This question was raised over at TrainOrders...

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/r ... ,nodelay=1

I'm not a member there, so I can't post, and I know some of the rest of you aren't members either.

The usual suspects have been mentioned, 4449, 844, D&S, C&TS etc.

I'm curious as to what folks here have to say. I've got my own answer, but I suspect it's not what the person who asked the question had in mind. :)

Strasburg 31, I'd bet.

Howard P.

.

I would think SR 4501 would be over the half million mile mark due to the large number of excursions from 1966 through 1994 over about 10 months per year. There were also miles accumulated through her black paint years into the early 2000s and at TVRM.

I would then place 844 second knowing she was never officially retired. Her excursion days go back to about 1960 if I remember correctly.

I do think Strasburg #90 would come in third. Most of her miles have accumulated 6 miles at a time, not that there's anything wrong with that.

I do not claim to be the expert on such matters of course.

I don't know that I would grant 1st place to 4501, as much as I love the old girl. After 1977, most of the trips on the SR/NS Steam Program were run with larger power, 2839, 610, 2716, and of course 611 & 1218. 4501 went through a rather lengthy overhaul in the early 1980's, and was secondary power after that. I would guess that 611 would be pretty far up there, she was in service (not in shop) for the better part of 10 years between 1982 and 1994. After the N&W/Southern merger, the Steam Program trips were operated over a much larger territory than the SR days, and on a much more intensive schedule. Almost all of the ferry moves were made under steam, and many of them were run as schoolchildren's excursions. 611 was the primary power for most of those years.

I think the debate should probably be split into 2 categories--mainline steam, and tourist/museum steam.

In mainline steam, it's probably either 4501, 611 or 844. Obviously, both 4501 and 611 got a ton of miles put on them with the SR/NS Steam Program. 4501 certainly was running longer, but with 722 and 750 and a shorter season to begin with, you are looking at mileage over time to add up. 611 had a shorter time to operate (12 years), but the season was longer. Both are probably pretty high up there--and for passenger-carrying mainline steam, one of them is likely the winner.

Union Pacific 844 has been around a long time, but the mileage per year would be fairly low, just because UP doesn't run a bunch, and 844 is split with 3985. The 1992 events with 3985 on separate trips to California, Texas and Virginia, which was 13,000 miles would probably be the max that UP has run in one year. 3000-500 miles/year is probably closer on average for UP Steam. Over time, it would add up, but both 4501 and 611 should have 844 beat, especially in the passenger department.

In the tourist/museum area, you'll probably find the highest mileage engines. Strasburg, Durango and Cumbres should all have some high-mileage engines, but all have multiple engines, so the mileage per engine would be reduced. In theory, your highest-mileage engine would be a railroad that runs a lot, but only has one main steam engine.

Western Maryland 734 would be a good example of an engine that should be high-mileage, but has only been operational since about 1993. Knox & Kane 58 has a bunch of miles on it from that 100-mile roundtrip to Kinzua Bridge 4-5 days a week during the excursion season for 12 years. Great Smoky Mountains RR 1702 was getting 80+ miles a day for quite a few years, and I know they got some significant mileage on it, but it only ran for about 10 years as well at GSMR, and a few years at Fremont & Elkhorn Valley in Nebraska.

Theory says you will need to be running for quite a while to get the extreme mileage, so you're going to have to go back to about 1974-80 (if not before) to get that record. Take the case of Tweetsie Railroad in Boone, NC. It may be mainly a tourist park, but they are running 3ft gauge steam on a very regular basis. Tweetsie 190 is the main engine there, and though the trips are only about 3 miles long, it is running 7 days a week about every 30-45 minutes. That adds up quickly. Rough calculations show 40-50 miles a day, which at 7 days/wk in the summer, adds somewhere between 40,000 miles from June through August alone, not counting the added trains in September and October. Considering the engine has run since 1960, you are looking at possibly close to 2,000,000 miles on the engine. I doubt Strasburg, D&S or Cumbres & Toltec can match that. Huckleberry Railroad 2 and 464 in Michigan should be pretty high-mileage also.

The winner in the mileage sweepstakes may be in Hawaii though. Lahaina Kaanapali & Pacific RR is running 4 trips/day, 7 days/wk year-round, but they have 2 steam engines and a diesel (which doesn't appear to get used much). At roughly 10,000 miles/month for almost 40 years, those engines probably have most everything beat. Rough calculations show a total of 4.5 million miles operated since the railroad started. Both engines should be close to (if not exceeding) the mileage of Tweetsie 190.

Anyone else want to hazard a guess??
Kevin

It's still probably 50/50 for 611 vs. 4501. 611 was basically out-of-service for the majority of 1987, 88, 90 and 91, with 1218 taking the lead those years. For 1989, duties were split with 1218.

4501 was basically prime power from 1972-77, used frequently 1978, 80, 85, and a bit here and there from 1991-94, then an undetermined amount at TVRM over the years before being taken out of service in 1998.

Without actual mileage records, it's probably hard to say whether 611 or 4501 was operated more. One of them would definitely hold the record for the steam program, but I don't know which one.

How about the Disney park locomotives?

Would CN 6060 come into consideration at all, with her extensive fantrip operations and regular scheduled Toronto- Niagara Falls excursions?

Steve Hunter
Cardinal, Ontario

I was thinking along those lines as well. Most likely either one of the original Disneyland engines, or the Knott's 2-8-0 has the most amusement park miles, since both parks are open year round.

I know that having worked two Summers on the Cedar Point railroad, I had figured that I either fired or ran something like 1,000 miles/season each of the Summers I was there, and at that time the park was only open full-time from early May to Labor Day, and two weekends after that. So, I've got to believe that the Disneyland engines operate 3,000+ miles/year most years, since 1955. That's 54 years, so the longest serving engines there could have racked up about 160,000 miles. Actually that seems a little low compared to the big excursion engines that may run up more miles at a time, but spend long periods not operating. Anyone knowledgeable with Disney or Knott's operations care to chime in?

Regarding Tweetsie,

Number 12 generally opens the season the first weekend in May and then runs until July. Then the Queen (190) is put into service, as the cab is larger and more comfortable in the hotter months. So really, the engines basically split their duties during the year.

Matt

The 192 at Dollywood surely has to be one of the high mileage steam excursion engines. I think their ride is 4 or 5 miles on a dogbone layout and on busy days they run as fast as the train can be unloaded and loaded. Train rides start at 9:00 or 10:00 am and, in the old days, could go on past midnight. I do not know the current operating schedule. The park has undergone a few name changes but for most of the years since the mid sixties 192 has been the primary power. In many of those years 192 was the only power. I think the 192 could well be the winner in this catagory.

John Bohon

^Yea, on the subject of tourist line and amusement park operations I was going to throw in #192 at Dollywood/Silver Dollar City/Goldrush Jct etc as well. I'm sure she has more daisy picker mileage than either of the Tweetsie Railroad engines, because she was the only operating locomotive in Pigeon Forge from 1961 until they got WP&Y #70 rolling sometime in the 80s. And of course now Dollywood is open March-December as opposed to just May - October like in the old days.

I think the two original Disneyland engines would have to be the winners in that category though, since they've been running round and round since 1955.

If not limiting this discussion to standard gauge, I would think the former Edaville fleet of steamers is right up there in the mileage department. Circling that 5-mile loop all day, for over 50 years... not sure which of the four engines would win, but it could be over a half million miles between them...

It may not be a mileage winner, but I'd think that Cass Shay #5 should get at least an honorable mention here. 104 years in service on it's original rails, and still going.....