Pennsylvania Live Steamers

1947
The initial track was started in 1947 when rail was purchased from Charles Penrose for $50. See Building the Little Railroad.

1954
Pennsylvania Live Steamers

By J. Harold Geissel

125 Biddle Rd., Paoli, Penna.

The Miniature Locomotive, July-August 1954

The Pennsylvania Live Steamers are broadcasting an invitation to an operating meet to be held at the club track on Saturday and Sunday, September 11 & 12, 1954.

Location of the track is about two miles south of Paoli and the line is built on ground level and is laid to 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch and 1 inch scales. Friends are asked to bring the locomotive and riding car and have their boiler tested.

The firing-up tracks at two round-houses have electric, water and air service. A supply of buckwheat anthracite will be on hand.

Other members of the committee are Frank H. Moore Jr. and William Moorwood.

Regional Meet
by Percy Pierce

426 Greenview Lane, Llanerch, Penna.

The Miniature Locomotive, November-December 1954

Our regional meet was held on September 11 and 12, 1954 and much interest was shown. Live Steamers came from over a wide area of Pennsylvania and there were participants from New Jersey, Delaware and Massachusetts.

The following engines were shown in operation:


 * Harry Quick and Bros., Mahanoy City, Pa., 1 inch scale 4-6-4
 * Earl Allred, New Cumberland, Pa., 3/4 inch scale G-5 10-wheeler
 * Carl Friedrich, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1 inch scale 0-4-0
 * Harry Fischer, Westfield, N.J., 1/2 inch scale Northern Pacific Mallet 4-8-8-4
 * William Moorwood, Doylestown, Pa., 3/4 inch scale American type 4-4-0
 * Kenneth Souser, Berwyn, Pa., 3/4 inch scale Hudson built by Walt Russell
 * Daniel Russell, Wilmington, Delaware, 3/4 inch Boston and Albany tanker
 * Mr. and Mrs. Rickson, Springfield, Mass., 3/4 inch Atlantic and 3/4 inch 0-4-0
 * Frank Murphy, Springfield, Pa., 1/2 inch scale Boston & Albany tanker
 * Robert Thomas, Oakmont, Pa., 1/2 inch scale B&O President
 * George Thomas, Oakmont, Pa., 1 inch scale Reading Camelback

Parts and engines under construction were shown by:
 * Ken Souser,
 * Karl Layer
 * Roger Dudley
 * William Marple
 * Percy Pierce

1956
The North American Live Steamer, Volume 1 Number 6

Frank H. Moore, Jr

Pennsylvania Live Steamers

The Annual Meet of the Pennsylvania Live Steamers was held at the club track, the Paoli, Leopard and Sugartown Railroad, the weekend after Memorial Day. As is customary on PLS meets, the first day of the meet was rainy, but in spite of the rain, boiler tests were administered under the shelter of the old apple tree, and several of the visitors and members of the home team operated.

On Sunday, the weather was again following custom, bright and sunshiny, and the occasion was marked by operation from early in the morning until late afternoon. During the afternoon, a number of stationary engines were operated from a couple of boilers set up for exhibition on the loading dock. This is appropriate, for the name of the club is the Pennsylvania Live Steamers which includes stationary and marine engines as well as locomotives, and it is hoped that we will see some marine engines and traction engines in the future.

The total number of locomotives fires up during the meet was fifteen, making this the biggest meet in the history of the club to date, all of which were operated on the club track, except for Ed Hoefeld's one gauge engine. Unfortunately, we have no one gauge track, but we hope to see more of this engine in the future. This was the first time it had been fired up, and it was interesting to note that Fred Bohm loaned his blower from his gigantic Mallet to place on the stack for stimulating the draft.

We are all interested in seeing Carl Purinton's English engine, as it is the first time many of us had seen an engine with inside cylinders. The only other such engine ever operated on the club railroad was Frank Murphy's 2-1/2 inch gauge 0-6-0 LMS 4-F which we saw several years ago.

If we can take the engines at the meet as a fair sample of the country as a whole, the most popular engine is Little Engines Hudson in 3-1/2 inch gauge; however, there are two local men who have Yankee Shop's 4-6-6-T and had they been present, there would have been three of these interesting engines.

One somewhat surprising feature of the locomotives around here is the scarcity of representatives of the local big railroads, that is, the Reading, Pennsylvania, and B&C. However, representatives which do exist are superb pieces of work, and worthily carry the names of those companies (although G. Thomas' is lettered "Paoli Leopard & Sugartown")

The list of locomotives present is as follows:


 * Ed Hoefeld, 4-6-2 Southern Railway, 1-3/4 inch gauge
 * Karl Frederick, 0-4-0-T, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * Bill Moorewood, 4-4-0, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * Stanley Robinson, 4-4-2, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * Carl Purinton, 0-6-0-T (English inside cylinders), 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * Earl Alared, 4-6-0 PRR G-5, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * G.W. Eisaman, 4-6-4, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * A.R. Bower, 4-6-4, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * J.A. Duke, 4-6-4, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * A.E. Bouffard, 4-6-6-T B&A, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * C.P. Nass, 4-8-4 lettered "Pennsylvania", 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * Fred Bohm, Mallet 4-6-6-4 Union Pacific, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * George R. Thomas, 4-6-? Reading L-7 Camelback, 4-3/4 inch gauge
 * Harry Quick, 4-6-4 and 4-8-2, 4-3/4 inch gauge

Among the unfinished engines exhibited were the following:


 * Karl Frederick, 4-2-0 Crampton, 4-3/4 inch gauge
 * Bill Marple, 4-6-2 G-2, 3-1/2 inch gauge

1957
The North American Live Steamer, Volume 1 Number 11

The 1957 Spring Meet of the Pennsylvania Live Steamers was the largest we have had as yet, 20 locomotives being in steam, as compared with 15 last year. In addition to the turnout of engines being the largest in our history, the convenience of members and guest was greatly enhanced by refreshments served by Mrs. Willard Small in the Club Car.

The customary rain fell all day on Saturday, and only four locomotives were fired up. Due to the slippery rails, Jay Duke's Hudson and George Thomas' Ten Wheeler had little traction, but the two locomotives at the opposite extremes, Fred Bohn's Mallet and William Morewood's little 4-4-0 had little difficulty.

Sunday exhibited the customary bright sunshine, and operation was continuous from morning until night. We had the pleasure of entertaining the guest who came from the greatest distance of any of our meets, Mr. R.L. Smith, our first Canadian guest. In addition to the locomotives, we were glad to have Mr. Ralph W. Green's three traction engines on display, one of which was operated by compressed air. These were the first traction engines which have visited our club.

As at last year's meet, the local big roads were poorly represented numerically. Earl Alred's G-5 was the only Pennsylvania engine present, but you will never see a finer job; the typical Reading camelback was represented by George Thomas' L-7 and Elmer Nuskey's uncompleted A-5, while Bill Hahn gave us his concept of what would have happened had the Reading ever felt the need for a Hudson. Fred Bohn, as in the past, takes first honors for having the biggest engine in steam, but Harry Quick exhibited his uncompleted Norfolk & Western 2-6-6-4.

Locomotives in operation:


 * 2-2-0 Tom Thumb, Rowland M. Dudley, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 0-4-0-T English Freelance, Carl Purinton, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-4-0, William Morewood, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-4-0 Simplun, Bill Van Brocklin, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-4-2, Stanley Robinson, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-4-4, R.L. Smith, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-4-4, Karl Frederick, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-6-0 Reading L-7, George Thomas, 4-3/4 inch gauge
 * 4-6-0 Pennsy G-5, Earl Alared, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-6-2 Tom Cox, Tom Cox, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-6-4, G.W. Eisman, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-6-4, Jay Duke, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-6-4, Harry Quick, 4-3/4 inch gauge
 * 4-6-4, William Hahn & Brother, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-6-4, A.R. Bower, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-6-6-T, Roger Dudley, 3-1/2 inch gauge
 * 4-8-2, Harry Quick, 4-3/4 inch gauge
 * 4-6-6-4, Fred Bohn, 3-1/2 inch gauge

Can anybody explain why typical freight locomotives such as 2-8-0 and 2-8-2 are so unpopular?