In June of 2013, our museum took ownership of two early American electric locomotives landlocked on Beacon Island in upstate New York. Beacon Island (no longer a real island) is situated just South of Albany, in Glenmont, right along the Hudson River. It’s home to a PSEG Natural Gas Power Plant, and neighbors The Port Of Albany, the port is just on the other side of Normans Kill.

The two locomotives are as follows:

Why these Locomotives were commissioned:

The story starts with the worst train accident in New York City History. On January 8th, 1902 at 8:20 am in the smoke filled Park Avenue Tunnels, a southbound train from White Plains collided with a standing train that had originated from Danbury, oddly enough.

The engineer of the train responsible for the crash (John Wischo) stated that while he was trying to make up for lost time, he was not able to see a signal in the smoke filled tunnel. The crash killed 15 people and injured 30 more when the locomotive pushed and telescoped the rear cars of the standing train into one another. The momentum had pushed the engine of the rear train so far into the last coach of the standing train that a space of only nine feet remained between its headlight and platform of the second car. The smoke, fire, and fumes added to the difficulty of rescuing those trapped inside.

The crash directly resulted in the planning and construction of Grand Central Terminal, complete with underground platforms, a feat only achievable with smoke-free locomotives.  A week after the crash, New York Central Railroad President William H. Newman announced that all of the railroads suburban lines into Grand Central would be electrified.  The New York state legislature subsequently passed a law to ban all steam trains in Manhattan effective July 1st, 1908. Early railroad electrification had been limited to streetcars, and subways. The B&O was the first railroad in the United States to electrify a section of mainline, just four miles in 1895. The New York Central electrified 33 miles of mainline track from Grand Central Terminal to Croton (now Croton-Harmon) trains were also expected to run at mainline speeds, unlike the modest speeds observed on the B&O’s electrified territory.

The Development of the New York Central Electrics:

With the vow to electrify, and a deadline set, New York Central tasked ALCo and GE to design the next generation electric locomotive. ALCo built the frame and car body, and GE supplied the electrical components. Our No. 6000 was genesis for this new series of engine. The Tesla of its day, it was smaller and lighter than a steam engine but had more power, handled starts on incline better than steam, was capable of rapid acceleration and deceleration, and didn’t require a turn table and could be reversed for service in the opposite direction in seconds. Between October 1904 and July 1906 No. 6000 clocked over 50,000 miles of testing in Schenectady, New York on a track by the ALCo and GE plants. It served in mainline service for some time before being replaced by more modern units, and would go on to serve as a shop switcher. In total there were 47 S series locomotives built. This is the only S-1 ever built, and only one of three surviving S series electric locomotives.

Following the success of the S series locomotives, New York Central turned to ALCo and GE once again to design and build the successor, the T Motors. Our No. 278 is the sole survivor of the 36 built between 1913 and 1926. Compared to the S Motors, the T Motors had more power, and with no unpowered wheels, all of the locomotive’s weight could be transferred into tractive effort. They were faster, and hauled everything from commuter trains to the flagship 20th Century Limited. Both locomotives were restored in the 1980s and returned to Grand Central together for a brief cameo in the 1988 film, “The House on Carroll Street” starring Kelly McGillis and Jeff Daniels. After the shoot they were moved upstate.

Where are they now:

For the past 35 years, the locomotives have been situated on an 80-acre plot of land that was recently purchased by the Port of Albany. They were owned by the Mohawk & Hudson Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and stored within the gates of the power plant. The plant was sold to PSEG and when renovations began, the power company pushed the equipment out of their gates and onto the old spur that led to the port, on Beacon Island. The equipment would change hands and in 2003 when the plant built a state Department of Environmental Conservation-mandated wetlands remediation pond the dirt from this project was dumped on the tracks leading back to the plant property. In the mid-2010s, the bridge over Normans Kill collapsed, making it so they could not leave their present location on rail.

Over the years, nature has reclaimed the land and the location has become a popular spot for vandals, copper thieves, and opportunistic collectors alike. The locomotives have been heavily vandalized and stripped of parts, but not too far gone especially considering their value in interpreting America’s railroad history.

We feel it necessary to note the current land is owned by the Port of Albany and trespassing is punishable by law, and as The Port is actively developing the land, monitoring and an increased security presence has been placed into effect.

How we are finally able to move them:

The Port of Albany purchased the land with plans to develop it and build a $350 million facility comprised of four buildings to manufacture towers for offshore wind farms off the coast of Long Island and New York City. Access to the site is limited and heavy machinery is very difficult to move onto the property as it stands. Given the scale of the development, and time frame the state has announced they want to have a functioning facility built, new ways to better access the property are currently being researched. Also, given the anticipated project timeline, the move date is approaching at a rapid rate. We are working in conjunction with The Port to make this happen and are lining up contractors to move the equipment when better access is achievable.

Over the last two years, automobile access to the site has drastically improved with The Port’s development and survey of the property. Volunteers have conducted work days on-site re-securing the locomotives and bringing back potentially steal-able parts.  The anticipated move date is estimated to be sometime in the next three to four months. The current plan is to move the S Motor as one piece, and the larger T Motor as three pieces; the car body, and the two trucks and platforms as another. We cannot thank The Port of Albany enough for their ongoing assistance in saving these locomotives.

How You Can Help:

The project cost is estimated to be in the upwards of $160,000 for the move alone. Our museum has received pledges of financial support, but the true final cost is unknown at this time, especially when we factor the cosmetic restoration of the locomotives. In-kind donations in the form of headlights, and bells are also appreciated as many railroad employees and collectors are known to have saved many such items when the units were retired.

We have kept many aspects of this exciting project under wraps for some time as to not draw attention to their location, but feel overwhelmingly confident given developments in the last few months that now is the right time to pull back the curtain. Given our museum’s proximity to the New York Metropolitan area and established collection of commuter equipment, we are confident these pieces will feel at home in our railyard. We have been offered an unsecured loan by a very generous benefactor to move these two locomotives, we are of course expected to pay this back and will continue to work to do so after the move, during the restoration, and after they have been placed on display here in Danbury.

The technology pioneered by these locomotives is reminiscent of what’s happening in our country now, not only when it comes to electric automobiles, but also public transportation. This trend is only amplified by the purpose of the facility to be built where the locomotives lay now adjacent to the power plant.

We ask for your donation to help preserve Americas industrial heritage, help us understand the past better so that we may look forward, and help close the circle of life of the train that left Danbury and was rear ended 120 years ago in New York City.

Or, mail a check to us at
Danbury Railway Museum, 120 White Street, Danbury, CT 06810