Damascus, VA "Steam" Locomotive

boilerwash · **Posted:** Sun Aug 09, 2015 11:17 pm

Was coming home from Tweetsie Railroad today and ran across this "thing" in Damascus, Virginia on display along side the Virginia Creeper rail trail:

http://boilerwash.deviantart.com/art/De ... -552612310

Appears to be built on top of the front pony truck of a steam locomotive and was powered by an old "Straight 8" hooked up to some kind of homemade chain drive.

Only thing I could find on it mentioned that it possibly my have been built by the shop of some now out of business factory for pushing cars around the property. Anyone know anything else?

EWrice · **Joined:** Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:14 am **Posts:** 367

An interesting contraption, but the thing that peaks my interest the most is the straight 8 engine. I would love to know more....

Tom Davidson · **Joined:** Sun Dec 29, 2013 6:07 pm **Posts:** 203

Of course I don't know for sure, but the wheels look to me more like they might have come from a mine car.

p51 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:05 pm

My money would be on it being a mining motorized critter with the fake boiler put on for looks long after its commercial use was done.

Reading T1 2124 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2015 3:52 pm

The spoked wheels have me thrown off. Were these common for industrial use?

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1270

The beast in question was built on the pony truck of a N&W 4-8-0. As I recall it was built by a local logging outfit. I saw this critter setting in the weeds at Demascus back in 1971.

wesp · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2015 4:26 pm

Here is a detailed side view.

Reading T1 2124 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:16 pm

Noticing the brakes, was this ever an operable machine or was it for looks only?

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2015 5:44 pm

To anyone trying to search for more information:

The town's name is "Damascus" with two "a's", not "Demascus."

I found information and rosters on a couple logging lines that operated in the Damascus area, and their Shays and Climaxes, but nothing so far on any "critters" they might have had. If you're up for the challenge............

boilerwash · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:22 pm

Reading T1 2124 wrote:

Noticing the brakes, was this ever an operable machine or was it for looks only?

Whoever built this thing made it to run around. There's a complete drive train consisting of a gasoline engine in the boiler shell connected to a differential that pulls a chain drive that spins the two axles.

Whoever built the base part of it actually did a fairly good job as opposed to the hokie looking steam outline. The brakes are manually operated thru linkage movements attached to a lever in the cab alongside the "clutch" that disconnected the motor from the chain drive system.

Would have been interesting to see just how much power this thing would have had running off an 8 cylinder engine.

John T · **Joined:** Sun Sep 14, 2014 5:05 pm **Posts:** 1270

The little beast was built by W. M. Ritter Lbr. Co. for use at Abington, VA.

Gary Gray · **Posted:** Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:40 pm

That is Abingdon, Va. As in Abingdon Branch of the N&W