Photo showing this 4-8-4 (now at IRM) loaned to the Central Vermont Railway at East Swanton, Vermont, about 1950. Trains were taking this back route into Canada (Swanton-St. John, PQ) because the big trestle over Lake Champlain at East Alburg, Vermont had burned. This route was removed in the 1950s.

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo ... ydate%3A75

Bob:

I was a little surprised when I saw this photograph. Not by GTW 6323 being in service on the Central Vermont, but by the motive power makeup. I understand the need to "spread locomotive weights" by burying helper locomotives back in the consist (in this particular photo, five cars back). This is usually done due to max bridge weight limits. But in this case, the 6323 is doubleheaded with another locomotive right behind it, before the "lighter" car weights prior to the third locomotive. Thus, the 6323 and the second locomotive would have conceivably been on the same bridge at the same time, their combined weights probably exceeding the bridge limits. If the bridge was "short" and only one of the two locomotives would be on it at one time, then why have the third locomotive buried back in the consist? I must be missing something here. You are familiar with the territory at least (but probably not to steam operation over it) but maybe you can tell me what I'm missing.

Incidentally, I rode behind 6323 on fantrips out of Chicago in the late GTW steam era. I liked sister engine 6322 a little bit better (she had a centered headlight with a "home made" red number plate) but alas, she was not saved. Thank heavens the 6323 was!

Les Beckman

I suspect the engines are spread through the train simply to distribute the power. This was done pretty often in steam days and still occurs today. The WM did this on several grades and it had nothing to do with load ratings on the bridges or track. The trains were easier to handle and they pulled fewer drawheads that way. In the days of this picture they were puling some prettty old equipment that had not been built to the heavy standards of the quickly evolving modern equipment. Things were not nearly as standardized as they are today.

John Bohon