NW-Mailing-List Digest, Vol 24, Issue 20

[NW Mailing List]

Mark, all you saw was smoke rising above the trees?  Maybe 
it was just an ALCO! They were called honorary steam 
locomotives because of all of the smoke they put out!

Jerry Kay, Portsmouth, VA



---- Original message ----

>Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2007 09:54:39 -0800 (PST)

>From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>  

>Subject: NW-Mailing-List Digest, Vol 24, Issue 20  

>To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

>

>Gentlemen, Mark, Ed and all:

>

>Let me toss some observations from research I have

>done on the last revenue steam operations into the

>Washington, DC region.

>

>I'm going to do this like 10 little Indians and if

>someone else out there has better information, then

>please step up to the plate.

>

>We all know that Southern steam had ended much earlier

>than the others with the last actual steam runs into

>or out of the DC area ending in the early part of 1952

>by my research. There were steam work trains

>continuing into the 2nd half of 1952 and a steam

>switcher was reactivated in the Southern yards during

>the Christmas rush.

>

>The Southern mainline water tanks and coal tipples

>were all retired by mid-1953, kept in stand-by mode

>for C&O which had requested such. I can provide

>locales and dates if you want. Even Southern #1401 did

>NOT come up under its own power, being messengered up

>in February 1953 with rods down.

>

>The last C&O regular service steam run into or out of

>the DC area was the early June 1953 excursion of

>Hudson #490 to Charlottesville and back to DC and this

>run is WELL-documented. The previous regular service

>steam run had been 6-12 months earlier. I don't have

>an exact date of this one either.

>

>The last RF&P steam run out of Pot Yard was December

>31,1953 and the last RF&P revenue steam run out of

>Washington Union Station was during the New Year's

>Mail Rush on January 3rd,1954 with #622 the Carter

>Braxton providing the power. It is also

>well-documented that the 10 RF&P steamers, after being

>stored serviceable at Acca yard were leased to the

>power short C&O during 1955 and were returned in the

>first half of 1956. By 1958 they were all stored

>outside and rusting away with their piston rods

>disconnected since their return from the C&O 2 years

>earlier

>

>B&O had ended daily steam service from the north on

>Train #22 in early November 1953 to end steam into

>Washington on the Baltimore Division. Amazingly, the

>Pennsy ran a Thanksgiving weekend extra 3 weeks later

>to the Bowie Race Track 3 weeks later from Washington

>Union Station but that was it for those 2 carriers.

>

>ALSO, all lead engines on the RF&P had to have the

>automatic train control devices which were not

>compatible with the PRR's or other ATC's. I have not

>found any references of ACL or SAL steamers having the

>ATC devices AFTER the start of Diesel service in the

>early 1940's. Beside all ACL and SAL steamers had been

>retired by the 1956 period.

>

>The ATC device is a key element in the plausibility of

>operations on the RF&P. The Southern mainline did not

>have such a control mechanism.

>

>N&W could have theoretically come up from Monroe until

>around that time frame, but it's a 165-mile run for

>that distance from Monroe to DC and I wonder how they

>could have been coaled in between. Water canteens were

>in use by then so that part of the servicing could be

>explained with ease. From what I have read, the K1's

>and K-2's were all retired by or during 1957 or

>perhaps early 1958 but once again I would defer to a

>more knowledgeable authority on that. I definitely

>question if their range could even closely approximate

>165-miles without being watered.

>

>In the excursion days when 611 was run from Lynchburg

>to Manassas, I remember them coaling the engine at

>each end with a crane.

>

>That's what I can offer from here and if this steam

>report can be confirmed, I would find it most

>interesting and enlightening.

>

>The first reported returning steam operation into the

>region since 1954 was the General in March or April

>1962 and it DID come up on the RF&P as I remember in

>my reading.

>

>Bob Cohen

>

>

>-------------------------------------------------

>Message: 1

>Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2007 08:45:37 -0500

>From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>Subject: Re: Classic Calendar faux pas?

>To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>Message-ID:

><001101c839a0$9f365db0$2f01a8c0 at 601ek604>

>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

>

>Don't know about the engine, Mark (except that it

>wouldn't have been an N&W one) but the Atlantic Coast

>Line didn't go to Alexandria. That crossing was the

>Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac going over the

>Southern main line. The ACL didn't get any closer to

>Alexandria than Richmond. The C&O came into Alexandria

>over the Southern from Charlottesville.  The ACL and

>SAL trains came in over the RF&P.

>> 

>> Ed King

>

>>   ----- Original Message ----- 

>>   From: NW Mailing List 

>>   To: NW Mailing List 

>>   Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2007 5:52 AM

>>   Subject: Classic Calendar faux pas?

>> 

>OK History Buffs!  When I was very young, We lived in

>Alexandria, just 1/5 mile from the crossing of

>Southern tracks and Atlantic Coast Line tracks (CSX,

>ATL, Seaboard?). I believe it was spring of 58, but

>possibly '59. Mid morining. Mom was cleaning the 2nd

>floor windows and called me to see a STEAM ENGINE

>coming north into Alexandria. I missed actually seeing

>the engine, but saw the smoke rising from the trees.

>As a Steam engine was by that time an unusual event, I

>was wondering If anybody had any idea what engine it

>was? It almost HAD to be a Norfolk and Western K or J,

>and pulling one of the Southern trains. 

> 

>Mark Lindsey

>

>

>      

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