Ted Sowirka posted:As a consolation prize i would settle for one of these. It does exist!
Privately owned, rumored to have been scrapped, and hidden in a Pittsburgh warehouse for over 40 years, this big B&LE 2-10-4 #643 came to light when the building housing it collapsed. Now exposed to the weather its fate is uncertain. A nice model would raise awareness and appreciation for a pretty awesome freight hog!
I have been up close and personal with this engine when it was still under roof-with the owner’s permission. It is a massive ugly ungainly beast of a machine. It would be fantastically impressive to see in action, but it will never happen. Even if the owner wasn’t off his rocker, the sheer size would require trackage quality not available to tourist operators. It would make an impressive static display piece but first it would need transportation out of McKees Rocks, which would be expensive all by itself. Sadly this is another piece of history that will simply rust away.
