Preservers of the Historic Ma & Pa Railroad
Preservers of the Historic Ma & Pa Railroad
The journey of Ma & Pa locomotive No. 82 to Muddy Creek Forks...
The journey of Ma & Pa locomotive No. 82 to Muddy Creek Forks started on April 6, 2005, at the Pfaltzgraff Pottery Co. plant in Thomasville. The locomotive had been stored at Thomasville for 16 months while arrangements for the move were made.
photo by George W. Fitch, Jr.
York Railway Company and Norfolk Southern donated the rail transportation of about 13 miles from Thomasville to the siding of Cooper Hand Tools in East York. It takes only a little imagination to revel in this view of No. 82 appearing to pull two large NS locomotives in East York.
photo by George W. Fitch, Jr.
The siding at Cooper Tools crosses a large paved lot, providing a perfect place to prepare No. 82 and load it on a truck for the trip to High Rock.
photo by George W.Fitch, Jr.
Society volunteers spent 3 days, with advice and assistance from Al Richards and Glenn Bake of York Railway Company, disconnecting the side bearing clips, brake lines, sanders, and traction motor cables so the the locomotive could be lifted free from its trucks. It was difficult work in very cramped quarters.
The day for loading, April 30, arrived with pouring rain. The final job in preparing No. 82 for the move was disconnecting the hand brakes.
Two 165-ton cranes were set up at the ends of the 124-ton locomotive to lift it onto the truck that would carry it to High Rock.
The first job for the cranes was assembling the 50 foot hanging bed of the trailer that would support No. 82 just inches above the road. The massive beams for the bed were trucked separately to York on a flatbed truck.
Cross beams were installed to support the locomotive at the normal location of its trucks. Bolt holes were cut as needed in the beams of the bed with a cutting torch.
Blocking of heavy timbers had to be cut and positioned to support the locomotive while keeping clear of obstructions on the underside of the frame.
all photos unless otherwise noted are by Craig Sansonetti