I understand that steam ran at Ft. Eustis into the 1960's. I saw this photo of 2-8-0 #611 in basket case condition in 1973. It seems to me that for modern steam locomotives that should have had pretty low miles, none of the locomotives fared well in the post steam era.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 50&nseq=11

There is one exception to that generalization about the U.S. Army consolidations. The 610 at TVRM has operated for the last 20 years and from unofficial reports I have heard should be back in service after Southern 2-8-0 630 and 2-8-2 4501 are completed for use in the new NS steam program. However, it did sit for many years at the Southern Railway Norris Steam Shops near Birmingham, Alabama until it was moved to TVRM along with SR 630 in 1978 and it sat another 10 years at TVRM before it was restored to operation in 1990.

The 1702 which later went to the Reader Railroad and currently at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad operated up until 2004 and hopefully American Heritage Railways' plans to revive it will come to fruition at some point in the future.

However, I do agree that both the 611 (now somewhere in Maryland reportedly) and 612 (which was on the Cass Scenic Railroad, but never operated there for many years) are both in rough condition from the most recent photographs I have seen of them. Hopefully both engines will find a home where they can at least get a cosmetic restoration if nothing else.

Steven Ashley
Spartanburg, South Carolina

I do not believe that USATC 1702 ever operated at Ft. Eustis, at least in the 1960s era. The 1702 was sold, I believe, after WWII, first to the Warren & Saline River, then to the Reader RR.

David -

What's amazing to me, is that these U.S. Army S-160 Consolidations did not find homes with more short lines and industrial operations after they became surplus at the end of hostilities. The U.S. Army 0-6-0's on the other hand, found homes at a number of places; Virginia Blue Ridge, Midland Terminal; Raritan Valley; Alabama By-Products; a switching road in Cleveland (name escapes me right now); to name a few. But USATC 1702 is the only one that I know of that ended up on a short line or industrial operation.

Les

I believe the answer to that question is most S-160s went overseas, never to return again. Few stayed in the U.S. Outside of the army and the 1702, the only other U.S. Railroad that used S-160s was the Alaska RR who had several of them. They also had the only two or three that actually returned from Europe. We left most of them there to help rebuild the railroads in various countries.

For some reason, I believe the tender 0-6-0s, like the ones that ended up on the Midland Terminal, were built for domestic service at various military facilities. Since they did not go overseas, there was a supply of them for the surplus locomotive market once the war ended. The 0-6-0 tank engines, on the other hand, were built for European service.

According to Tourrent's Allied Military Locomotives of the Second World War, the S-160 was designed for a relatively short service life, a couple of years at most. What is really amazing is that any survived into operation this late.

Also, the 610 at TVRM is not an S-160. It is very close in design, but was built after World War II, as a one-off.

Isn't this the loco that migrated from the TVRM to western Md. (not far from WMSR) a year or two ago?

How's that going?

I did not mean for my post to suggest that 1702 served at Ft. Eustis. I am pretty sure it did not. I was just talking about the S160s and similar engines (as 610 is not an S160) in general.

I did not mean for my post to suggest that 1702 served at Ft. Eustis. I am pretty sure it did not. I was just talking about the S160s and similar engines (as 610 is not an S160) in general.

I sure would like to see (and hear) 611 run at least once in my lifetime. It's the only remaining engine with Franklin rotary cam poppet valves, although IIRC, it's not a standard Type B arrangement but some sort of simplified version.

Well, maybe in another 20 years or so TVRM will work their way down to it...

Over the last few years i've acquired several images (slide and negative) of the Ft Eustis Railroad, both in the NRHS years and the active military days.

Per H Reid, this was the roster in 1966 for Ft Eustis.
606 2-8-0 Lima 1945
607 2-8-0 Lima 1945
610 2-8-0 Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton 1952
611 2-8-0 Baldwin 1943
612 2-8-0 Baldwin 1943

These were in service, with the 612 just being put into the shops for overhaul. 613, 614, 617, and 620 (all Alco 1942)were stored on site, out of service, most being used to supply parts for the other 5.


Several S-160's remain in the US. 607 is at Ft Eustis as a display for the transportation museum, 606 is in Crewe, Va at another museum lettered as N&W 606 (gag!) 610 is of course at TVRM, and the 612 is at Cass awaiting a new owner. 611, last I was told, was being restored; Slowly, but progress is being made.

Below, 3 S-160's triple head in 1963 for the NRHS convention. Photographer is unknown.







No. 606

If any of you would like a model of an Army S-160 Aristo Craft Trains will be making them in G scale. http://www.gscalecentral.co.uk/f/m106399.aspx

How do you design a steam locomotive to have a short service life?

You design/construct it as cheaply as possible--minimal steel thickness, boiler thickness, etc., built with cheap steel that wears out quickly.

Think Yugo. Think the cheapest particle-board bookshelves and furniture.

.

And the KD6 &KD7 class 2-8-0s in China worked hard into the late 1980s.