Originally Posted by p51:
Originally Posted by Rusty Traque:
The last non-touristy steam operation in the US ended December 3, 1980 at Northwestern Steel and Wire in Sterling, Illinois.
North American Rayon was running their 0-6-0 a full decade after that. She was bought by the plant I think in 1936 and never ran any fan trips ever in her operational life.
I believe the difference there is steam vs. fireless cooker. I would suspect that critter in Elizabethton does hold the final record in the US if you expand it past a "steam locomotive" for everyday working steam, however.
Kevin