Me and a few friends went down to shoot some film back on Railfan day in '64. For those who weren't aware of it, Eddie Willers, President of the JGL, for years substituted steam for the usual diesels on the Saturday prior to July 4th. Eddie, as most know, was an avid railfan himself, and had gone about procuring many fine steam locos dirt cheap as they were headed towards the scrappers. He bought them with his own cash, and maintained them as well. The JGL parent road was fine with it so long as it didn't cost them anything!
We chose to watch from the small yard just west of Stockton, said yard served a Pennsy interchange and the local industrial park. We got our first surprise of many that day when we arrived at the yard and found #1, an 0-8-0, had replaced the Baldwin diesel usually there. Eddie usually only used mainline steam. He had scrapped all the JGL's steam switchers early on. Shortly after the last was scrapped, an enginehouse fire destroyed three of the diesel switchers which had replaced them. Caught short, and made aware of the disaster while at NYC offices negotiating purchase of an L4, he quickly arrainged for a NYC 0-8-0 to be "thrown in" A few days latrer it was on JGL property, and put to work immediately. The NYC shops had painted out their name, and stencilled JGL on the tender sides. Their road # was also painted out, but the JGL never bothered painting one on. #1 had been usused for a long time already, so on paper it became #1. It was to be in service just months, but Eddie grew fond of it and kept it in the shops when it was retired. Here it was, in its as delivered state!
We chose to watch from the small yard just west of Stockton, said yard served a Pennsy interchange and the local industrial park. We got our first surprise of many that day when we arrived at the yard and found #1, an 0-8-0, had replaced the Baldwin diesel usually there. Eddie usually only used mainline steam. He had scrapped all the JGL's steam switchers early on. Shortly after the last was scrapped, an enginehouse fire destroyed three of the diesel switchers which had replaced them. Caught short, and made aware of the disaster while at NYC offices negotiating purchase of an L4, he quickly arrainged for a NYC 0-8-0 to be "thrown in" A few days latrer it was on JGL property, and put to work immediately. The NYC shops had painted out their name, and stencilled JGL on the tender sides. Their road # was also painted out, but the JGL never bothered painting one on. #1 had been usused for a long time already, so on paper it became #1. It was to be in service just months, but Eddie grew fond of it and kept it in the shops when it was retired. Here it was, in its as delivered state!
