With the rapid replacement of wooden passenger cars with ones made of steel in the early 1920's, the LIRR's 31 Pennsylvania Railroad built D16sb 4-4-0's could no longer haul the size trains the were needed. The resulted in the decision to replace them with an equal number of 4-6-0's starting in 1924. Locomotive 35 was built in 1928 by the Pennsylvania Railroad's Juniata Shops as part of the last of 3 batches. A G5s class ten wheeler (4-6-0), it has 68" driving wheels and 205 pounds of boiler pressure. Designed to haul commuters, these relatively small driving wheels let the locomotive accelerate quickly between the closely spaced stations found in this type of service. Early on in their careers locomotives of this class also hauled the LIRR's most prestigious name trains, including the renowned Sunrise Special which ran on a tight schedule to Montauk. One locomotive, number 21, was assigned to this train and wore a special emblem on its tender. This tender is preserved with 35 and the emblem will once again grace its sides when the restoration is complete.
G.5.s Builders Plate
After being bumped off the name trains by leased PRR K-4s the G5s remained in commuter, and occasional light freight duty until being retired in the mid 50's. Number 35 was one of the last steam locomotives in service on the LIRR and even participated in the end of steam ceremony as well as being the last LIRR steam engine to haul an excursion in 1955. Donated to Nassau County, it was put on display in Eisenhower Park. Number 35 is one of three PRR built G5s preserved (this makes the G5s the most represented Pennsy built steam locomotive in preservation). The two others are former LIRR #39 undergoing restoration in Riverhead, Long Island (it's not a competition, please no wagering) and PRR #5741 which is preserved in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. As an interesting aside, #5741 was leased to the LIRR for a short time which means that all of the preserved G5s' ran on the LIRR.
During #35's time in the park it was kept painted and cared for by members of the Long Island Sunrise Trail (L.I.S.T.) chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. In the mid '70s, it was pulled from the park to be restored to operation by the tourist hauling Black River & Western Railway in New Jersey. This plan fell through and #35 sat at the end of an unused siding in Garden City. She was cared for by the L.I.S.T. members until the mid eighties when a number of factors led to the essential abandonement of the locomotive. In 1990 a small group decided to paint the engine to prevent it from rusting away. That small group incorporated in 1996 as a not-for-profit, tax exempt corporation to fund #35's restoration. To better reflect the expanded vision of the organization, the name was changed to the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum in 1999 although the not-for-profit status has been maintained.
