It's not an M2c...8-P, yes I have ridden behind it.

How about an S-1a? Last steam locomotive built for a US railroad, all scrapped.

Please restore K4s 1361 first, help us with Maine Central 470, pull B&LE 643 out of limbo, grab the CPR "Mike" in Depew, New York, fix the little Camelback at Strasburg, along with LIRR G5s #39 (or #35, I'm not picky), rebuild a CB&Q Hudson, C&O 490, C&O 1309, C&O 614, N&W 1218, PRR 4483, B&M 3713, see the Pennsy T1 to completion, construction a New York Central Hudson or Niagara from start to finish (again, I'm not picky), and then we'll talk.
Also, I want the broom stick of the Wicked Witch of the West.

In British circles we call these ideas "WIBNs" or "Wouldn't It Be Nice."

I would advise against rebuilding extant examples of classes, or taking on such an enormous project as an idea.

The Didcot Railway Centre here in the UK got it into their heads that there was money in new-builds and are currently building a new Saint, County and Steam Motor Rail.

The result has been to neglect their core historical fleet as a result of most of their volunteers running off to build their new locomotives, to the point more practical (for their short running line) engines aren't being given the priority they'd need for the revenue they'd earn. Their original steam rail motor is slowly rotting in an unsuitable, drafty shed which has resulted in peeling paint and slowly warping wood, according to a friend of mine who was there as a visitor not long ago.

I'd actually say, considering most lines aren't that huge in the US just like their UK counterparts, restoring or newbuilding some tank locomotive types would be a better use of resources, they're cheaper to run and maintain and still draw in the crowds who want to sit behind something that goes "chuff" as it pulls them through the small towns and countryside.

Yep. Build what you need to use once you have built a workable plan to make it worthwhile.

I think what has been replicated most here are 1860 era 4-4-0s. Why? Somebody needed them for specific purposes and they would recover their construction costs while paying their operating costs in the process, the mission of an operation required them as critical components, or wealthy individuals wanted a piece of operable art for their collection.

China sent some branch line sized mikados and decapods over...... perhaps prairies might have been more marketable to museum and light tourist lines?

Historic industrial sites could make good use of tank engines - we didn't use them here as mainline freight engines like the UK railways did, no nonindustrial historical perspective culturally here apart from some commuter operations a very long time ago.

I think the mainline opportunities for operation are going to be limited primarily to the mainline owned locomotives and the usual suspects in the forseeable future...... so perhaps we should be thinking small and practical for now.

I've always thought a B&O "Little Joe" 0-4-0T would be a great candidate for a cheaper new build project.

As far as I'm aware, there seemed to have been problems with a number of the bodywork mouldings that were used when the body was restored. It appears that unsuitable wood was used and this resulted in its rapid bodywork/paint deterioration. At least one thread about it can be found on the "National Preservation" UK Forum if anyone is interested.
However, It has since been repaired/repainted and was used on the Mid-Norfolk Railway last September and also at the Old Oak Common depot open day towards the end of last year, so it's hardly rotting away !

But Richard wouldn't that be too logical let alone allow us to move on to other worthwhile projects. Seriously I get a kick out of all these "let's re-build this extinct locomotive" fantasies, it makes me want to hit my head over a grill. It would be more cost effective to just restore one of the existing N&W steamers than a whole new construction.

Cameron

For what a replica Y6b would cost you could build a large number of smaller replicas. How about a Class A Climax or a Dunkirk geared locomotive? One of the B&O Crabs would be nice. How about one of the Ross Winans 0-8-0 “super Crabs” built for the Western RR of Massachusetts in 1841-42? An operating replica of the Oregon Pony would be way cool! Any of these locos could be trucked and could operate anywhere.

A NYC Hudson would probably be a popular project. Really doesn't matter to me. At my age I wouldn't be around to see whatever it is finished anyway. I'm still amazed at the T1 project. Wouldn't have been my choice, but then its what the other group wants to build and I wish them all the luck.

I'm thinking one of these would be an excellent choice for a new build

Our one could buy and restore the Wild Goose Railroad Class A Climax from the estate of Keith Christensen. It was available a few months ago.

I love to dream about a PRR Q2 coming back to life, and lord knows, Pennsy experimented with some great locomotives. Thing is, there are so many "good" locomotives that sit without operating futures, and many still outdoors, unprotected. For the cost of a Y6b, we can honor extant steam by complete rebuilds or at least putting them under a weather shed. Sometimes you have to draw a deep breath and nurse your mourning.

Hi Guys,
I hope this does not sound like I’m being a wet blanket, but, lets think this one throught. Don’t get me wrong; I think its great to think of new builds locomotives, especially of lost or extinct classes of steam engines. But, if you do ever have an Y6 built, where are you going to keep it and where is it going to run? Big locomotives need deep pockets for maintenance, fuel, secure storage, insurance, and a qualified staff to care for her! A locomotive such as an Y6 will need a large secure engine house, on land that you own, with all of the assorted support equipment needed to keep her maintained. If you don’t own the track and land she sits on, your at the mercy of your landlord. RYPN is full of stories of groups and locomotives being evicted due to changes of railroad ownership, changes of governments, rail to trails, or just personal differences. You’ll need access or trackage rights in order to get your engine from and to wherever she’s going to run. I can go on a whole extremely long list of issues you really need to address. Otherwise, you might as well be building a replica of the Queen Mary, in Lincoln Nebraska. I recommend to think big, but start small, like a new build 2-6-0, 4-6-0 or 2-8-0, or take a page from the Gramling family. And now, a word from Ross R! Have fun - David Notarius, who should know better, deep in the cold wet fens of Cambridgeshire UK

Those would be an excellent locomotive, simple grunt switcher. Probably tweak a few bits and modify it for more efficiency and to save on costs here and there. Maybe a better firebox, Lempor Exhaust, diesel style pistons, rocking grate etc. Externally it'd look much the same but internally be a bit more modern.

I'd say a K2 Baltic Tank (a la CN #47) would serve a lot of US Heritage lines very well, they have similar tractive effort as a British GWR 4200 Class which handle about 300+ tonnes on the relatively steep Severn Valley Railway, but again. I'd tweak the design to add in the 2nd Gen Steam tech to help boost its performance and lower maintenance costs.