Long Island Railroad No. 39 is a Class G5s 4-6-0 currently undergoing restoration to operational condition at the Riverhead Railroad Museum of Long Island and Strasburg Railroad.
LIRR #39[]
No. 39 is one of 31 G5s 4-6-0s built by the Pennsylvania Railroad's Juniata Shops in 1929 under works number 4207, for the then PRR subsidiary, the Long Island Railroad. It was part of the principal fleet of passenger locomotives alongside K4s and RS-3s, the latter of which eventually replaced them.
On October 8, 1955, the LIRR held a ceremony in Hicksville, NY to signify the end of steam operations on the railroad. Dubbed "Operation: Changeover", the event featured No. 39 and fellow G5s No. 35 each pulling a single coach to the station, where they met nose-to-nose. Two Alco RS-3 diesel locomotives then pulled each of the coaches away, and the two steamers deadheaded back to Morris Park, still nose-to-nose.
Preservation and Ongoing Restoration[]
After its retirement in 1955, No. 39 was donated to the Long Island Museum of Art, History, and Carriages. where it sat until being chosen for restoration in 1980. In 1992, the locomotive became the centerpiece of the Railroad Museum of Long Island. Currently, the boiler and firebox are undergoing restoration at the Strasburg Railroad while the rest of the engine resides at the RMLI. The Strasburg Railroad has put over 1,000,000 USD into the restoration fund, on the terms that No. 39 operates at Strasburg following restoration.
Trivia[]
- Long Island No. 39 also appears in Herron Rail Video's Glory Machines Volume 2.
- Jay Leno is a supporter of 39’s restoration. [1]