This is the steam locomotive I'd like to see on the rails again.

Theres no denying thats a great loco Ed, but why not something thats been away from the rails a bit longer?  Its already in the east.

 

It will never happen...

Thanks, Rich. I didn't know how to do that.

 

E

"Theres no denying thats a great loco Ed, but why not something thats been away from the rails a bit longer?  Its already in the east."

 

Money.

 

E

 

 

Yeah, the 3985 is an awesome chooch, but NS could counter with 1218. (Favorite person thinks of 1218 as a musical instrument!)  Naturally, UP will up the ante with their 4014 restoration.  Trumping that will be tough, until CSX rolls out the 1604, with her million pound per axle weight!  Uncle Pete will then be left with no choice but to contact GE and IRM, to get #18 back.....and then, folks, U gonna see some POWER !!

You must be smoking the really good stuff! Just what piece of railroad motive power has "...million pound per axle weight."????

 

Besides, an SD70ACe could do more than any of them what with its continuous tractive effort of 155,000 pounds, and a starting TE of 189,000 pounds! All the horse power in the world from a C&O H-8, or an N&W class A, or a UP 4000, will not do much it they can't even start the trailing tonnage moving.

The point is that UP could put 3985 back on the road. NS is not going to restore

1218.

I'm not into what engine can do more. And this post wasn't meant to be about horsepower or te. No one is going to restore 1604,either.

UP has it in their power to put that magnificent 4-6-6-4 back on the road. And

in my opinion they should. It is their perfect steam excursion engine. Notice I said

THEIR steam excursion engine, not THE perfect steam excursion locomotive.

 

E

Here's the engine I'd like to see back on the road!

 

this was an H K Porter 0 4 0 tank modified to 2 4 0 and tender.  Last ran on the defunct Laurel Highlands RR out of Scottdale PA.  Last I saw her the she had all the lagging torn off for inspection prior to sale somewhere in Uniontown PA.   Since then she's disappeared back into WV somewhere and I lost track of her. 

 

And yes, that's me from a long time ago leaning out the fireman's side!

John (jhz)-

#7 was cosmetically restored and placed on display in McDonough, GA. I'm not sure exactly how she ended up there...

Thanks Mike

Yeah seeing the 3985 On that APL stack train was beyond impressive....

Chris

Been in lots of engine terminals and roundhouses in my time, but N&W facilities were the only ones where I got such a testosterone rush.

 

Weren't no ladies around.  Not even the Js.

 

EdKing

As pretty as 3985 is there on Archer Hill, I have to admit that Hooter on 1218

 

in the video RickO put up stirs the blood in this old man.

 

I loved the hooters on the EM-1's back here when I was a kid, and those on the Y's

 

and A's remind me of them. The N&W's, to me, seem a little deeper, but both

 

seem to denote an engine well in charge, as does that video of 3985 on Archer.

 

E

 

As a sidenote, the EM-1's hooters had that little "yelp" in them sometimes, just as

 

the N&W's did.

 

Here's my choice. She's on display at Steamtown in her freight scheme.

I'd like to see C&O Greenbrier 614 in service again as well.

It's a shame that CSX has taken the position they have about steam.....the 614 was always impressive.

 

Chris

My vote is for espee 4294, the cab forward was the last steamer ordered by SP, an oil burner and was flexible enough to run jut about anywhere.

Yes, "flexible enough to run just about anywhere.", however with only 63 inch diameter drive wheels, she wouldn't be making much in the way of speed to keep out of the way of freight traffic.

I sometimes visualize a Allegheny back in service steaming on a siding for a photo shoot. Someone notices some more sky above her stack. Then they realize she is pushing rails, ties and ballast into the ground.

 

Then they conclude that inviting Scrapiron Scher to pose in her cab was not a good idea.

Yes, I agree....but will freely admit, I am biased toward large powerful C&O motive power, due partly because I grew up along the C&O main at Scary Creek.

 

 For me, I would love to see a CPR Selkirk back on the rails again. Not sure if the could retro fit the rod brass's with roller bearings, but it would be quite the sight seeing one come up the "Big Hill".  Al

Are there any blue ray videos of the UP Challenger?  If so could you let me know where to order them? 

albertstrains,

I forgot about the Selkirks. A handsome locomotive! Have there been locomotive restoration projects started in Canada lately?

 

Bryan Smith,

The C&O H-8, that would be my ultimate dream come true!   More towards reality, seeing 614 operational would be a treat!

 

For me in this thread, one of the Reading T-1's under steam again.

Thank you, Henry J. You have excellent taste

I agree with ReadingFan but for a different reason.

I see that Henry J is also a Wild Mary enthusiast as well.

I would love to see a WM burly steamer brought back from the scrapper's torch, like a Potomac, Decapod or even a Challenger.

I get my WM fix not in Cumberland, but at Cass, when I ride behind the Big Six and watch her flex her mighty strength on the 9% grade just below Whittaker Station

As beautiful as those Western Maryland Challengers were, they were miserable failures! Such a shame that Baldwin just didn't seem to be able to duplicate, or even equal, the performance of the Alco Challengers. 

 

How about a NYC L3 Mohawk.  Would be nice even though it will never happen.

Yes agree with some of that...

The Western Maryland Challengers were very handsome locomotives...they were put together as very attractive package.

Were they miserable failures?  Many think so...but my opinion is that I think were miserable failures only because the WM used them in the wrong way, like in the wrong service.

WM needed a drag locomotive, like B&O's EM-1 and IMHO, the WM Challengers were just not well suited for drag service.

I think they were a far better locomotive than folks give them credit for.

It's a mute point really...for they are all gone now.

Had they been excellent locomotive by the WM's standards, they would not have lived that much longer.

Part of my fantasy of this thread is to see a WM Challenger rebuilt, correcting all the issues that folks say was wrong with them.

...then to see it doubled headed with a Reading T1 pulling a long excursion out of Hagerstown bound for all points of the Reading, Western Maryland and beyond.

Are you aware that the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the WM committed suicide over the fact that "his Challengers" were such failures? No matter WHAT service the were used in, they road rough, pounded the rail, and didn't steam all that well, especially when compared to the WM's spectacular 2-10-0 locomotives.

Hot Water and Bryan,

Interesting notes from both of you.

 

Quite a few locomotives were not used by their motive departments as they were intended or what they were capable of. Was that the case for the WM M-2's? I wish I could find something more conclusive in writing. But, I remember reading in a WM book that the M-2's where 'slippery' locomotives and therefore still required the I-2 helper service they were supposed to help eliminate. (I hope there is a former WM engineer that can help me on this one). 

 

Reading's T-1's were also considered 'slippery' locomotives until crews got the hang of them.

 

The C&O H-8, initially intended to be a 'can do all, over the road' locomotive. Brute in the mountains, high stepper with heavy tonnage west of the mountains. Seems to have spent most of it's time in the roll as a 'brute'.

 

Of course, any existing steam locomotive made operational again is a treat for someone! I am positive that WM fans would be excited to see the K-2 steaming again. I know I would!

Since I'm a child of the '80s (1980s that is), I would have to wish for the restoration of three locomotives that saw considerable run time during this period.  In no particular order:

 

1) C&O 614

2) N&W 611

3) NKP 759

 

While I'm living in a fantasy world and enjoying my pipe dream, might as well add NKP 779 to the list.

'Nuff said...

 

Rusty

I'll join the chorus for a Western Maryland Potomac

I'm with you Rusty!!!!!!!

Count me in also Rusty..

 

Chris

You aren't aware that no WM Potomac locomotives were saved?????

The thing about the 3985 is that the folks that own her have the money..not the

desire to restore her. Darn shame.

 

The WM Challengers were built to haul high speed tonnage on the flatter parts of the

Western Maryland, when they were not suited for that service, they then were used on drags.

The railroad, still needing a fast engine for the flats, ordered the Potomacs.

 

E

 

 

Easy Hot Water....I am the one the brought into this discussion the non-existance Western Maryland locomotives.

Throw rocks in my pond....

 

The topic of this thread of posts is Steam Locomotives I'd like to see on the rails again...and my opinion are for some Wild Mary steamers that were cut up long ago.

They are a few WM enthusiasts that I agree with me.

 

This is a tongue-in-cheek discussion, not what is good or bad or right or wrong, just some foamers as Rich would say, fantasizing about the what ifs...

It's just for fun...smile!  

 

ReadingFan...Thank You for your support!

I'll take N&W 1238, the first of the five roller-bearing rod sisters of 1218.  You can hear her on the latest Link CD "Time Freight".

 

No 2-6-6-6 was her equal, per pound or per dollar.

 

No Challenger was her equal.  Period.

 

EdKing

 

Ed, I knew you would have selected a N&W locomotive.

The N&W had so many fine units to choose from.

The N&W is lucky to have you as one of her ambassadors. 

 

Allow me to challenge you to pick your favorite non-N&W engine that you would like to see on the rails again.

While we're talkin' pipe dreams...

 

I'll toss in my vote for PRR 1361. Who wants to bet that UP 4014 will run first?

 

Any of those - but I would dearly love to see our SP Harriman ten- wheeler once again run on steam.  It was drop- dead gorgeous in the 1990s, but now I understand it needs a whole new boiler.

There would be two.

 

Timken's 4 Aces or the Cotton Belt's L5 class 4-8-4's

Yes, the 3985 may not be the equal of the 1238. However, the people who own

the 3985 have a steam program, and the money, but not the desire to restore her

to the rails. A dad blasted shame, IMO. There are a lot of steam locomotives I'd like

to see restored, and running, such as the C&O 614. Heck, for that matter, build a new NYC Hudson, one of the most handsome steam locos ever built. But that's just dreaming.

 

This isn't dreaming! Come on UP, do the right thing..restore 3985 to operation once more.

 

E

As long as we're ressurecting the dead:

 

 

Rusty

Excellent!  I would love to see the 4 Aces as well.
That was one handsome looking locomotive?   (or should I say beautiful?)

Just to be a bit different, I would vote for one of the two C&O 1300's.  A slow drag Mallet would be different.  A design that dates about a hundred years, but was still in use and had new versions built at the end of steam.  

 

To enter crazy land, a Virginian 2-10-10-2.  They ran for 30 years.

 

Bob

I'll second this one...

 

DV

Any Lima built SuperPower Locomotive would be just fine, (Build #8673 September 1944 is a fine example), but I would love to see the C&O H-8.

 

Larry

Larry...this is tooo easy, as Lima Build #8673 is in my backyard.

If you see me at the Open House, come over and say HI!

 

Picture courteous of Matt Robison from MetroScenes.com 

AFAIK, nobody ever out axle weighted the C&O H8. I'm guessing that this was an insurance policy over the fact that she's a six coupled design, and hence more likely to bust loose on the same TE as an eight coupled machine.  If Chessie had upped the boiler pressure and run these big girls in flatter country by policy, they'd have done much better, cost wise.  In the real world, N&W laughs all the way to the bank!

If you read huddlestons book you will also find out the c&o sued lima for lying about the weight on drivers.  This engine just did not do what it was supposed to.  What would the weight on drivers do if they ran the engines at 60 mph.  Tear up the track.  The 2-10-4 was the superior engine for c&o in the LONG run.  How one of them to run?

 

But Cunningham knew, and through him and Ray Curl we know the truth.

EdKing

They are working on it. 3985 is on the back burner at the moment.

 

Here is the source page with the revelant post borrowed and quouted here...

 

http://www.trainorders.com/dis.../read.php?10,3081544

 

The 3985 is down for the mandatory 15 year FRA inspection and will be getting a complete overhaul. The steam crew has devoted all their time and effort to getting the 844 ready and the 3985 has been put on the back burner. It will likely be at least 2 years or more before the 3985 is ready. With the 838 and the 3985 parked next to each other it looked like a scene right out of the 1950's in the old roundhouse.

 

Cotton Belt 4-8-4 will likely never run again, more towards politics than anything else I think. It would be a good thing if the UP allows a little room. This engine kept 60+ cars at 80 mph into and out of Texas.

 

Regarding the other Poster with the 4 Aces, Sunset has one being produced now in the process. I think they ask for about 1500 dollars for it before taxes and shipping. A beautiful engine, but more importantly, one which was able to get 12 passenger cars across the eastern mountains without a helper. And that was a feat unmatched for a while.

 

To the other poster with the Burlington 4-8-4, these were beautiful engines and I think Sunset has a number of them. I think also the C&O Greenbrier has a place as well.

I have the 3rd Rail model and can admire the beauty of a Burlington O5b at my convienence.  The true shame is that 5632 suffered an untimely death due to ego.

Fortunately, there's three Q 4-8-4's still in existence, so there's always the extremely but unlikely remote possibility one could be restored to operation. 

 

But, I won't be holding my breath.

 

Rusty

Wanted to see if FWRHS members were snoozing!

 

If I get there I'll be sure to stop and say hello!

 

Larry