| Railway Preservation News https://www.rypn.org/forums/ |
|
| Army Experiments in train derailment - 1944 https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=44548 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | train guy [ Tue Jun 09, 2020 2:03 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Army Experiments in train derailment - 1944 |
1944 Army film on railroad sabotage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agznZBiK_Bs&feature=emb_title |
|
| Author: | kew [ Wed Jun 10, 2020 2:01 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Army Experiments in train derailment - 1944 |
And the old steam just keeps rollin' along... |
|
| Author: | elueck [ Wed Jun 10, 2020 10:53 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Army Experiments in train derailment - 1944 |
The film was shot on the Claiborne-Polk military RR west of Camp Claiborne, LA which was south of Alexandria, LA. The locomotive was former Norfolk and Western #4 which was fired up but not actually run for the tests. One of the Army Whitcomb's actually pushed the train over the hill and down a bit to get it started rolling, and the engine rolled with the reverse gear in top dead center. #4 never shows up on any C-P rosters of active locomotives nor on any rosters of Army locomotives that I have ever found. Interestingly enough, I believe that 3 of #4's sisters still survive. #6 is at VMT, and #7 and #11 are preserved elsewhere. |
|
| Author: | pbryan [ Thu Jun 11, 2020 7:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Army Experiments in train derailment - 1944 |
Long time lurker here, but I think I finally have some valuable info to add... I don't think that is N&W #4 It is indeed an N&W G1, but I believe it is former N&W #301. Is seems the Army renumbered her #4. A few pieces of evidence: From my N&W book by Richard Prince he lists the full N&W roster and dispositions. #4 is listed as scrapped by the N&W in May 1957 #301 however, is shown as being sold to the US Gov't in Jan 1944. It's the only locomotive that I can find as listed as sold to the Gov't in the whole roster. Also at 4:14 in the video, there's a reasonably good closeup of the cast number plate on the smokebox, the quality is poor, but you can make out that there are 3 digits on the plate, and the shape of the numbers is consistent with 301. I guess it's easy to paint the cab and put a 4 in the number boards, but they weren't going to recast a new plate for the smokebox. The film titles say it was filmed in March 1944, so #301 hadn't been there long when they tried to derail her... As for N&W 2-8-0's that still survive, G1 #6 is in Roanoke at VMT, #7 is in Bluefield, and W2 #917 was pulled from the VSI&M scrap yard without a tender and is on display now in Ohio. I believe that is all of them. #11 was an 0-8-0T Shop Goat built from a W class 2-8-0 (#809), but was scrapped in 1958. 301 (and 4-7) were built by Baldwin in 1897 (Construction #15156). It was numbered 356 when new, renumbered to 204 in 1906 and finally to 301 in 1925. 4-7 have a an interesting history. They were numbered 203, 205, 200, & 201 (after the 1906 renumbering) when sold to the Va-Carolina Ry (first 2 in 1914, the other 2 in 1917). In 1921 the V-C became part of the N&W and the locos came back and were renumbered 4-7. --Paul |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ] |
| Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|