NNG: "Rosie the Riveter" at the Strasburg Rail Road

[Kevin Madore]

Folks,

On Sunday, August 16th, 2015, Lerro Productions hosted a unique and very enjoyable photo shoot celebrating the many non-traditional roles that women played during the dark years of WWII, particularly on the railroads. The folks at the Strasburg Rail Road provided two steam locomotives and their shop facilities as props, and Charter Host Pete Lerro brought in an interesting mix of actresses to assume the role of "Rosie the Riveter." In all, 10 women posed for photos in numerous scenes, ranging from engine service, to shop operations. Six of the ladies were experienced WWII re-enactors, two were professional models, and two more were actual employees of the Strasburg Railroad's mechanical shops. Seventeen photographers participated in the 5-hour event, which began around 5 PM.

Here's a small Flickr album to give you an idea of what it all looked like:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/112261457@N06/sets/72157657652893176

Judging by the level of enthusiasm of both the photographers and the participants, I suspect this won't be the last time Pete will hold an event of this type.

/Kevin Madore

[john d Stone]

Very nice photo group! I'm curious, where is that little Porter from and whose boiler is being repaired in the background?

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

Looks like the boiler from RGS #20.

Great photo essay of "Rosie" Kevin, nice recreation of an important era.                       

[Kevin Madore]

Hi John,

I believe that the little Porter belongs to the RR Museum of Long Island.  You may recall that they sent a much larger Long Island Railroad Locomotive down to Strasburg for restoration several years ago, only to have that effort stall out due to lack of funding.   This little 0-4-0 was sent down more recently and I believe it is for an operating restoration.  Certainly, both the restoration and the operation of that little locomotive will be much more affordable for the museum.   I think we've all see certain museums and tourist operations biting off far more than they can chew with big steam engine restorations, only to drop a lot of money into a project that never comes to fruition.

Stewart is correct in that the boiler which appears in the "riveting" scenes is indeed the NG 10-Wheeler, RGS #20, which is also under restoration at Strasburg.  That one is about ready to go back together.  It just needs an infusion of cubic dollars.

All of the projects that you see in these photos can be seen if you visit the Strasburg Rail Road.  All you need to do is take their noon-time shop tour, which typically runs about an hour.  The folks who operate these tours (including two of the ladies that you see in the photos), typically give patrons the run-down on what's going on with each project.   Strasburg does have some projects for which the customers have requested strict privacy.  Those projects are carried out in a building that is not typically part of the tour. 

/Kevin Madore

[Ed Lecuyer]

IIRC...
I think the RMLI Porter is an odd narrow gauge - like 42" or something. Later in it's life it was mounted on a custom trailer to be brought to parades, events, etc. RMLI, being a standard gauge museum, is planning on the same configuration. This allows them a live steam engine that can run (the trailer has rollers) but outside of FRA jurisdiction, etc. Then they have a neat display that can be used to drive donations for other projects...

(Or I could have this all confused with something else.)

So, with the Porter and RGS 20 as two photo "props" this isn't really a NNG (non-narrow-gauge) thread!

[Philip Marshall]

Great pictures!

Ed is correct that the RMLI Porter is an odd gauge -- 40 inches! I believe she was built for a coal company in New Mexico in 1921 (C/N 6687 according to my references), and so has no historical connection to Long Island other than having spent the last 30 years there, formerly in a private collection in Southampton, NY (where I first spotted her through a chain link fence in the mid-1980s) and then for the last 15 years(?) or so at RMLI. Because of the odd gauge she is in indeed mounted on a trailer with rollers so she can be operated at fairs and engine shows and other public events. I've been told that RMLI is putting money into her now so she can serve as a kind of traveling ambassador/fundraising aid for their main restoration project, which is LIRR G5 4-6-0 No. 39.

I will second Kevin's recommendation of the Strasburg shop tour. I took the tour when I visited Strasburg in July and it was a fascinating look behind the scenes that included not just the back shop (shown in the photos) but also the car shop and enginehouse. At that time there was actually a second, even smaller narrow gauge Porter in the shop, which they were working on for a private owner in Canada.

Also, I suspect the lunchroom photo is a reference to this classic Jack Delano shot (taken at the C&NW roundhouse in Clinton, IA): http://denverpost.slideshowpro.com/albums/001/496/album-125171/cache/color054.sJPG_950_2000_0_75_0_50_50.sJPG?1281011080

-Philip

[john d Stone]

Thanks for the info Kevin. Beautiful photos. As Ed(gar) said: Strasburg can proudly proclaim itself "narrow friendly"! If you count the little Cagney 4-4-0 charging back and forth throughout the greater Strasburg terminal complex, they've embraced the slim gauge doctrine to the extreme!

Philip's post came on whilst I was slowly pecking away. Neat photo! I especially like the thermos with the cork stopper. I had one like that, years ago. It had belonged to my grandfather. I used it for a good while and like all good thermos's, the liner eventually broke. I took the shop tour a few years ago and was very impressed, not only with the facility, but with the knowledge shared by the guide. Sort of like visiting Sheepscot!

[Philip Marshall]

Looking at Kevin's amazing pictures again, I think that's actually the firebox (minus steam dome) of the little Porter from Canada that the women are working on in the shots with Rio Grande Southern No. 20 in the background.

[Jock Ellis]

Is #35 the stalled LIRR Museum project of which you wrote? I emailed them several times to ask for updates since the website never seemed to have any new I formation.

[Stephen Piwowarski]

Hi Jock,

#39 is the locomotive from the Railroad Museum of Long Island. The boiler is currently at Strasburg. Fundraising is underway to complete he restoration. The museum has signed a lease with the Strasburg that will allow it to run there when it is completed.

#35 on the other hand is another LIRR G-5sc. It is owned by Nassau County and is currently under the stewardship of the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum. Restoration of this locomotive is currently underway by Steam Operations Corporation.

Steve

[Jock Ellis]

Thanks, I've emailed Oyster Bay folks several times and gotten no response. Makes me sick that as a child I went to Long Island when these were still running but didn't get to see them.