Does anyone know of any eastern freight railroads that used steam in 60’s?? Short lines would be great. I’m on the hunt for some possible prototypes.
N&W was one of the last. I would need to look up the dates. Winston O. Link did some of his best night photography in the waning days of Norfolk Western steam.
The EBT also ran steam into the 60’s, but that was/is a narrow gauge railroad.
David Maynard said:
The EBT also ran steam into the 60’s, but that was/is a narrow gauge railroad.
Yes, but not as a common carrier. The last train hauling goods was in 1956. The railroad was re-opened for tourist service in 1960 and ran that through 2011. It sat dormant since then until February 14 of this year when the sale to the East Broad Top Foundation was announced along with plans to restore engines and tourist service.
Found this on the interwebs…
“After 1960, N&W was the last major Class I railroad using steam locomotives; the last remaining Y class 2-8-8-2s would eventually be retired between 1964 and 1965.”
N&W last steam was '61, west coast steam stayed active a bit longer, and UP has had at least 1 active steam loco on the roster up through present(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
Hi Folks;
It was definitely not regular service, but the Reading Railroad’s Iron Horse Rambles continued into the mid-1960s. I rode one and saw several others. Carpenter Steel of Reading, PA chartered one to Hershey Park as late as 1966, for their Hershey Park employee appreciation outing. I remember going trackside to admire T1 (4-8-4) 2100 with my boss before we had to start steaming our own diminutive 2 foot gauge Crown Metal Products 4-4-0.
Just as an aside, the Reading T1s were a “prototype kitbash.” They were built from I10sb Consolidations using parts supplied by Baldwin and other steam component suppliers. 2-8-0 to 4-8-4, and they ran like a dream!
Best, David Meashey
Joe Loll said:
Does anyone know of any eastern freight railroads that used steam in 60’s?? Short lines would be great. I’m on the hunt for some possible prototypes.
http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/#b
Above is a partial list of now defunct railroads. I say partial because they don’t list the B&A (Baltimore and Annapolis). This should give you a basis for a shortline that was in your neck of the woods. Take that info and like many do, extend it’s life span into the era you want to model. Make the line as prosperous as you’d like, give it a new name, dilapidated equipment or brand new used steamers from rails that went with diesels. There were plenty of roads started with big dreams that never came to be and some like the Ma&Pa that struggled through the years. But with a bit of thought can be the basis for any level you want to model at. Good luck with the pike and most important keep us posted.
Hell, Jon Radder models the Candlewood Valley RR. A museum line set in modern day that functions as a tourist/operating freight line. It just takes imagination. (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
I say partial because they don’t list the B&A (Baltimore and Annapolis).
I may be wrong but I thought the B&A was entirely an Interurban? I guess it may have had some limited freight but probably no steam or diesel locos!
Oops, I was wrong.
In 1887 the Annapolis & Baltimore Short Line opened with Steam Engines. In 1908 the line was Electrified by the Maryland Electric Railway Company. In 1921 the Short Line was merged into the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad. In 1935 the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad went bankrupt and was sold at public auction on the courthouse lawn in Annapolis, bondholders of the old Short Line bought it back, reorganized it as the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad, and continued to operate the electric cars until 1950.
https://www.annapolisrailroadhistory.com/baltimore-annapolis-railroad-overview
That’s the old bridge over the Severn. It is still marked as a nautical obstruction on the charts!
Pete Thornton said:
I say partial because they don’t list the B&A (Baltimore and Annapolis).
I may be wrong but I thought the B&A was entirely an Interurban? I guess it may have had some limited freight but probably no steam or diesel locos!
Oops, I was wrong.
In 1887 the Annapolis & Baltimore Short Line opened with Steam Engines. In 1908 the line was Electrified by the Maryland Electric Railway Company. In 1921 the Short Line was merged into the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad. In 1935 the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad went bankrupt and was sold at public auction on the courthouse lawn in Annapolis, bondholders of the old Short Line bought it back, reorganized it as the Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad, and continued to operate the electric cars until 1950.https://www.annapolisrailroadhistory.com/baltimore-annapolis-railroad-overview
That’s the old bridge over the Severn. It is still marked as a nautical obstruction on the charts!
And another little known bit on the B&A is it never gave up it’s trackage rights. So quite a few may get an awakening call if they decide to re-extend to Annapolis or further. Just my understanding of the situation. Now the light rail uses some of their right-of-way getting to Glen Burnie
Ah! Our little model RR club here in the middle of Missouri has a member originally from Maryland who I think had a relative who worked on the B&A. I’ll have to tell Dave about this thread.
David gave permission to quote him,
My grandfather and his brother both worked for the B&A as conductor and engineer respectively. I rode the passenger line from Glen Burnie to Annapolis several times.
The old bridge burned in my lifetime and was abandoned as too costly to repair or tear down.
The Baltimore light rail extended to Glen Burnie and stopped at Cromwell field, the site of the old B&A bus garage and engine facility. After the company was restarted as the Balt. & Annapolis RR Co. they used a 70 ton Diesel engine of which I have pictures. After that engine ceased service and went to the B&O museum I’m Baltimore the railroad used what I believe was an RS-1.
The right of way south of Cromwell field had already been turned into a hiker biker trail all the way to the Severn River.
Plans were discussed about extending light rail to Annapolis down the Rt 2/Ritchie Hwy. corridor but an uproar from Severna Park residents ended all hope of that.
The Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad (BC&G) was a railroad chartered on April 1, 1904 and ran along Buffalo Creek in Clay County, West Virginia. The original Buffalo Creek and Gauley ended service in 1965.
The BC&G was one of the last all steam railroads, never operating a diesel locomotive to the day it shut down on February 27th, 1965. Its primary purpose was to bring coal out of the mountains above Widen to an interchange with the Baltimore and Ohio railroad at Dundon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Creek_and_Gauley_Railroad
I can think of the Wanamie Mine Railroad in Pennsylvania. Ran steam until '67.
Does someone know of any other Pennsylvania lines with steam freights in the 60’s??