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Circa 1902. "Catskill Mountain railway station, Haines Corners, N.Y." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Sierra RR No.3 is a standard-gauge oil-fired 4-6-0 built by Rogers, whereas this engine is a narrow-gauge coal-fired 2-6-0 built by Baldwin. They're broadly similar, but hardly the same type.
This train looks like it features the same type of locomotive as the famous Sierra No.3, which was featured in countless movies and televisions shows, including Petticoat Junction, Back to the Future 3, etc.
The C&T was nicknamed the "Huckleberry" and was known for making unscheduled stops to let the passengers view the scenery, pick flowers, etc. 5.2 miles long, it connected to the outside world via the Otis Elevating Ry., a cable car that descended the face of the Catskill Escarpment, 1600 feet in a 7000 foot run, to the 3-ft gauge Catskill Mountain Ry. A 16 mile trip on the C.M Ry. brought you to the West Shore (NYCRR) depot or to the Hudson River Day Line and Evening Line steamers at Catskill, NY.
This could have been the dance scene in the movie "Oklahoma" when Gene Nelson comes back from Kansas City right down to the twins, however, in this case, triplets.
No doubt in its later years, the C&T added a tank car to its varnish runs to accommodate the heavy borscht traffic.
The three little girls are priceless: "Now you girls wait right here while I get our tickets," instructed Momma.
The locomotive is Catskill and Tannersville Railway 2-6-0 No. 2 (2nd) 3 foot gauge constructed by Baldwin Locomotive Co. in April 1901 with serial number 18884. The C&T purchased No. 2 new from Baldwin. It looks new in this photo, so this could be shortly after delivery. The Catskill Mountain system lasted until 1919.
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