The thread below about the S-160 below reminded me something that I had read in a book about Allied Military Locomotives in World War II. From what I remember, it appears that S-160s had some firebox problems that became apparent in Europe, particularly the small water space on top of the crown sheet. I also think the problem was later diagnosed that stay bolts in the radial portions of the firebox, around the crown sheet, were designed in such a manner that they didn't really thread that fare into the crown. The Eastern European railroads that ran the S-160s after the war solved the problem with a combination of a thicker inner firebox and a different stay bolt pattern. Anyone who is more knowledgeable about this care to comment? What about the S-160s that ran at Ft. Eustis, did the Army do any modifications to them? What about 610 at TVRM? I know it isn't an S-160, but I wonder if the design problem was worked out by the time it was built.All in all, the S-160s impress me. They were designed as "throw away" locomotives, to last a year or two for the Military Railway Service in Europe. They certainly lasted much longer in places like Romania. Just amazing.

Actually none went to Romania. The following information is drawn from "United States Army Transportation Corps Locomotives" by R.Tourret and published by him at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK.

Post War distribution of S160 locos in and near Europe was as follows:Greece 27; Turkey 50; Jugoslavia 65; Hungary 500+; Czechoslovakia 80; Poland 559 (approx); Italy 243 (of which 25 went to Greece in 1959); USSR 200 (built to 5' gauge and classed as S162/S166).Also around 25 (approx) finished up in China and 60 built to 5'6" gauge went to India where they became class AWC.

Your statement regarding firebox problems appears broadly correct but to elaborate I will quote from the book.

"In traffic, the engines gained an unfortunate reputation for collapsed fireboxes, far more than could be attributed to accidental causes. These collapses were experienced in Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Tunisia, India, Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Korea.The first collapses were put down to deceptive water gauge indications, but the explosive nature of the failures went far beyond the "normal" dropping of the fusible plug and scorching that might be expected from operation with too low a water level. Finally, other possible causes were suggested by a Frenchman, M M.Chan and an Italian, Dr Ing Ugo Cantutti. As a result of their investigations, it was shown that there was an inherent weakness in the roof stays of the firebox at the point where they entered the inner fiebox wrapper plare. The stays were screwed and beaded over on the fire side, but the pitch of the screw was such that only five threads were engaged with the plate, and the stress on these threads appeared to be at the limit of safety under normal conditions. Should the temperature of any individual stay rise unduly, the metal of the threads became weakened, and deformed or broke, with the result that the stay pulled out of the wrapper plate. A temperature rise could be caused by low water or the formation of scale. It was calculated that the formation of less than 3/32in in thickness of scale in the boiler would make the firebox highly dangerous. Since these locomotives were working under war conditions, often in districts with hard water, it was fortunate that more collapses did not occur, for military exigencies made regular washouts difficult to obtain.The SNCF got rid of these engines as soon as possible but the FS had to use them due to the shortage of other motive power.

As immediate action, the FS lowered the boiler pressure from 225 to 200 psi. A metal plate was placed over the bottom of the gauge glass to ensure that sufficient water was carried in the boiler, a minimum level of 1 inch being given over the firebox roof. New Italian pattern fusible plugs were fitted in which the lead was at a constant level above the firebox sheet, since the original pattern permitted a variation of this level by as much as 3/8 in (the original fusible plugs had also been found unsatisfactory and replaced in Britain). As the stays came up for renewal, they were replaced with a type that had conical heads and finer screw pitch to allow twelve threads to engage in the wrapper sheet. To ensure adequate washing out and cleanliness of the boiler, two mudholes were fitted on each side of the boiler near the smokebox tubeplate, and eight existing washout plugs round the firebox were replaced by six mudholes. Finally, as the inner fireboxes came up for renewal, the thickness of the plates was increased from 3/8 in to just under 1/2 in."The modifications quoted are specifically Italian but no doubt other railways which retained the locos in service for any length of time took similar measures.

The Polish, Hungarian and Turkish locos, at least, were in service until the mid to late 1970's.

Jim L.