top of page

Viscose #6 visits the Colebrookdale Railroad, 2016

Scott Symans from Buffalo, New York, owns a small Baldwin 0-4-0 that originally worked for the Viscose Company (later American Viscose) in Roanoke, Virginia, manufacturer of rayon.  After Scott completely restored the 30-ton engine between 2004 and 2007, he started taking it on the road to tourist railroads in the northeast; since he owns a trucking company, Scott already had experience moving large things on flatbed trucks.  When he brought the engine to the Colebrookdale Railroad in Boyertown, Pa., for trips on Memorial Day weekend 2016, I went down to ride and photograph, invited by John Pfaltz, who had just donated his ex-Pennsy caboose to the railroad; John graduated from Haverford College in the same class as my friend Tom Garver, widely known as one of O. Winston Link's assistants in the 1950s and author of two of the books featuring Link's photos of the Norfolk & Western as well as the founding curator of the Link Museum in Roanoke.

Scott Symans drains air compressor
#6 smokestack
Pat Connors Sr. and conductor
Pat Connors adjusting whistle
Coaling up in Boyertown
Pat Connors Sr., engineer
Dylan Romig, fireman, from caboose
#6 uphill approaching Ironstone Creek
#6 uphill approaching Mill Street
Caboose at Mill Street

Click on thumbnail to view that image.  Click on large image to view at full size and begin slideshow.

bottom of page