Hearing that fact, sounds more like 1744 is the black cat of steam locomotives.

I'm glad it's going to the NCRy however what's the story with the two ex SP F-7s owned by the GGRM I heard they where for sale?

I thought that some background mechanical info might be of interest.

This class of SP Mogul were originally built as Vauclain Compounds and
were simpled after a relatively short time.

They ended up with 21 by 28 inch cylinders, 200 lbs. on the boiler and 63" drivers.
This gave a tractive effort of 33,320 lbs., pretty low for a class 1 line.
The Moguls were one of the few small to medium sized locomotives not to get the bump up to 210 lbs.
Others that did were the larger Ten-Wheelers, most Consolidations, MK-2/4 and MK-5/6 Mikados, Mountains, A-3 and A-6 Atlantics and heavy Pacifics

The SP Moguls lasted so long in service because they were versatile in design. Small and light enough for any branch line and could work in any yard, but with relatively large driving wheels given the wheel arrangement, they certainly wouldn’t hold up any mainline trains even in their later days and they could haul a decent sized train on the mainline when needed. Sure, every railroad at the end of steam had their tiny ancient locomotive or two they held onto just in case or used on an old branch line with weak rail about to close (best examples I can point out are the UP Ten Wheelers, Wabash 573, etc), but what’s astounding is the fact that the majority of the SP 2-6-0’s lasted well into the 1950’s, oddly uncharacteristic for a US railroad with the stature and modern outlook and locomotives the SP championed themselves around. The SP liked them so much, 8 different 2-6-0’s of 3 different classes were preserved.

For all intents and purposes, they were the perfect mini engine for running the SP’s nooks, crannies, and less glamorous tasks in the same way how many Canadian railroads like the Canadian National held on to a considerable amount of their tiny older locomotives. It’s a great parallel really.

Some good points here....especially about the lighter axle loading. There were tracks in some of the yards like Watsonville that did not allow larger power and that kept some of the older kettles going years longer, like the older 4-8-0s and Moguls too.

Dispatchers liked having the Moguls around as they were long legged enough to allow them out on the main without getting in the way of passengers or time freights.

Here's a statistic that may interest readers, especially fans of the SP.

On January 1, 1956, the last full year of std. gauge steam, there were 12 different wheel arrangements on the active roster. These were:

0-6-0, 2-6-0, 4-6-0 and 4-6-2
0-8-0, 2-8-0, 2-8-2, 4-8-2 and 4-8-4
2-10-2
2-8-8-4 (3804 and 3805 on the Modoc)
4-8-8-2

That's a great question. The CB&Q 4960 sure bounced around before finding a home at Grand Canyon, the 539 as well. Some of the LS&I 2-8-0's have moved quite a bit. Paulson Logging #2 was at Kettle Moraine, IRM, Mid Continent, and now out west. The C&O 2716 and 2700 have sure move around a bit. Any others that come to mind? The Grambling's locomotives have a colorful past.

Steve

Kelly and Steve -

I think I'd nominate Brooks (ALCO) built 2-8-0 c/n 61579 built in 1920. Carried at least 4 different road numbers:

#6 for Kelly's Creek & Northwestern
#13 for Buffalo Creek & Gauley
#622 for South Penn Museum
#1977 for Lake Shore Railroad Historical Foundation
# ? for Logansport Iron Horse organization

Now back to #13 at the Age of Steam Museum in Sugar Grove, Ohio

In addition to the above 6 mentioned owners, also passed to at least a couple of dealers along the way and some private owners.

Les