Welcome to the official website of Mack locomotives #4 & #5.

Home Page Videos NH&I 1962-1985 MACK #4 & #5 PHOTO SECTION Assisting the WK&S & others

This website is primarily devoted to the history of Mack locomotives #4 & #5. Also included are several pages regarding various: short line railroads, trolley & railroad preservation operations, and historical equipment groups, that the McHugh family has assisted with either transportation or restoration projects dating back to the early 1960's.

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Discover the history of these two vintage boxcab's that were converted into 'Gas-Electric' locomotives. It is remarkable that this last unit of it's type survived the past 85 years, and exist today.

A unique locomotive even in the early years.

The mid-west style interurban boxcab locomotive was originally built as trolley freight motor #4 for the Southwest Missouri Railroad Company. The S.M.R.C. purchased #4 from General Electric for  $15,400.00 with a completion date of March 01,1924 at the Erie, PA plant. The S.M.R.C. in 1927 identically built boxcab #5 at there Webb City, MO shop complex. With the demise of the SMRC line in 1939  the Mack Truck company of Allentown, PA then purchased the #4 & #5, rebuilding them both into experimental gas electric locomotives. The two retrofitted locomotives were offered for sale as new products, but  were never sold causing Mack to exit out of the locomotive business. Both locomotives were eventually placed into switching service at the two Allentown 5-A & 5-C plants.

The journey of Mack #4 & #5 throughout Pennsylvania.

A trolley museum in 1967 acquired Mack #4 and transported it to a central PA location. Then during the last two months of 1968, Mack #4 preformed the last switching duties over a rare dual 3'  narrow and 4' 8-1/2" standard gauge rail yard. In March of 1970 Mack #4 was then again on the move, this time assisting a fledgling eastern PA short line. Then during the first week of January 1971 Mack #4 was moved to Penndel, PA were it was placed into storage for the trolley museum. The Wanamaker, Kempton, & Southern Railroad obtained Mack #5 directly from the Mack company in 1978 and occasionally operated it on tourist passenger trains over the Hawk Mountain Line. Then in March of 1986 ownership of #4 was transfered to the WK&S and it was moved to Kempton, PA.

An uncertain fate, for both Mack locomotives.

The WK&S for several years had offered both Mack locomotives to several railway and trolley museums, railroad tourist lines, the Mack Truck Museum,  and private collectors. All of these prospective clients declined purchasing the Mack #4 & #5 due to the amount of investment required, considering the intial sale price, transportation expenses, purchasing of replacement truck assemblies with traction motors, and then the restoration cost. One railfan wanted to convert and make the two rare boxcabs into storage sheds, and  some people had the extreme idea to have both locomotives see the flames of a cutting torch and become scrap iron. However these outrageous offers were not considered and the search continued to find a buyer that was interested in preserving at least one Mack locomotive, who also had the capabilities to follow through and complete the project. 

A fondness for one of these rare Mack boxcabs.

A relationship had devoloped between the WK&S and the McHugh family with a favorable outcome for Mack #4 in March of 2008. Although a few people had made comments that neither Mack locomotive was worth the expenses involved to save them. These remarks did not discourage JC McHugh, who was adamant that his family would restore #4 when others felt it was not worth the effort to do so. The McHugh's nostalgia for this rare old boxcab, and that #4 was also a part of Pennsylvania's industrial railroading heritage is why they wanted to see it preserved. In June 1970 on the last day Mack #4 was in serivce, Jimmy McHugh placed his 9 year old son on the engineers seat and JC McHugh operated it for a 1/2 mile in forward then reverse. 

Two old locomotives are combined together to restore one

The volunteers of the WK&S railroad and a few McHugh employees during the third week of May 2008 loaded out both Mack locomotives onto two tractor trailers in Kempton, PA. The units were then transported to the McHugh plant in Fairless Hills, PA and unloaded on cribbed blocking were both locomotives were disassembled. Then the parts and components of both locomotives were combined together and the result is that one of these two identical rare Mack Truck, Inc. built boxcab locomotive exsist and has now been restored.

The Heritage of the old Mack #4 & #5 locomotives.

This last example of these rare Mack locomotives will be preserved by the McHugh family and it will wear the infamous green and red paint scheme of the 'C.J. McHugh Co' that was established in 1896. The locomotive will be renumbered to '45' representing the old #4 and #5, along with a 'Mack Trucks, Inc. - Railcar Dept.' herald applied. Also a 'Hawk Mountain Line' herald will be applied, because the WK&S was the only railroad to ever operate one of these redesigned Mack company locomotives handling a consist of 1 to 2 passenger cars, or a small train of 3 to 4 freight cars. This was the type of usage the Mack company intended the redesigned locomotives to be marketed and sold, hopefully replacing steam locomotives on shortline's and branchline's across the USA.

Displaying the Mack Boxcab Locomotive in the future.

The McHugh family enjoyment of this old Mack locomotive comes from sharing it with others and being able to provide the history of these rare Mack Trucks, Inc. built locomotives to people that also may have an interest to learn about them. The locomotive has been displayed at several historical equipment or railroad events over the past couple years, and it is planned to continue displaying it so the general public can discover this rare boxcab locomotive.

Cool

Mack #5 renumbered as WK&S #35 provided the motive power for non-steam power tourist passengers over the Hawk Mountain Line. You can visit the WK&S Railroad website for vintage  train rides at: www.kemptontrain.com

If you have a question regarding the Mack boxcab locomotives or another subject that is covered in this website you can send an email to: jcmchugh@verizon.net

If you are interested in purchasing a rebuilt locomotive, locomotive crane, or require parts / service our business McHugh Locomotive & Crane website is:                      www.mchughlocomotiveandcrane.com

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The 'C.J. McHugh' Mack locomotive is a unique part of America's Indusrtial Railroading Hertiage, and was almost lost forever. In March of 2008 this last remaining locomotive of this type was saved and later restored privately by Jimmy, Ann, & JC McHugh.

 12 various photo albums with over 150 photographs are located in the "Mack Photos link" at the top of the page. 

Historical information and additional photographs are located in the "six Mack locomotive date time line links" below.

1924 - 1939

 1939 - 1967  

1967 - 1969 

1970 - 1971 

1971 - 2007

2008 - 2009

Website last updated 01/31/2010


At the Antique Equipment Show in Brownsville, PA, one could say this is a Macktastic reunion!

Mack #4 was displayed at the National Pike Historical Equipment Show in Brownsville, PA on August 9th & 10th, 2008 to celebrate  the cosmedic restoration of #4. The old box cab locomotive had been ravaged after 69 years of outside storage, and it had not seen any maintenance since 1971. This was also the first time that #4 had been fully repainted and lettered, since 1939 when it was last preformed by the Mack company.

The following websites have a link to our site;

Discover Live Steam, Jeff Z., S.Berliner III, Railserve, and McHugh Locomotive & Crane

The photographs on this website have been given to the McHugh family by; Louis Behuler collection RTM, Dave Biles, Joel Salomon, Adam Christman, Nevin Byers, Steve Urban, Rob Piligan, Mike & Tom Hartman, Jeff Z., Lee Rainey, and the McHugh's.

If you are in the market for a locomotive or a locomotive crane, you may contact us at the following;

TELEPHONE: 215-949-0430

EMAILjcmchugh@verizon.net

VISIT OUR COMPANY WEBSITE AT

 www.mchughlocomotiveandcrane.com

Website created by Adam Christman & J.C. McHugh. Last update - Nov. 9th, 2008.