Union Pacific held onto a Bigboy and a Challenger, along with the 844 and a 2-10-2 until long after the steam slaughter was over. DM&IR did the same, as did the B&LE. Which railroads hung onto a last locomotive in serviceable or stored condition for years beyond steam?
In the Diesel catagory one could include the last BAR BL-2 which is now an indoor display at the Cole Transportation Museum and the last F-3, which is stored outdoors and non-serviceable along with three wrecked GP-9's.


glueck@saturn.caps.maine.edu

Three other railroads come to mind.

1. The Santa Fe stashed a 4-8-4 and a 2-10-4 in their roundhouse in Belen, NM. This pair was later joined by a number of historic diesels, including their last F7 diesels. All of this was donated to the California State Railroad Museum, where unfortunately the steam engines have been vandalized and neglected in outdoor storage.

2. The Pennsylvania Railroad held a number of historic locomotives at their Northumberland, PA roundhouse. This later became the nucleus for the collection of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

3. On the shortline front, the Aberdeen and Rockfish held 2-8-2 #40 until the late 70's when it was sold to the Valley Railroad in Connecticut where it is operational today.

kevingillespie@usa.net

> Three other railroads come to mind.

> 1. The Santa Fe stashed a 4-8-4 and a 2-10-4
> in their roundhouse in Belen, NM. This pair
> was later joined by a number of historic
> diesels, including their last F7 diesels.
> All of this was donated to the California
> State Railroad Museum, where unfortunately
> the steam engines have been vandalized and
> neglected in outdoor storage.

> 2. The Pennsylvania Railroad held a number
> of historic locomotives at their
> Northumberland, PA roundhouse. This later
> became the nucleus for the collection of the
> Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

> 3. On the shortline front, the Aberdeen and
> Rockfish held 2-8-2 #40 until the late 70's
> when it was sold to the Valley Railroad in
> Connecticut where it is operational today.

Soo Line had the 2719 and some Mikes and consols until 1961 or so, 6 years after regular steam ended.

CB&Q and Reading kept some 4-8-4s (CB&Q also kept a Mikado too) for excursions after steam had died.

IC and CN both kept some engines ater steam was retired on both roads in the early '60s.

C&O kept a 2-6-6-4 and another engine behind a roundhouse until the mid '70s when they were scrapped (either the Hiton or Huntington, WV roundhouse if I remember).

> C&O kept a 2-6-6-4 and another engine
> behind a roundhouse until the mid '70s when
> they were scrapped (either the Hiton or
> Huntington, WV roundhouse if I remember).

C&O had H-6 2-6-6-2 1309, 2-6-6-6 1604, 2-8-2 1189, two 2-8-4's, 2705 and another one whose number escapes me, and 4-8-4 614 (wearing the number 611 with which she was retired) in the deadline at Russell, KY for years. 1604 went to Roanoke circa 1969 and wound up at the B&O Museum. In the early to mid-70's 1189 (C&O's last Mikado) was cut up along with the anonymous 2-8-4. The rest of the collection was sent to the B&O Museum in 1975 where they all but 614 reside today. 614 was traded to Ross Rowland in 1979 in exchange for fire-damaged RDG 4-8-4 2101.



kevingillespie@usa.net

Don't forget about the narrow gauge in Alamosa. The freight quit running in 1968, so the locos were stored there until 1970 when the C&TS was formed. Most went to the C&TS, but a couple went to the D&S.
Not sure how this fits into your category, since the Silverton train with Rio Grande power never stopped running Rio Grande engines during this time frame.
Greg Scholl


Videos and such

sales@gregschollvideo.com

UP still stores 4-8-4 No. 833 and 2-10-2 No. 5511 in what is left of the roundhouse at Cheyenne. No. 833 was kept in the Omaha roundhouse until the early 1970s, when that structure was torn down; the engine was then brought to Cheyenne for a parts supply to No. 8444. The 2-10-2 was brought from storage at Green River in 1968. No. 4466, the 0-6-0 at CSRM in Sacramento, was kept at Grand Island until the early 1970s, and 4-6-0 No. 1243 was moved to Cheyenne from Rawlins in 1968 (on its own wheels!). It remained there until painted up for a traveling flatcar display a few years ago. It is now at the Western Heritage Museum in Omaha. Challenger 3977 was kept at North Platte until 1968, having last been used (with a long work train number) to melt snow in 1967. It's now in a park there. Big Boy 4023 and Challenger 3985 were stored at Cheyenne for years until being placed on display at Omaha and Cheyenne, respectively in the early 1970s.

Union Pacific held onto a Bigboy and a
> Challenger, along with the 844 and a 2-10-2
> until long after the steam slaughter was
> over. DM&IR did the same, as did the
> B&LE. Which railroads hung onto a last
> locomotive in serviceable or stored
> condition for years beyond steam?
> In the Diesel catagory one could include the
> last BAR BL-2 which is now an indoor display
> at the Cole Transportation Museum and the
> last F-3, which is stored outdoors and
> non-serviceable along with three wrecked
> GP-9's.


bobyar2001@yahoo.com

> UP still stores 4-8-4 No. 833 and 2-10-2 No.
> 5511 in what is left of the roundhouse at
> Cheyenne.

The 4-8-4 is FEF-3 #838. FEF-2 #833 was used as a parts source for #844 as well, but was placed on display in Salt Lake City in the late 60's, and replaced by #838. #833 was moved by truck from Salt Lake City to the museum at Ogden about two years ago.

kevingillespie@usa.net

Correct, had the numbers transposed.

The 4-8-4 is FEF-3 #838. FEF-2 #833 was used
> as a parts source for #844 as well, but was
> placed on display in Salt Lake City in the
> late 60's, and replaced by #838. #833 was
> moved by truck from Salt Lake City to the
> museum at Ogden about two years ago.


bobyar2001@yahoo.com

Canadian National kept Northern 6218 until 1971 for running fan trips.

jason.whiteley@sympatico.ca

Central of Georgia kept 2-8-0 #223 and 4-6-0 403 in serviceable condition in the roundhouse in Savannah up until the early 60's, I was told by the last foreman that the engines had blue cards till then and the FRA made him pull them in the ealry 60's. Reason being steam doesn't mind getting it's feet wet as much as diesels, and it floods a good bit here.
Then engines were moved to the depot trainshed in the early 70's, Columbus Georgia asked for and got 223 for a rail museum that never materialized, and the engine was neglected outside other than being heavily raided for parts. 403 is now marooned inside the Savannah History Museum, once the depot trainshed. Because of the building done inside the shed, the only way to get her out now is though a window. She appears to only be missing injectors, was parked in operable condition, and has never been left out in the weather. Happily, we got 223 back, she is now under cover in the roundhouse she left 20 some odd years ago.

Someone else can correct me on exact numbers, but at least ten former Pere Marquette 1200-series Berkshires remained on the property at New Buffalo, Michigan until 1961 or so. From what I understand, this was due to their equipment trusts, which did run out until at least 10-15 years after the PM/ C&O merger in 1947. Two of them, namely 1238 and 1227, were supposedly some of the last PM-era steam outshopped by the C&O. Aarne, you can tell this story better than me.....

TJG


Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

I mentioned this engine before, but the Nevada Northern 40 was last used for its "intended purpose" (a passenger engine) in 1940. NNRY stuck it away along with its 2 car consist. In the NN's East Ely enginehouse. Steam disappeared from the NN around 1952. #40 came back out again for some trips in the 1956-64 time frame, but never ran again until 1986. The way #40 was carefully laid up, and the small but important stash of spare parts found in East Ely Shops in 1986-87 always lead me to believe that it was NNRY's intent to have #40 steam again "someday".

earlk489@hotmail.com

> Which railroads hung onto a last
> locomotive in serviceable or stored
> condition for years beyond steam?

Most folks think of the four Reading T-1 4-8-4's which survive today.

There was a fifth !

-2123-

Sold for scrap in 1965!

(The rest of the 30 T-1's were gone by 1960.)

Rumor has it (here we go again)
that 2123 was complete, and backed herself out of the Reading roundhouse and onto the turntable, on "shop air".
What a waste. Roller-bearing engine, like sister 2124.

Plus:
lest we forget,
Reading 0-6-0-T #1251, IN SERVICE as the Reading Locomotive Shop switcher into the early 1960's!
Sold to George Hart, ran in excursion service out of York, PA.
Now resting comfortably in the RR Museum of PA, Strasburg.
Yours truly holds an annual tradition of ringing her bell during set-up of the museum's annual Reading Weekend.
(makes the Pennsy engines jealous)

I knew of 2123, but my understanding is that by the time she went to scrap, her major operational parts were gobbled up to keep the others running. If your rumor is correct, you can put her in steam heaven alongside the NKP Berks and CN Northerns that were completely shopped, then stood idle until their Class 1A overhauled bodies were torched to pieces.
I'm surprise 2123 didn't wind up as a static exhibit in Philly.

glueck@saturn.caps.maine.edu

Don't forget that 2100 and 2101 were also sold for scrap to Striegel Supply Co. of Baltimore. That they were not cut up is a minor miracle and a tribute to the late Ed Striegel who also saved B&O 4-6-2 5300 the "President Washington" and B&O 2-8-2 4500 the original USRA locomotive, and donated them to the B&O Museum.

kevingillespie@usa.net