Good morning Arnold!
Today is December 17, 2023 - the 120th anniversary of the first flight of a powered airplane by Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio.
Pennsylvania Railroad G-5s 4-6-0 Ten-wheeler #5740 is an MTH Premier model (20-3031-1, MSRP $699.95) delivered in March 1999 with PS1. It is one of my favorite locomotive models and I’ve been running it with a BCR for 24 years.
Photos and videos show #5740 on my 12’-by-8’ layout pulling MTH Premier Long Island Rail Road heavyweight passenger cars – also PS1.
You may ask why I run a Pennsylvania engine with Long Island Rail Road passenger cars. In 1900, the LIRR was bought by the Pennsylvania Railroad which owned it until 1966. Much of the LIRR’s motive power was leased or purchased from the PRR. G-5s #5741, now preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, was one of the PRR locomotives that ran on Long Island (in Pennsylvania livery) – where I grew up and rode the railroad as a youngster. So, although its number is not exactly correct, the combination of #5740 and LIRR passenger cars is close to reality.
The PRR G-5s was the most powerful Ten-wheeler ever built. It was designed for fast acceleration in commuter service on the hills around Pittsburgh and had a tractive force of 41,330 pounds. Therefore, it was also well suited for commuter operations on Long Island. Between 1924 and 1929, the PRR sold 31 G-5s locomotives to the LIRR, but others, such as #5741, were temporarily assigned to Long Island. The last LIRR G-5s locomotives were replaced by diesels in 1955.
MELGAR
