Henry, I never saw any Pennsy movements on the erie here nor have I seen any documentation or photos of this, and the few industries the Pennsy switched here were on the other side of the river and completely separated from the Erie, making it physically impossible. I do have some images of a Penn Central FP7 under the old Erie coal tipple, but these were taken in early Conrail days.
To B&O1952, my deepest sympathies on the loss of your father.
Thank you.
Here is a picture of Dad working as an Operator at East Salamanca in 1967. I spent many weekends here with him.
This is me working at the same desk as a Conductor in 2001:
Dad was a Navy veteran and a 38 year veteran of the B&O/Chessie/CSX. He qualified as an operator in January 1955 at Bradford Pa, but spent most of his career in the East Salamanca yard office. He once told me that he only sold one passenger ticket ever, and he thought he gave the passenger a round trip ticket for one way fare. Oh well. When he worked as a relief op, he covered a lot of weekend jobs here. That’s when I wiuld hang out with him. I stiil have the sights and sounds of a once busy yard office in my memory. The sounds of the teletype maching clicking away, the old Seth Thomas regulator ticking on the wall, the F7’s idling with an occasional movement of the SW9 or a set of road engines. Looking towards the powerhouse from the office window, I can still see the steam leaking everywhere, and the black smoke belching from the huge stack. The wreck train was still there as well. Crane X-51 was a 120 ton brownhoist with a utility flatcar, an old baggage car, and a beautiful old open ended observation for the crew. There was also an old tender off an old B&O E-60 [ex B&S] locomotive used to supply water for the crane:
By 1971, things began to disappear there. First the roundhouse, then the powerhouse, the turntable, the last water tower, the wreck train, and eventually in 1997, the remaining yard tracks, the backshop, storehouse, and blacksmiths shop. All that remains no
Hi there Stan (If I may),
I greatly enjoyed reading your posts about Salamanca and I wanted to say cheers.You inspired me to write my first post in the CTM forum. I am researching James McHenry and the A&GW, a friend (Marquis de) Salamanca whom the town is named after. (as mentioned in Edward Harold Mott’s work)
I am relatively new to US railroad history (studying it for 1-2 years, but learned quite a bit… I’m hooked on it now [8-|]) but I hope to write a book on the subject of McHenry and the A&GW over the next few years, perhaps you may find it of interest.
I’ll be sure to mention Salamanca in tribute to your efforts/quest to raise its profile and its relevance as an iconic RR town.
I’ll be happy to read anything you may know on the topic and found your photos most interesting also. Keep up the good work with the articles.
If I visit the US can you recommend the best places to visit to aid my research on McHenry and the A&GW? I plan a visit to the States at some point (I’m based in Ireland) in late 2014-early 2015.
Gonna go and read about the Salamanca RR Museum now. Your collection looks great too! Thanks again, and no need for modesty, you write very well indeed! Keep up the excellent work. [:)]
ps. My belated condolences on the passing of your father. He sounds like he was a great railroad man. My respects to his memory.
A couple of things:
I worked as an EL clerk in Akron before migrating to Seattle and the BN. Those sturdy, last forever Erie mileposts had the letter S above the mile number. Couldn’t figure out what the S stood for until the chief clerk informed me that it stood for Salamanca.
Speaking of chiefs… I read somewhere that when the Erie was being build west and came to the Salamanca area, they had to buy the land from the tribe. Of course, the RR guys tried to low-ball the price defending the offer by saying that the land was no good as it was a swamp. The chief defended his asking price by pointing out that the land was pretty good for a railroad. Is this a true story? I’d hate to think that railroaders would exagerate or even make up stories. (HA!)
As to the Kinzua damn swallowing the Pennsy line- the government compensated the Pennsy by paying for 6 U25Bs (2500-2506). Since PRR was to order the units, the had every option offered by GE on the units such as dual controls. (I’m surprised they units didn’t have reversers made of 24K gold!)
There are some fine color photographs of the BR&P/B&O facility in Vol. 2 of Morning Sun’s books on the BR&P. Another wonderful source of info on the railroads/history of that area are Pietrak’s books, especially the one on the BR&P. It convers the relationship (platonic, I’m sure) of the BR&P and the Erie, Kinzua viaduct (RIP), and the narrow guage lines of the area. He has 3 other books convering the PS&N, B&S, and Pennsy’s predecessor (NY&P?). The books are out of print and were fairly pricey to begin with, but once in a while one of them will show up on Ebay and other sources of RR books.
During a long visit to Ohio in '84, I made a pilgrimage that followed the former EL from Akron to Starruca Viaduct. I made stops in Sharon, Meadvilly, Corry, Hornell, Gang Mills, and Binghamton along the way. I meant to also stop in Salamanca, but acc
I’ve enjoyed this thread hugely – and I’ve never been near Salamanca.
However, all us older fans and rails have our Salamanca equivalents, and should comfort ourselves that there just wasn’t room for all of them in a modern industry – and that their passing is the price we had to pay for today’s vibrant railroad scene.
I saw a bank or a elvated right of way in Salamanca S Side would that have been the Pennsy?
Stan, if you’re still out there, I most certainly have heard of Salamanca. My roommate at St. Tikhon’s Seminary was Fr. Stephan Meholick who is from Dubois, PA.
His aunt’s husband worked for the B&O right there in Salamanca, so it’s quite possible he knew your late father. I can’t remember his last name, but it was something very Polish. I also remember young Stephan rode the cab of a B & O steam locomotive in the 50’ s.
Fr. Stephan married my late wife’s niece. He has been in the San Francisco area for years. When I call him for Christmas, I will ask his uncle’s name. I met the man, but that was over 40 years ago.
No doubt about it. Salamanca was a great railroad town.
Can anyone (Wanswheel?) provide a photo of former President Theodore Roosevelt speaking at the Salamanca depot in May of 1912?