The Railroad Museum of Long Island is restoring #39, a G-5 at Strasburg. You can follow the progress on their website www.rmli.us/RMLI/welcome.html. I don’t remeber seeing anything posted on this.
This engine sat at Riverhead, L.I. for donkey’s years while little progress was being made. The intention was to restore her and offer tourist rides on the old LIRR line out to Greenport on the North Fork. I’m glad to see that she’s gone to Steamtown and is at least under a roof!. I hope they have more luck with this restoration than they had with the K4.
I believe this engine and another LIRR G5 were being rebuilt in the 1960’s. Obviously they didn’t make it! What was the other engine number and is it still around?
Glad Strasburg is doing the work as it will be a Pro Job. Cetainly hope to see her running. The G5 was a very neat looking engine.
Roger Huber
The other G5 is no. 35, and she now rests in Oyster Bay, NY. She is also undergoing restoration, but there is no boiler contract let out that I am aware. Like past generations, we all look forward to the return to steam in Long Island.
I was at Riverhead this past summer. All the parts for #39 were in a portion of the yard and the boiler was gone having been shipped to Strasburg. I hope this engine never sees Steamtown. If it goes there it will never be seen again. I was also to Oyster Bay. #35 is sitting in pieces, the boiler painted in primer.