ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A 0-4-0T locomotive that served as a shop switcher for a New York Central subsidiary will be preserved by the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.
Despatch Shops No. 5, built in 1924 by the Vulcan Works in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., was purchased by Merchants Despatch Transportation Corp. for use at its freight car manufacturing and repair shop in East Rochester. The locomotive was retired in 1954 and was briefly displayed outside the Despatch Shops offices before being sold to scrap metal dealer Rochester Iron & Metal, where it was displayed for many years. Eventually, it was acquired by John Virgilio, a school district custodian, for $1,250 in 1965. It became the centerpiece of a private museum that opened in 1966 but eventually closed over concerns over the security of the collection and complaints by neighbors.
The Rochester & Genesee museum began cultivating a relationship with the Virgilio family in 2017. After John Virgilio passed away in 2021 at age 91, family members agreed in May 2022 that the museum would be the ideal home for the locomotive. The locomotive was delivered on July 7 and is now in the museum’s display yard; long-term plans include cosmetic restoration and a permanent display that will allow visitors to enter the cab and sit in the engineer’s seat.
“As the largest operating railroad museum in New York State, we feel a great responsibility to preserve the legacy of Rochester’s rich railroading heritage for future generations to enjoy,” Otto Vondrak, museum president, said in a press release. “With only a handful of New York Central steam locomotives preserved across the country, we owe a debt of gratitude to John Virgilio for saving such an important part of our local history.”
The locomotive will require considerable restoration work before it is ready for tours. Immediate plans call for work to stabilize No. 5 and a full evaluation to determine the best course of action.
For more on the museum, visit its website.
This Vulcan 0-4-0T locomotive reminds me much of the 3 or 4 19th century Manhatten Elevated RR, Forney 0-4-4T locomotives I reported on recently in the Ontario Sandfly RR article, abandoned in the Alaska tundra near Solomon, AK, not too far from Nome.
https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/history/remembering-the-sandfly-express/
https://www.steamlocomotive.info/nlocoalbum.cfm?which=1553
Shop switchers were often purpose-built because of the unique requirements of a shop switcher. MDT 5 is typical as is RDG 0-6-0T 1251 at RR Museum of PA.
Mostly they were tank engines, either 0-4-0T or 0-6-0T with closely-spaced axles. They would have enough power to do the job assigned and a short wheelbase to fit on a turntable or transfer table with a locomotive or car. 1251 could NOT fit on a RDG turntable with a T-1 and tender, but I’m sure 5 would fit on a transfer table with a MDT refrigerator car.
Vulcan was not a typical locomotive builder for Class 1 railroads, but MDT was a separate company owned by NYC and an engine like 5 was right up Vulcan’s alley.
Vulcan Iron Works, based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, manufactured railroad locomotives. The company was established in 1849 by Richard Jones. It built locomotives such as the preserved Berlin Mills Railway 7 (1911), and by 1944 was constructing both steam and diesel locomotives. The company ceased operation in 1954, and its assets were acquired by General Industrial Locomotive Corp.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
The Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum (RGVRRM) is an operating railroad museum located in Industry, New York, a hamlet within the town of Rush. The museum started in 1971 with the purchase of a former Erie Railroad Depot from the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. Since then the museum has grown to include a one-mile demonstration railroad, connecting it with the New York Museum of Transportation in Rush, making it one of the only operating railroad museums in New York State. The museum was formerly an operation of the Rochester Chapter National Railway Historical Society until 2011. The organization rosters more than 40 pieces of historic railroad equipment, including diesel and steam locomotives, electric trolley and multiple-unit cars, freight cars, cabooses, passenger cars, and work equipment. The museum campus includes a number of preserved railroad structures, including the 1909 Industry Depot built by the Erie Railroad, a waiting shelter from the Rochester, Lockport & Buffalo Railroad, and a crossing watchman’s shanty from the New York Central. Train rides are operated and the museum is open to the public on select weekends from June through October, and is staffed entirely by volunteers.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
“Shop switchers” were usually retired locomotives whose original usefulness had come to an end. They were rebuilt/converted by each shop as required, and so show marked differences. Each one would have been unique in one respect or another.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün