What is known about this engine? Is it buried or is part of it visible? How do you know the engine number? Why was it left?

Oh yeah, I clearly recall that Trains magazine did an article on that in the 80s.

That actually was my "backyard" for more than twenty years, originally coming from Chattanooga. I also recall a more dubious claim that two locomotives were buried somewhere in North Carolina during the war. I believe that the purported location of the buried locomotives was investigated and the claim refuted.

As for the Tennessee River locomotives, finding the site might be a good bit of a challenge. The river is much wider and deeper in places due to the TVA damming and in the intervening years, they could have been removed for any number of reasons (scrap drive, hazard to navigation, salvage, etc.).

Restoration of the 2-2-2 Planets from the Jersey coast is the Rumor part. Disclosed plans lean towards the giant soak tank idea, possibly with only one loco raised, and a replicated copy for operation.

I started skimming through this intriguing account last night, and did not get to the author's conclusion (if there is one). He has certainly put a lot of effort into the search for the CP 4-4-0. He sounds well versed with his magnetometer detection work.

I will read this more carefully, but it seems as though the author has historical evidence that all but proves that #508 was recovered from the wreck in the river, repaired, continued in operation for several more years, and finally scrapped.

Yet, the author seems to be very skeptical of the documentation that the engine was recovered becasue he has found no documentation of the recovery. He also seems convinced that there would have been no practical way to have recovered the engine from its predicament in the river.

The only factor that would convince me that the engine was deemed un-recoverable would be if it had sunk into a quagmire of a soft bottom. But if the river bottom was rock and gravel so the engine was firmly supported, I think the CP would have most likely retrieved it even if it required extensive effort in building cribbing, skidways, deadmans, etc.

What's the final outcome concerning the three or four AT&SF Mikes that went into a river and partially salvaged? IIRC, at least one was partially butcherd for scrap, or as an obstruction to navigation, while one or more was so buried in silt they were left as is. Cold fresh water and mud have a remarkable preservative effect on some iron objects; nothing like salt water.

Yes, my grandparents and uncle lived a short distance down the track from Berwick; the site where the engines were supposively ran off into the Atchafalaya. I have heard the story; but as far as I know they have not been found.

What supposively has been found is the SP 0-6-0 that had a leaky throttle and ran itself and a few cars off the end of the open drawbridge and into the Atchafalaya. I have been told secondhand that a diver inspecting a pipeline found the cars; not certain about the locomotive. There has been talk of raising it; but nothing has been done.

The same source shared with me photos of the remains of a NYE fourney on the shore of Lake Verret; not far from Morgan City. There is also rumoured to be one or more locomotives that were buried as part of the fill in the levee around the Atchafalaya basin.

I orginally saw it on Cy Martin's website; the following is pulled from the MPHS website at http://www.mopac.org/pic_locos.asp:

Richard -

As I recall, only one of the locomotives was a 2-8-2. I think there were two or three Prairies. Maybe one other wheel arrangement too. I think it was one of the 2-6-2's that was partially cut up, due to supposed navigational problems. I don't think that the Mike was ever discovered. At least this is the way I remember it.

Les

The National Tramway Museum in Crich, Derbyshire, England has a story from their early days when they didn't have any museum for storing
stuff. Back about 1951, some of the members were walking along an abandoned electric railway right of way beside Douglas Head Marine Drive high on the cliffs over the Irish Sea on the coast of the Isle of Man. They came upon the old car shed, still filled with the entire fleet, 8 pairs of double deck, open top trams and their trailers! There were still notices in the car windows reminding passengers about the last operating day of the 1939 season. They hurriedly took the one nearest the door (was it Car Number 1?), even though at that time, they were reduced to storing the museum's collection in member's back yards.
Years later, when they had an operating museum with storage space, some of the members tried to reclaim that dream and make the hike again, but no trace of the treasure could be found.

After all this time, I got some additional info. There was apparently a single 2-6-2, #1035, and two Mikes, numbers 3167 and 4076, that went into the Kaw River during the 1951 flood. In 1956, during a period of low water, the Santa Fe sent some shopmen down to cut protruding parts off of two of the engines as they were considered a hazard to river navigation. The third engine was not found, and is probably completely buried in the mud. And might possibly be in quite decent shape even after all these years.

Hope this kind of sets the record straight.

Les

my favorite lost engine story was the WW&F #9 ex Sandy River #6. Built by the Portland Company in 1891.

In 1937 she was trucked down to Thompson, Connecticut. The oldest of the Maine two foot engines was stored indoors and very few people got to see her for a number of years.

For once a happy ending; she was returned to Maine in 1992 and is now having a new boiler build to replace a now not legal lap seam boiler.

The museum has already been working on frame repairs and has the Forney on compressed air.

Another one that perhaps can be answered by one of the readers is that the Illinois Central #201 at Illinois Railway Museum was run by Casey Jones? I hope there is more to that story then he worked for theIllinois Central Railroad so he must have run that locomotive!


Ted Miles

I dont think WW&F #9 really counts as a "lost" or "rumour/legend" engine in the context of this thread..because she was never really lost.

yes, she sat in a barn for decades, but all the Maine 2-footer fans always knew she was there..no one ever lost track of her..

Scot

If memory serves, Casey Jones was temporarily transferred to Chicago in 1893 to work south side commuter service, which at the time was running at very high capacity due to the Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park. IC 201 was one of a couple of dozen (I think) Forneys used in commuter service at the time, so there's a pretty good chance Jones ran it at some point during his stay in Chicago. I don't know that you could ever prove it one way or another, though.

I still have some internet links I used when i was employed as supervisor of a technical library, and had to search out some very obscure scientific books. Just for grins, I powered up a link at www.bookfinder.com, and it came back with this search result for "churella' as author:
http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl ... 20industry
So, it looks like you might be able to buy a copy for $38.75, including shipping to the US from the Netherlands. Incidentally, there is one seller at Amazon.uk who is asking $885.
Dan Rohrback