Sunday, April 08, 2007

New York Central 100



NEW YORK CENTRAL 100

Built in 1904 by General Electric and Alco as class S-1 No. 6000, this locomotive has earned its place in the hall of fame by proving that heavy main line passenger service was feasible with an electrically powered locomotive and by winning the electric-steam race at Hoffmans, N. Y. No. 100, owned by the American Museum of Electricity and on loan to the National Railway Historical Society, is presently on display at the Altamont Fair Grounds, Altamont, N. Y.

Photo by Jim Shaughnessy

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Joseph A. Smith (1895-1978) was an avid collector of railroad photos, sharing many of them with fellow collectors in the Northeast. A former plumbing contractor, Smith presumably developed his interest in railroads through his father – a trolley motorman in Troy, NY.

His extensive collection focused on the lines that once served Troy: Delaware & Hudson, Rutland, Boston & Maine and New York Central. Many of his children – especially his sons Joseph Jr., James and Paul -- developed a similar interest and added to his collection with photos of their own. Maintaining the collection is now in the hands of his grandson, Kenneth Bradford. Coincidentally, Ken’s other grandfather worked as a manager at the Schenectady plant of the American Locomotive Company.

Smith was a life member of the Capital District Railroad Club of Schenectady. He was also a member of the Mohawk-Hudson Chapter Railway Historical Society and its parent organization, the National Railway Historical Society.