No. 802 and 800 (behind 802) at Lehigh, IL July 1960.
Just after Labor Day 1968, the CP&LE received two more little locomotives. The two saddle tankers, numbered 800 and 802, were practically identical; both had been built by Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in the 1920’s. Both had 11”x16” cylinders and 30 drivers. These engines were used by the Lehigh Stone Company and been purchased by George Roose from Peter Bruno.
No. 802 arrived by truck one overcast September morning from Wisconsin. Her rusted stack had broken through the smoke box during shipping and leaned ridiculously forward. Her running gear was covered with thick grime and stone dust which she had collected by sitting for years in the Lehigh quarries at Irwin, Illinois. Upon arrival, old 802 still carried coal in the little bunker on the fireman’s side of the cab.
After a quick inspection while still on the lowboy, No. 802, which had been completed on March 22, 1923, was taken to the Frontier Town spur. The track had been blocked up so that the new rolling stock, which had been arriving at the Point since June, could be easily unloaded. The trailer eased up to the unloading spur until the rails on the truck were in line with those of the spur. Victoria R.I., which had been fired up for the occasion, backed into the side-track and was connected to her new sister by chain. Slowly 802 was eased off the truck and onto CP&LE trackage. She had found a new home and would again be in operating condition by 1969.
Her sister, No. 800 arrived a few days later from Spring Green, Wisconsin, where she was stored along with 802 by Mr. Bruno since the Lehigh purchase. She was directly unloaded onto level track due to the truck bed this time being able to be lowered to ground level. No. 800, built in December 1927 and early January 1928 for the Floridian Company of Quincy, Florida. Originally was numbered 18 and was Vulcan’s 3837th Product. After her years with Floridian Co., she was sold to Lehigh Stone in May 1949. In the early sixties she was also sold to Peter Bruno.
Then later in the summer of 1968, Mr. Roose and Mr. Augustus privately purchased No. 800, but was never owned by the park. While No. 800 sat outside in the winter of 1968-1969, No. 802 was undergoing an overhaul inside of the Engine house. After being stripped down to the bare boiler, she was re-tubed and a complete restoration was completed.
No. 802 arrived by truck one overcast September morning from Wisconsin. Her rusted stack had broken through the smoke box during shipping and leaned ridiculously forward. Her running gear was covered with thick grime and stone dust which she had collected by sitting for years in the Lehigh quarries at Irwin, Illinois. Upon arrival, old 802 still carried coal in the little bunker on the fireman’s side of the cab.
After a quick inspection while still on the lowboy, No. 802, which had been completed on March 22, 1923, was taken to the Frontier Town spur. The track had been blocked up so that the new rolling stock, which had been arriving at the Point since June, could be easily unloaded. The trailer eased up to the unloading spur until the rails on the truck were in line with those of the spur. Victoria R.I., which had been fired up for the occasion, backed into the side-track and was connected to her new sister by chain. Slowly 802 was eased off the truck and onto CP&LE trackage. She had found a new home and would again be in operating condition by 1969.
Her sister, No. 800 arrived a few days later from Spring Green, Wisconsin, where she was stored along with 802 by Mr. Bruno since the Lehigh purchase. She was directly unloaded onto level track due to the truck bed this time being able to be lowered to ground level. No. 800, built in December 1927 and early January 1928 for the Floridian Company of Quincy, Florida. Originally was numbered 18 and was Vulcan’s 3837th Product. After her years with Floridian Co., she was sold to Lehigh Stone in May 1949. In the early sixties she was also sold to Peter Bruno.
Then later in the summer of 1968, Mr. Roose and Mr. Augustus privately purchased No. 800, but was never owned by the park. While No. 800 sat outside in the winter of 1968-1969, No. 802 was undergoing an overhaul inside of the Engine house. After being stripped down to the bare boiler, she was re-tubed and a complete restoration was completed.
#5 seen steaming into the Main Midway 1973. Mike Grone photo.
As for the #800, it was shipped to Dayton, OH in 1974 (presumably International Amusement), but it returned to Sandusky in 1976 where it was converted to a 2-4-0 by Lakecraft Welding. CP&LE superintendent, Mike Hetrick, sent it to Wild World Amusement Park (now Six Flags America) in Largo, Maryland in 1982, along with Roose's personal 1897 Porter 2-6-2 Melodia, but both engines returned to Sandusky in 1984. After George Roose died in December 1984, his heirs stored both engines in the Cleveland area in 1985. #800 and Melodia were restored in the early 1990's by Iowa Shop Services for Bill Norred of California.
For a while, Norred leased #800 to a television company and it appeared on the TV show "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman". After Mr. Norred's passing, his family sold the 800, and Melodia in 2000 to Rob Rossi in Santa Margarita, CA. The origin and current whereabouts of the other engine from behind the engine-house remains a mystery. There is some speculation that it could have been Lehigh Stone #803, sold to a group in Marion, NC, and then to Peter Burno. The whereabouts of #803 today is unknown. Today the 800 named the Roger Linn, is operating privately on Rossi's private ranch 1.5-mile Pacific Coast Railroad.
For a while, Norred leased #800 to a television company and it appeared on the TV show "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman". After Mr. Norred's passing, his family sold the 800, and Melodia in 2000 to Rob Rossi in Santa Margarita, CA. The origin and current whereabouts of the other engine from behind the engine-house remains a mystery. There is some speculation that it could have been Lehigh Stone #803, sold to a group in Marion, NC, and then to Peter Burno. The whereabouts of #803 today is unknown. Today the 800 named the Roger Linn, is operating privately on Rossi's private ranch 1.5-mile Pacific Coast Railroad.