[N&W] Re: Water Buffalo?

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

They were the K-3 4-8-2s.  They received that nickname when used on the
Wheeling and Lake Erie, their final employer.  As far as I know, they had no
printable nicknames while they were on the N&W.

Ed King
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Seems that the Wheeling & Lake Erie applied the endearing term to their 
ex-N&W K-3 Mountains (4-8-2). The W&LE was their last home.
Perhaps this is the one?
Bob Moore
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Jeff:

In 1926, N&W's Roanoke shops turned out 10 very heavy 4-8-2 Class K-3
locomotives.  They were the heaviest mountain type locomotives ever built.
They had huge boilers and the main rod was connected to the third driver
which made counter-balancing very difficult.  N&W soon sold all of them to
other roads.  They were important, however, in that the bolier data was used
in the design of the "J".

Jim Gillum
N&WHS
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Jeff,

The Water Buffaloes were the Class K-3 4-8-2's, Nos. 200 to 209, built at
Roanoke in 1926.

There were of course sold off to the RF&P (6) and D&RGW (4) in 1944 & '45.

Then the W&LE bought them all in 1948 and a few, but not all,  were later
lettered to NKP when that road took over the W&LE.

Thus in effect these locomotives were owned by FIVE different railroads.

In addition those owners, some at one time or another were leased to the
DM&IR. The 4 D&RGW engines were leased to the DM&IR in late 1947.  Also, if
my memory serves me correctly, I read that a few of them were leased to the
C&O but I cannot confirm this and I cannot recall where I read it.

There was a excellent 2-part series in the February and March 1979 issues of
TRAINS magazine by John B. Corns on these locomotives. There is a complete
roster of the engines in the March issue showing builders and sale dates
and the like as well as most of the changes made when ownership changed.

Sunset is working on an O Scale model of these locomotives and expects them
some time in early 2001 with suggested retain around $ 999.00 factory
painted.

Tom "N&W" Dressler
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Hi Jeff,

	A water buffalo is K-3 Mountain type.  They has huge boilers and were know
to be very hard on the track work!  For this reason, they were not very
popular with N & W management.  Sunset is doing them in "O" scale!!

										Steve Neas
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Jeff;

The "water buffalo" is the K3 4-8-2.  A great furnance/boiler on the wrong
chassis.  Lots of horsepower, but beat everything; track, locomotive, crew,
etc, to _______.

The K3s went D&RGW and RF&P during WWII, after the war, all ten ended up on
the W&LE, at least one even carried NKP lettering after the takeover.

Nigel
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"Water Buffalo" was the moniker W&LE assigned to the ten
third-hand 4-8-2's  purchased from D&RGW and RF&P.  These
engines had been built as N&W 200-209, K-3 class, and were
sold to power short D&RGW and RF&P during World War II.
W&LE was absorbed by the Nickel Plate on December 1, 1949
and the 6806 (formerly N&W 205) worked for NKP until 11/06/53,
usually in the 8th mine district.
                                                   Harry Bundy 
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The N&W Water Buffalo's were K-3, 4-8-2's.  They never operated as the N&W
had expected and proved unsatisfactory for the N&W's needs (very hard on the
track and rough ridding locomotives when run at any speed).  They were sold
to the RF&P and D&RGW.  Later the W&LE bought them all.  They finished out
their lives on the NKP following its lease of the W&LE.  The K-3's were N&W
designed and fabricated.  They were the only major locomotive design error
Roanoke ever produced.
Ed Painter Jr