Again, another non-survivor, but pretty hard not to be impressed by this freshly painted J1:

http://abpr.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi?a ... rr6457.jpg

Bab: When I see a photo like this, or perhaps a Pennsy Q2, or T1, the fact that impresses me the most is the power of harnessed steam! These amazing designs hauled enormous loads at incredible speeds with merely the expression of water vapor and fire. I think it's often easy to stand back and say that Diesels are more efficient, yet steam was so expressive, using only the most basic elements known to humankind. Going to a very basic sense of the human subconsciousness, that is why steam locomotives capture the imagination.

I read something recently and can't remember where- that Pennsy called Baldwin to get a recommendation about getting upgraded power for the war effort (either shortly before or shortly after Pearl Harbor) and Charles Brinley? recommended N&W A's). If true, why didn't PRR go for that design, instead recycling C&O 2-10-4's and building the far less successful than justified by effort "duplex" Q-2's.

What was PRR's issue with articulation?

Then of course, there's the idea that a Baldwin President would recommend Roanoke power-if true, he clearly looked out for the customer, perhaps at own company's detriment.

How about a J1 doubleheader for power?



Taken at Columbus, Ohio, August 26, 1957.

Bob - Of course, there's always that rumor that a J1 derailed going around Horseshoe Curve, tipped over, went down the mountain and was left to be recovered later. Then came complete dieselization, so they just covered up what was left of her. Supposedly the rumor has been discounted but I wonder if anyone with a metal detector ever went looking for her just to confirm she really isn't there.

Les

The J-1 sat in a ravine for a long period of time, maybe up to a year. But it was eventually recovered, repaired and put back into service for several more years. She went to scrap with all her sisters. I do not recall the number or the exact dates.

Kevin -

Thanks for the info. Interesting that no one seems to have the number of the locomotive, nor the dates she was out of service. Also rather strange that the Pennsy would let her sit there for that length of time and then LATER, go back in and recover her and return her to service. I'm not saying that it didn't happen that way, but that usually the railroad needs the locomotive and makes the effort to recover her right away. If she is no longer needed (due to impending dieselization for instance), the railroad would recover her and then sell her to a scrapper. Unless of course, the cost of recovery outweighs what she would bring in scrap value.

Les

Les, it's not quite that simple. Traffic levels have a lot to do with recovery of off the right of way wrecked items. Maintenance chores do as well. When I worked for the AN, we had a boxcar slide down an embankment in a derailment. It sat there for almost a year and we paid the shipper for the load. When the bridge gang finally caught up on driving piles, the American crane was reconverted to a derrick and the car was lifted back to the right of way and retrucked. Amazingly, we salvaged almost the entire load of linerboard, even after a year.

With a surplus of motive power, a railroad is likely to leave a wreck sit, but should a shortage of motive power hit due to increased traffic, the wreck will be salvaged, especially if the estimated date of return to service is measurably shorter than the delivery date of new power.