On vacation recently, I stumbled upon a beautiful Streamlined narrow gauge Vulcan 0-4-0 locomotive stuffed and mounted on a pedestal in front of the old Reading RR station in Oaks PA. It has a orange bullet nose, stainless steel boiler jacket and generally a “Lionel” 1930’s look to it. Can anyone enlighten me at to it’s origin and history? Thanks. bmrr444
The only thing listed in Steam Locomotive Info in Oaks is a Porter standard gauge 0-4-0T.Any pics?
I have digital photos of this engine but this is my first time using this forum and do not see how to insert photos. Any quick easy step to take? Thanks.
Why would anyone want to streamline a 0-4-0?
/Lone
0-4-0’s often were used as shop switchers to move cold engines when they were being rebuilt or repaired. I can’t recall just where but I recently ran across a picture of a Southern Pacific 0-4-0 saddle tanker that was semi-streamlined and was the “shop goat” at, IIRC, their Sacramento shops. I can’t come up with any other specific examples but vaguely remember hearing of a few other roads having one or more similarly streamlined shop switchers. I’m sure the “streamlining” was done by the local shop forces and reflected their pride in these dinky engines.
Mark
without seing a pic it could also be a fireless engine…with no fire box and a large rounded “boiler” could make it look streamlined
With the help of my talented son in law, attached are some photos of the mystery streamlined Vulcan on display at Oaks PA. Can anyone fill me in on its history and reason for streamlining? Thanks
It certainly appears to be a fireless locomotive which means it operated on a “charge” of steam received from a stationary boiler. Probably was privately owned and used to service a power plant, paper mill or factory which used process steam. The streamlining might well have been added when the locomotive was put on static display.
Mark
What a bizzare little thing!
its very cool…I like it! 
But I would give about 99% odds that the fancy streamlining was added after the loco was put on display, and it never turned a wheel in revenue service with that fancy shroud…
interesting! but not original to the locomotive…its someones 1:1 scale freelance fantasy model.
Scot
Only the thumbs were linked…
here are the full-size images:
A couple of comments.
From looking at the photo(and this all I can really do)
- The location is Station Rd(south), Gumbes Rd (north)& Egypt Rd(east-west)
2.Station Rd is not shown on several maps I looked at, and I’m guessing at the name based on the pictures.
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It seems kind of odd that the locomotive is facing south ie with the back of the locomotive facing the major street(Egypt Rd.) Usually in a display the front of the locomotive would be facing the major street. Or towards the intersection.
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When I looked at google maps in the imaging file the locomotive is not there. Only a patch of maybe gravel
5.One other comment. Is anyone positive this is a steam engine? I do not see any cylinders nor anyplace that the connecting rod would have been attached. Is this maybe an electric or diesel made up to look like a steam engine?
Rgds IGN
good call…I agree that “maybe an electric or diesel made up to look like a steam engine” is very plausable…
the lack of cylinders dosnt mean much…they could have been removed during the “restyling”…
but the back end with the “Vulcan” name does look more like some kind of gas or diesel critter than a steam engine…(Vulcan made both steam and diesel, so the Vulcan name alone doesnt tell us anything…)
I agree it was probably originally some kind of small diesel critter…the wheels look vaguely steam-engine-ish, so they “work” in the strealmined steam engine style…
but yes, it was likely originally something like this:
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/misc-h/hrc0ags.jpg
Scot
i stand on my original guess before the pics…it is an inside-connected fire-less steamer…the “boiler” would be charged with superheated steam and water…as the steam was used and the pressure decreases the water would boil giving more steam for power…these “donkeys” were used were fire/exhaust wouldnt be safe…chemical plants,tie treatment plants …i remember a issue of MR years back that did a story on a Great Northern ( maybe Northern Pacific either way it was in Montana somewhere) tie treatment plant and they had a few of these running on narrow gauge shop tracks moving tie carts around
I too initially thought it was a fireless cooker but like others I’m now puzzled by the obvious lack of cylinders, main rod and valve gear. It also appears to have an air horn not a whistle which further suggests internal combustion. The unique coupler tells me the little bugger was an industrial engine of some sort.
Mark
Thats a gas critter, you can tell by the cab interior, you can see the transmission hump just in front of the air brake/ throttle stand next to the seat. Betcha a dollar it was all gussied up like that as an amusement park ride, thats how it got the fancy grillwork & streamlining, it would also explain the holes in the nose and the grill in the cowcatcher in the front, to allow for air to reach the radiator behind the bullet nose
i am humbled…i have seen some fireless pots with inboard cylinders and gear…theres one in Tawas Mi…atleast there was in 1980…but closer look vsmith is right…sigh wrong again [B)]
It looks like the engines they use in kennywood,
I’m pretty sure that is from Kennywood. They had/have several engines just like it that came from the 1939 World’s Fair where it ran as the “Gimbels Flyer”. I know they sold at least one of them on Ebay a couple years ago. It ran at Kennywood since WW II. Kennywood’s railroad still operates but I don’t know what they use for motive power these days.
They use the same type of locos today…I was there last year
Looks like the mystery is solved, thanks for the pic