Builder's plates, etc.

[NW Mailing List]

Ah yes, the scrappers were a fine source for builder's plates, number  
plates, and other goodies.

In 1959 and 1960, I made a few visits to the Moscowitz and D. J.  
Joseph scrap yards at Cincinnati where N&W and other railroads were  
sending their retired steam locos. I bought the builder's plate from  
the 2130 for $ 5.00. I paid the money and they cut the plate off of  
the engine and handed it to me. I still have it, Roanoke number 286,  
May, 1938. However, it is not brass, probably cast iron or steel?

I have a few slides I shot there and I recall seeing several Y's,  
including the 2200 at one of those yards (they were adjacent to each  
other on River Road, a couple of miles west of town). Several tenders  
from K2's were there and I saw the 134 as well. I have a couple of  
gauges from it's cab.
One of these scrappers had an old box car with things salvaged from  
the locos. Also, a few cabs were used as equipment sheds on the  
grounds. There were a few L&N M1's and J4's in one of those yards on  
one visit we made and I shot a series of slides of L&N 1888 getting  
the torch.

I made one trip to the M D Friedman scrap yard at Portsmouth where  
several A's and Y's were being cut up. There was a J tender about  
half cut and as we walked along the track, I looked down and found  
one of the tin number stencils from the nose cone of the 613. I  
picked it up and still have it. I presume that tender was from 613  
but I can't prove it. M D Friedman's yard manager was friendly to us  
and let us look around and shoot pictures. I recall that he had  
several bells which he said were from Clinchfield engines.

The one thing I never have acquired is a round N&W number plate from  
an A or a Y.

In Louisville, I bought a headlight from L&N J4 1768 for $ 8.00 from  
Louisville Scrap. Still have it, too.

And in Paducah, the I C scrapped their own locos. I wrote a letter to  
them and was offered a headlight and number board for $ 20.00. I  
bought it and drove down there to pick it up in 1961 or '62. The had  
a room at the shop with probably 40-50 headlights. Also offered were  
whistles for $ 35.00, bells for $ 80.00 and other items. I bought a  
pair of marker lights for $ 7.00 and those were shipped to their  
freight house in Louisville for me to pick up.

Of course, those prices would be much inflated today and for a kid  
just out of high school, I didn't buy nearly as much as I would like  
to have.
I'm sure many of you have similar stories.

One other letter I have is a response to me from the N&W after I had  
inquired what the cost of an S1a would be. They offered it in  
operating condition for $20,000, way out of my league. That was in  
1959, I think.

-Jim Herron