ways best of luck, i look foward to the event how ever it unfolds.

I know of four sources that may have exactly what you are looking for. Two are private collectors who i will contact on behalf of the Friends of 35, however, Steve T will need to contact me personally prior to me attemping to make any negotiations.
The third and fourth sources would be the people with the K4 1361, and the railroad museum at Strasburg (sp?) who happen to have a G5 there. If I am not mistaken, G5s and K4s used the same whistle.
I would not be surprised if there wasnt a considerable bond that would need to be posted to protect the owners of the whistles.
If not, I have a single note 4" Lunkenheimer that you can use. Not pretty, not multichimed, but it will still give some goose bumps when sounded.

This is not a put down on Friends of 35 or RMLI. Both of these locomotives were reasonably intact while on display at their stuffed and mounted sites. Then the benefactors came along and removed them from display, and from thereafer, parts went missing. I know of one "preservationist" who always wanted Pennsy four-legged markers for his own collection, and would have had access to them from one of these engines. How the H___ did the people to whom the locomotives were entrusted manage to neglect the headlights, whistles, bells, marker lights, etc., that survived years being outdoors with little scrutiny? I have been told that the "38" keystone plate off the 39 is nowhere to be found. 35's headlight AND whistle were stolen? Who was responsible for their protection? Why did that custodial duty fail? Has there ever been any pursuit of the artifacts? And why does this all smell like last week's socks? Look, I am not blaming specific individuals and ceratinly NOT either of the current preservation groups, but there should have been a short list of people who had access to the most valuable of these steam artifacts.

Anybody check out any "barns" in Bridgehampton/Southampton?

Dave Keller

the previous owner of thoes "barns" might have kept them when he left LI.
lets add sag harbor to that list, and when he currently resides out of NYS.

Richard,
I know where you are coming from but can't give you much infomation. I know for the Friends of Locomotive 35, and it is likely the same case with the RMLI, that the valuable pieces that have gone missing happened before the current custodians where around. The case of #35's whistle is obviously some collector who cared nothing for preservation as the casting was cut in two pieces and not very carefully at that.

Some items that are missing may be because individuals thought they were doing good by holding on to them until needed, but these people may have passed on and the relatives have no idea what they have.

A related story from when we were getting the #35's compressor back from the BR&W who had been using it on their #60. We had gotten most of the parts back but missing the governor, a piece specific to our type of compressor. Our correspondence on the BR&W put out a message only to find out that it was in someone's home shop. Not a collectable item this person was obviously not planning on making a profit from it but just holding on to it. If they had passed on or moved away it would be very unlikely that anyone would know what this seemingly random bit of metal was. In any event it saved us a considerable amount of money as there were no spares available and a new one would have had to been cast.

In the end, memories and lives are short and peices of a locomotive belong together where they will eventually work together as they did in years gone by.

Richard Glueck wrote:This is not a put down on Friends of 35 or RMLI. Both of these locomotives were reasonably intact while on display at their stuffed and mounted sites. Then the benefactors came along and removed them from display, and from thereafer, parts went missing. I know of one "preservationist" who always wanted Pennsy four-legged markers for his own collection, and would have had access to them from one of these engines. How the H___ did the people to whom the locomotives were entrusted manage to neglect the headlights, whistles, bells, marker lights, etc., that survived years being outdoors with little scrutiny? I have been told that the "38" keystone plate off the 39 is nowhere to be found. 35's headlight AND whistle were stolen? Who was responsible for their protection? Why did that custodial duty fail? Has there ever been any pursuit of the artifacts? And why does this all smell like last week's socks? Look, I am not blaming specific individuals and ceratinly NOT either of the current preservation groups, but there should have been a short list of people who had access to the most valuable of these steam artifacts.

Belpaire: I appreciate the gentleness in your response, but frankly, we are not talking about a random part or steam fitting. We are talking about the most relevant and distinguishing artifiacts from a preserved locomotive; one that had distinct owners or guardians. As far as pursuit of the items, I would get in telephone contact with those living members of the groups that had planned to restore the locomotives, and explain the current state of locomotive revival. If they are deceased, talk to the heirs. A few names come to mind, but not for publication here. The individual I was making reference to earlier once told me that the four-legged markers needed copies could be recast. As far as what happened to 35's whistle and headlight, that was simply thievery by criminals, and criminals who knew better, but just took them because they could. I guess theft is becoming an acceptable practice in the modern world, but I am enraged that it is tolerated. I believe the removal and acquisiton of G5 parts has been a concious and pre-meditated act by persons who rationalized their thefts as some twisted form of preservation.

No, I want to definitively state that I don't think any members of "Friends of 35" or RMLI would condone any removal of artifacts without leaving a record behind of what was where, and labeling the pieces. Custodial records should be on file somewhere. Perhaps a call for all "secured" parts to be brought into the proper restoration groups for inventory, is at hand?

I dont condone members of these groups stealing artifacts as much as they wany them. i must admit, i just like many others out there would love to own a whistle from a G5 but im many years too late. the picking is long over, and the 2 locomotives we have lost there whistles many years ago too. and i bet it is in some ones attack or garage. I dont mind restoration of parts at a members shop or garage but all parts are to return if not there paying for it. as for 35's headlight i read on there websight a few years ago that her origional light was sent the NJ to a meuseum that was to restore her in the '70s(?) that plan fell through and she landed at mitchel, and now OB. when 35 landed at mitchel did she have her wistel, keystone, headlight, and so on? if we can narrow it down to a time when it might have been stolen then we might be able to creat leads and trace them. yes its tedious investogator work but if it prevails things will be much nicer for us all.
and then there are thoes of us who hope that the person(s) who stole or were given these artifacts, will return them upon her operation or in the final days of restoration.

as for 39's stone, theory has it that Bklyn dodgers player #39 got eng 39s stone, as for the whistel it soposedly some where missplaced at RMLI but i have never seen it or heard of where it is. maby just maby, its in members personal care nicely restored and awaiting to grace 39 again.

The number plate from #39 was presented to retired Booklyn Dodger's catcher Roy Campanella, who wore #39 in his days as a "Bum."

Campanella was paralyzed in a car accident that occurred on the Veterans Memorial Highway, ending his playing career.

After he was presented with the #39 numberplate, the locomotive was given #38's plate and placed on display at the Museums at Stony Brook (then the Stony Brook Carriage Museum, I believe).

I understand no one knows whatever happened to the #39 plate once Roy Campanella passed away.

Dave Keller

Apparently nobody knows what happened to the "38" plate after a particular pair of railfans "secured" her parts from (other) vandals!

it's sad that these little brats never learned to SHARE when they were in kindergarten. It's a shame, it makes them look so bad and they don't even realize it.

I wondder what attack or basement 39s plate is in, thats not somthing you just throw away and its not no small thing either. someone must have it, unless it borke un roy's care.

I believe the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown was checked for the plate, but perhaps I am wrong. I agree, this is a difficult thing to lose and practically everyone associated with "Campy" would have recognized it as a significant gift. I doubt it went out in the streetside trash.

Guys, I just want to give you my two cents as a fellow rail preservationist from the western edge of Long Island: ever heard of a company called COSECO (or something similar to that). I may not have the proper spelling, but they are a company that specializes in reproduction brass whistles for railcars including steam engines, trolley and rapid transit cars. I have heard that their products are very good quality and are made as close to original specs as possible. While not free, the pricing is probably cheaper than trying to purchase originals from 100 years ago.

I never found a website, but I have heard that they do have one and that the company is located somewhere in the mid-west.