1970-1971: #4 at the New Hope & Ivyland
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One of the old Mack Boxcab Locomotives assist an eastern PA short line to help solve it's motive power problems.
A fledgling eastern PA short line that had befriended Jimmy McHugh back in 1966, that also had his company re-railing several of the lines de-railments that occurred since it began operation now needed jimmy's assistance in another way.
In late January of 1970, the then current management of the NH&I asked Jimmy McHugh if he could assistance the railroad on finding a non-steam powered locomotive that could be loaned to the railroad at no charge. The NH&I could no longer lease locomotives from the Reading railroad because of a de-railment they recently had with one of the Reading's SW1 locomotives that caused severe damage to it. Jimmy then asked his friends at the Trolley Museum if this is something that would be acceptable to them and could Mack #4 be used at the NH&I. The "Board of Directors" voted unanimously in favor of loaning Jimmy McHugh the use of Mack #4 to assist the NH&I that he also had a fondness for because of his dedicated service and extreme generosity to trolley museum.
During the first week of March 1970 on a mild day, Mack #4 was loaded onto a McHugh tractor trailer at the trolley museum site in Rockhill Furnace, PA. The #4 was highway bound traveling south on route 522 to the PA turnpike, then heading east. At Carisle, PA a visit to a truck stop occured, then #4 was off again being transported by the McHugh's Hendrickson built heavy haul tractor arriving at New Hope, PA.
When #4 was unloaded from the McHugh tractor trailer it was placed onto the front track siding of the Union Camp Paper mill that was located directly accross the tracks from the New Hope station. Mack #4 suffered a traction motor failure before it departed Rockhill Furnace and during a pre-service inspection a few other mechanical defects were found. With the help of Jimmy's friends, all of the necessary repairs and mechanical adjustments were made to #4.
Mack #4 was placed into operation in early May of 1970 and was used to shift the New Hope rail yard. Then in late May, #4 operated only one round trip on the entire railroad, and it consumed more gas than it's fuel tank would hold. With only a few of the rail lines volunteers capable of operating #4, it was not clear how #4 would be of service to the railroad. Mack #4 was not very easy to operate and only a few could operate it such as: Frank Menair, Hal Bortz, John Hargraves, & Jimmy McHugh. Trolley museum member Dave Biles assisted these men with #4 on the first day the unit was operated at New Hope.
The NH&I filed for bankruptcy on June 5th 1970 and by the end of January 1971 Mack #4 was loaded onto a McHugh tractor trailer and transported to Penndel, PA. There were now other issues devoloping at the NH&I and several of the railroads creditors were also trying to claim that the loaned trolley museum Mack #4 was an NH&I asset to cease.
Photographs are the property of JC McHugh collection.
#4 is in front of the shop building coupled to #9's tender.
The final preperations are being made for #4's move to southeastern PA.
The Mack is onboard and before she can be ready to roll, everyone makes sure that she is secured to the trailer.
All ready for her next journey.
This photo shows New Hope & Ivyland 4-6-0 steam locomotive #1533 passing by Mack #4 on the left while it is parked at the Union Camp bag mill siding, summer 1970. Mack #4 was the NH&I's first non-steam powered locomotive on the property that was not leased from the Reading Company. It was on loan to the NH&I free of charge by Jimmy McHugh who had and agreement with Mack #4's owner the Rockhill Trolley Museum. Jimmy McHugh is the man standing at the back of #4 with the parts Mack #4 books in his arm.
New Hope, PA.
The track in the foreground is the temporary track, which is how the Mack got to spot in which it sits waiting to be loaded onto a trailer.
The temporary track in the photo above has been removed so the tractor and trailer could be moved into place to load #4.
This is at the Carlisile rest stop along I-76, the PA Turnpike. This was probably the first locomotive to ever visit the Carlisile rest stop.
