Page 5 - Galveston Railroad Museum - Winter News February 2024

Working with Patrick are Mary Jo Naschke, Helena Anyone Want To Repair/Own A Steam Crane?
Biggin, Jazzmin Sanchez, and Daisy Lee, pictured below. by Don Harper, Editor and Board Member

When the Museum was in its infancy, railroad
equipment and artifacts were gathered from around the
country. Three pieces of railroad equipment, a steam
crane, a tender and a tool car, were purchased from Reeder
Railroad in Reader, AR, in 1982.

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific derrick #95014 was built
in 1904 by Industrial Works, Bay City, MI, and bears
construction #1266 on its builders plate. It is all-steel and
had a lifting capacity of 60 tons. Steam power, generated
by an oil-fired boiler in the cab, drove pistons connected to
eccentrics, which are connected to a drum. When the drum
turned, cables raised or lowered the boom.
Oil and water for the firebox and boiler were supplied by
the tender behind the crane.
Seating is limited; watch for invitations. If you wish to Industrial Works went out of business in 1984.
underwrite the event, become a sponsor, or secure a table,
please contact Mary Jo Naschke (409) 771-4373 Derrick tender #95015 (ex-Reader Railroad 1702, exx-
mjnaschke@gmail.com. Warren & Saline River Railroad 1702, exxx-U.S. Army
1702) was built in 1942 to War Department specifications.
Railroading Merit Badge
by Don Harper, Editor and Board Member The construction date is cast into the trucks.
During restoration in 2002, letters for the Warren &
Dr. John Bertini, chairman of the board of directors, has Saline River RR were found just below the top row of rivets.
resurrected the Boy Scout Railroading Merit Badge program These letters were hidden beneath several layers of paint.
at the Museum. Initiated and run by board member Don An investigation into the tender's history revealed that it
Harper in 1997 and run until his retirement in 2006, the originally ran behind U.S. Army engine #1702, a
program continued under various leaders until it became Consolidation class (2-8-0), at Ft. Benning, CA. The engine
dormant. and tender were purchased by the Warren & Saline River
Boy Scouts may take advantage of facilities at the Railroad for their logging railroad in 1946 (a photo of engine
Galveston Island Railroad Museum to study for the and tender in revenue service may be seen at:
Railroading Merit Badge. The Museum holds the largest http://ebpm.com/rr/bigpix/fan_rrsteam049.html
collection of railroad artifacts in the southwestern United The engine and tender were sold to Reader Railroad in
States, and a large percentage of these may be seen in the 1964. During Reader's ownership, the engine and tender
display cars, the Theater Building and the People’s Gallery. were used in a movie called "This Property is Condemned"
In the rail yard are diesel and steam engines, a variety and were painted in Louisville & Nashville markings.
of freight and passenger cars, cabooses and maintenance Remnants of these markings were also found during
of way cars. In the theater building, formerly the Railway restoration. At some point Reader Railroad swapped the
Express office building, is a 700-square-foot HO-scale tenders of the steam crane and engine 1702; engine 1702
model railroad. received the larger steam crane tender and the steam crane
Scouts must complete items in 7 categories in the list of received tender 1702. Engine 1702, with its larger tender,
requirements that were established in the 2022 revision of still labors on the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad in North
the program. Two of these sections deal with safety around Carolina. See the web site: https://www.gsmr.com
railroads. To learn about the requirements, visit:
www.boyscouttrail.com/boy- CRIP derrick boom car #95016 was probably built in
scouts/meritbadges/railroading-merit-badge.asp 1905, as that is the date on the truck bolsters. It is a wood
To keep abreast of the latest developments of this car for housing the derrick boom, and for carrying various
program at the Museum, visit the Museum’s website, spare parts and tools. It has fishbelly center and side sills.
www.GalvestonRRMuseum.org

As can be seen in the photos below, the equipment is
in disrepair. The Museum would like to cosmetically repair
them but currently does not have the funds to do. If anyone
would like to fund this project, please contact the Museum.
Alternatively, if anyone would like to own a 3-piece set
of railroad history, it can be had where is, as is. The taker
must arrange for transport from the rail yard.