Reading T-1 at Striegel scrap yard, Baltimore, in 1977. Can't see the number clearly, but I think it is the 2100:

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?j ... _12-77.jpg

More Striegel photos here, same era. Lots of old switchers. an E7, etc.:

http://abpr.railfan.net/abpr.cgi?dir=ju ... t=by0alpha

Striegel was truly one of the great "junk yards" of Eastern railroading--it seemed there wasn't a part they couldn't make available off the junk lines (and the condition of the locos, minus horns, headlights, glass, etc. shows it). Its location smack next to I-695 helped raise its visibility among Eastern fans compared with other scrap yards with more diverse collections.

Unbelievably, there is STILL an old Davenport(?) center-cab lost in the weeds at the old site; I think someone would need chainsaws or metal detectors to find it in the jungle of brush now.

Wow--a Frostie root beer can in the loco cab.............. whatta nostalgia blast!

One of the chief reasons I selected the 2101 to be the "Eastern" loco. for the AFT(after we were notified by Conrail 4 months prior to our 4/1/75 opening date at Wilmington,Del. that the 4449 would not be allowed East of Chicago a/c clearance issues) was that she was available with a twin sister and as we only had weeks to achieve a complete overhaul and having a second engine for needed parts was a major factor.
This came into play a number of times. When we arrived in Wilmington after a run up the NEC from Wash.,DC it was discovered that the right #1 connecting rod had a bad crack in it. Thanks to sister 2100 being only a few miles away we hurriedly went to Balt.,"borrowed" 2100's right front rod(you'll notice it's missing in the posted photo) and installed it on the 2101(AFT#1). Never missed a beat! Without that rod we'd have certainly missed our next move date and Lord only knows how long we'd have been out of service.
When Dick Kughn came along in '86 and wanted 2100 to run again we did some "reverse" swapping with the 2101, by then permanently out of service and on display at the B&O museum.
Ross Rowland

Here is a page on my site with more pictures of the 2100. I found these Instamatic prints at the bottom of a junk box at a model train show about 10 years ago:

http://www.chrisjacks.com/2100baltimore.html

Chris J.

I can’t help but wish that 2100 could get a temporary “AFT #1” paint job and Mt Rainier could bring down their dinner train’s obs car (the very same obs car used on the AFT) to couple to it:


But I guess seeing 4449 in AFT paint back in 2002 will have to suffice. Ross, I still marvel at your being able to get something that big in running condition so fast!
The photos of 2100 would really be sad if that engine were not preserved, but I find it funny to look at, knowing I saw her in steam last month. The photos looks like it should be in the book, “Twilight of Steam Locomotives,” along with all those other scrap yard photos. I find it odd that Ron Ziel did not mention this place in that book.
It is so hard to believe that any American mainline steam locomotives were still in scrap yards at that late a date, but there is the proof. 2101 and 2100 were both pulled out of there:
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/northern/reading/
The scrap company is still in business, it seems. Check about halfway down this list:
http://alcoworld.railfan.net/spare.htm

Understand that "Twilight of Steam was written and publish in 1963, and at that time, the Reading quartet was still very much active, with only the 2124 having been retired. Ron did cover the Sterling, Ill. line up of NKP Berks and detailed the destruction of CB&Q 2-10-4 #6316. I also want to make sure it is clear that when Ron made his cross continent journey to locate all the steam he could, he was on his own and located some by simply stopping at country stores and asking if there were any old steam locomotives around! At that time, Clinchfield and Missabe had acres of Yellowstones awaiting the torch, as did others. U.P. still had lines of Bigboys and Challengers sitting stripped, but ready to be fired. N&W still had several Y6b's and A's sitting in scrap yards or working as stationary boilers. As Ron once told me, steam locomotives were still being viewed as outdated junk rather than priceless antiques until the late 70's. Then came the Richard Jensen horrors and a few others that still threaten park and stationary locomotive to this day. I doubt Striegal had too much more in it's yards at the time. C&O had yet to move the few remaining Mikados and Kanawhas off their property into Striegal's hands. From that latter group came one preserved Allegheny #1604, one Kanawha, a solitary Mikado, and a somewhat well known Greenbriar #614! Ed Striegal alone is responsible for saving the last C&O Mike and preserving the Reading 4-8-4's from what would have otherwise been certain destruction.
I realize you are not criticizing Ron Ziel and his first book. It was Ziel's "Twilight of Steam" that literally shook America into awareness of the last remnants of steam railroading on the continent. It was later followed up in another book called "Steam in the Sixties", which was somewhat less exciting, but also a good book, written with the late George Foster. These two men together authored the excellent history of the Long Island Rail Road, "Steel Rails to the Sunrise".

A couple of comments on your post, Richard:

The C&O engines at Russell, KY (including 614--as "611", a couple of 2-8-4s, and the 1189--the 2-8-2) were disposed of by C&O in 1970. the 4-8-4 was sent to the B&O museum, and the others were cut up by C&O at Russell-- I do not think any of them were sold to Streigel, as Russell was the location of a major car shop and reclamation (scrap) facility. It was most unfortunate that 1189 was not preserved, as it was the MOST typical C&O engine extant-- Vanderbilt tender, smokebox-front-mounted compressors, tapered cab, etc. I can imagine the foreman's comments: "The sheetmetal's all rusted out, and there's plenty of 2700s in parks, cut it up!"

It has been well-documented that Ed Streigel bought B&O 4500 and 5300 in the late 50s to get them out of harm's way, and I suspect the 2100 and 2101 were acquired by him in 1965 from the RDG with the same intent.

The Ziel book made quite an impression on me when I first saw it on a bookstore shelf; it probably helped form and crystallize my interest in the full-sized stuff (as opposed to the HO-sized stuff). It is still worth looking at today.

One last thing-- the oft-repeated "late George Foster" line; I recall seeing George's comments about "rumors of my demise are premature" not too long ago. Are you certain he's not with us any longer? I think he lives in Arizona.