I did a google search of images for KCS and found three images of a Vanderbilt tender located behind a grain elevator in Galt, Illinois. The photos can be found here- http://www.flickr.com/photos/65839294@N ... otostream/

KCS #759 was a G-2 Class - 2-8-8-0 mallet built by Brooks in Feb 1924. KCS owned ten of these locomotives and were numbered 757-766. The G-2 mallets were the largest engine on the KCS and weighed 391 tons with the big square tender fully loaded. Though the J class 2-10-4's that would come later were heavier and faster, the G-2's remained the most powerful tonnage-movers. Square tenders as delivered were oddities on the KCS before the J class 900's. During WWII more typical Vanderbilt tenders were substituted. Number 759 was rebuilt to a Class G-2 simple engine sometime between 1939-1942. The 759 is listed as being scrapped in Feb 1952 at the KCS shops in Pittsburg, KS during "The Great Eradication of Steam". 759's Vanderbilt tender appears to have been repurposed and subsequently survivied, though without its brakeman cab. Norwestern Steel and Wire was the last owner and actively ran steam until 1980. I have no idea what kind of engine this tender was mated to in her last days of use, but I do know that NS&W actively ran steam until 1980. The tender has been in that location since 2001. Comments on the Flickr account possibly indicate IRM personnel looking at it some time in October or November. I could not locate this tender on IRM's online roster. Could someone from IRM comment, please?

It sits on an overgrown section of track and is easy to miss on google maps. It is located southwest of Galt, IL. If you follow the mainline west of town, you'll find a track that branches off to the south. The track leads through an industrial site and ends behind the grain elevator. You will find the tender in the brush to the east of a white lattice tower laying on its side.

Here's a photo of KCS #759 and the tender. The photo was taken by Harold Vollrath in Shreveport, LA in 1949. The photo comes from the collection of Nick Muff.

UPDATE: as of early December, 2012, the tender (which has been owned by IRM for many years) is now at IRM.

Blog post on the subject: http://www2.irm.org/blogs/archives/1359 ... -2012.html

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff. I located it in the Surviving Tenders thread as well. I should have done a little more research before posting. The thread title should be changed to identified rather than located. I thought I was on to something. After some more digging, it seems as though the tender was possibly used with former GTW 8328, which was reportedly scrapped in 1988.


Thanks to IRM for keeping this rare piece of KCS steam history. KCS has played a constant role in my life and is in my blood. My grandfather and father have a combined total of 75 years of service to the company.

Randy -

As I've said before, they saved the wrong end of the locomotive! A couple of comments. First, I'm glad IRM has finally moved the tender to KCS 759 to Union. Second, this is kind of a rare tender in that, to accomodate KCS turntables, the rear truck of the tender was moved slightly forward so that entire wheelbase of the locomotive would be a bit less. I don't know if this is the only tender from the steam era with this feature to survive, but I would guess that it might be. Finally, I too did a google "overhead" search recently and found the tender where you mentioned it. The site was in the summer with a lot of trees and brush and I was actually looking for ex-GTW 0-8-0 #8305 which was reportedly located near the tender. I too found the tender on the search and THINK I saw the 8305 covered with foliage (if I hadn't found the 759 tender, I would have never seen it at all). This engine had been sold by IRM to someone in Quincy, Illinois, although I am not sure who. I have since learned that the tender from 8305 was moved some time ago to Quincy, but that the 8305 still sits there in Galt. So this one "Lost Engine" has not yet made it to its final home and still remains an orphan.

Les

the Union RR 0-10-2 did the same trick to the tender to allow it to fit on the turntable, but the preserved on #304 may stiil have its original tender.

The engine has a Y6b-ish look, N&W made the Y6b the powerhouse it needed to get thru the Blue Ridge mountains, speed wasn't primary than was the tractive effort "get it over da hill". The Class A was like your more level route Y6 design for speed than mountain dragging.

dinwitty -

I looked at some photos of Union Railroad #304 there on display in Ohio and you may very well be right, although it's a bit hard to tell for sure from those photos. If it IS true, it's very interesting because the 0-10-2's were reportedly supposed to be 2-10-2's and the lead truck was lopped off the design to make them fit on the URR's exisiting turntables. So then, length removed both front and rear! I wonder what the total wheelbase length of the 0-10-2's actually was? That would tell us the length of the Union's turntables in those days. If a "tight fit", it would also probably confirm that the rear tender truck was moved slightly forward.

Les

The wheelbase of an 0-10-2 is 68' 3 1/2" and the turntable at Hall, PA is 70'. The rear tender truck was moved inward to provide the needed clearance.

H.M. -

Thanks for the information.


Les

So what are the plans for the tender at the IRM? Will it ever be used again for any other locomotive or just put on display? Too bad this wasn't England or they would likely shortly start working on building a whole new locomotive for this tender.

I'm the person who took the photos of the KC Southern Tender in Galt,IL.The tender was gone as of Dec. 2012,after a long,colorful history here working for Northwestern Steel and Wire here in Sterling-Rock Falls,IL.Contrary to other posts,there are no other engines in the area,I walked back along the old line quite a ways in search of it-there is an old grain truck back there though.I had also heard there was an engine back there.The info that I have is that the last engine was cut-up and moved several years ago by a private individual and sent out west.He worked on it several years before getting the job done.I haul grain to the Galt Elevator and marveled at the gentleman's perseverance! Thanks for the interest in my pics!My father-in-law worked for the Burlington Northern for 35 years and we spent alot of tome talking about railroading...

Despite what I said 2 years ago,the other steam engine at Galt IS still there and has just been uncovered.The grain elevator has been clearing out the wooded area behind the main plant to construct another grain bin and uncovered.It was well buried-I had roamed the area 2 years ago but had not spotted it because of the thick vegetation and trees.It is the 05,and is a rusty monster.It certainly appears to a great candidate to be moved and restored.Perhaps now that this piece of history has been uncovered,the IRM or some other organization will come forward to save it...

IRM knows about this engine I believe hope to get it moved in.

Railroad magazine did an article about the Northwest Steel years ago which was very interesting, they still had some NKP berks there.