| Norfolk and Western A class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Norfolk & Western No. 1206 at the New York World's Fair on June 17, 1939 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Norfolk and Western A was a class of 43 2-6-6-4 simple articulated steam locomotives built by the railroad's own Roanoke Shops between 1936 and 1950 and operated until the late 1950s. The locomotives hauled fast and heavy freight trains for the railroad and only one has been preserved, No. 1218.
Upon delivery on the class starting in 1936, starting with 1200 and 1201, they were tested and proved successful. The railroad was satisfied with the class and bought eight more the following year. During testing, N&W officials were very impressed with their performance, as they were capable of pulling 4,800 tons at 25 mph on a 0.5% grade and 7,500 tons at 64 mph on level track. During World War II, the railroad built 25 more "A"s between 1943 and 1944 and finally eight more between 1949 and 1950. They were some of the last mainline steam locomotives to be put into service. [2]
The locomotives had a cast-steel frame and Timken roller bearings on nearly every surface. The last five had McGill MultiRol roller bearings in the side and main rods, making them the only articulateds to take such friction-reducing measures. They were assigned to freight service and have pulled slower heavy freight trains as well as fast time freight. They were rated at 13,000 tons of drag freight between Williamson, West Virginia and Portsmouth, Ohio, and could reach speeds up to 42 mph pulling such a load. Between Portsmouth and Columbus, Ohio, they were rated at 5,200 tons of fast freight and could reach 65 mph. On passenger runs, they could reach 70 mph. Over the Kenova District, the railroad increased the "A"'s slow freight tonnage ratings from 13,000 to 14,500 tons. To reduce the amount of stops for water, they ran with auxiliary tenders with capacities of up to 20,800 gallons of water. This also increased gross ton-miles per train hour (GTM) 31% on the 112-mile Kenova District between Williamson and Portsmouth, Ohio.
In 1952, the N&W tested one of the "A"s and Y6b-class locomotives against a four-unit Electro-Motive Division (at that time, of General Motors) F7 diesel set. The tests indicated that fuel costs and similar items were roughly the same, and the test was considered a tie. However, diesels eventually won out for lower maintenance and other operational costs. As successful as the class was, diesels eventually replaced them. Retirement started in 1958 and by 1959, all of the "A"s had been retired. [3]
Only one "A" class has been preserved, No. 1218. It was retired in 1959 and on the same year, it was purchased by the Union Carbide Co. in Charleston, West Virginia, where it was used as a stationary boiler at a chemical plant. [4] In 1965, it was repurchased by New England millionaire F. Nelson Blount for his locomotive collection at Steamtown, U.S.A. in Bellows Falls, Vermont. [4] Three years later, its former owner Norfolk & Western did a cosmetic restoration on 1218 at their East End Shops in Roanoke, Virginia (the same place where it was built). [4] After that, it was put on display at the Roanoke Transportation Museum in 1971. [4] It was restored and operated in excursion service for the Norfolk Southern steam program between 1987 and 1991 and went for an overhaul. The program was then canceled in 1994 and the locomotive was eventually put back on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. It is the only surviving 2-6-6-4 steam locomotive in the world.
| Year built | Quantity | Serial nos. | N&W no. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 2 | 266–267 | 1200–1201 | Scrapped May 1958. |
| 1937 | 8 | 273–280 | 1202-1209 | Scrapped June 1958. |
| 1943 | 15 | 332–346 | 1210–1224 | No. 1218 preserved, ran excursions between 1987 and 1991, sole remaining 2-6-6-4. Remainder scrapped October 1958-December 1959. |
| 1944 | 10 | 353–362 | 1225–1234 | Scrapped July 1959. |
| 1949–1950 | 8 | 380–387 | 1235–1242 | Scrapped August to September 1959. Nos. 1238-1242 equipped with Timken Roller Bearing Rods. |
The Norfolk and Western Railway, commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precision Transportation"; it had a variety of nicknames, including "King Coal" and "British Railway of America". In 1986, N&W merged with Southern Railway to form today's Norfolk Southern Railway.
In the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotive wheel arrangement, a 2-6-6-4 is a locomotive with a two-wheel leading truck, two sets of six driving wheels, and a four-wheel trailing truck. All 2-6-6-4s are simple articulated locomotives.
The Roanoke Shops is a railroad workshop and maintenance facility in Roanoke, Virginia. Between 1884 and 1953, the shops produced 447 steam locomotives, all for the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W). The Roanoke Shops built the N&W's famous Big Three class steam locomotives; the 4-8-4 class J, the 2-6-6-4 class A, and the 2-8-8-2 class Y6. In late 1953, the Shops built their final steam locomotive, making it last standard gauge steam locomotive built for revenue service in the United States. In 2020, N&W's successor, Norfolk Southern abandoned the Shops and Genesis Rail Services leased the property in July 2023.
The 2-6-6-6 is an articulated locomotive type with two leading wheels, two sets of six driving wheels and six trailing wheels. Only two classes of the 2-6-6-6 type were built. One was the "Allegheny" class, built by the Lima Locomotive Works. The name comes from the locomotive's first service with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway beginning in 1941, where it was used to haul loaded coal trains over the Allegheny Mountains. The other was the "Blue Ridge" class for the Virginian Railway. These were some of the most powerful reciprocating steam locomotives ever built, at 7,500 hp, and one of the heaviest at 386 tons for the locomotive itself plus 215 tons for the loaded tender.
Texas and Pacific 610, also known as "Will Rogers", is the only surviving example of the Texas and Pacific Railway's (T&P) class I-1AR 2-10-4 "Texas" type steam locomotives. Built by the Lima Locomotive Works in June 1927, No. 610 and its class were based on Lima's prototype "Super Power" 2-8-4 design, and the T&P rostered them to pull fast and heavy freight trains.
Nickel Plate Road 765 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road". In 1963, No. 765, renumbered as 767, was donated to the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, where it sat on display at the Lawton Park, while the real No. 767 was scrapped at Chicago in 1964.
Southern Railway 4501 is a preserved Ms class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in October 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the first of its wheel arrangement type for the Southern Railway (SOU). In 1948, the locomotive was retired from the Southern Railway in favor of dieselization and was subsequently sold to the shortline Kentucky and Tennessee Railway (K&T) in Stearns, Kentucky, to haul coal trains.
The Powhatan Arrow was a named flagship passenger train operated by the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in the United States. Debuting on April 28, 1946, the daily westbound No. 25 and the eastbound No. 26 connected Norfolk, Virginia, and Cincinnati, Ohio, covering 676 miles (1,088 km) in about 15 hours and 45 minutes behind streamlined 4-8-4 class J steam locomotives.
The Norfolk and Western J class was a class of 14 4-8-4 "Northern" streamlined steam locomotives built by the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) at its Roanoke Shops in Roanoke, Virginia, between 1941 and 1950. The most powerful 4-8-4 locomotives ever produced, the J class were part of the N&W's "Big Three" that represented the pinnacle of steam technology.
The Virginia Museum of Transportation (VMT) is a museum in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, that is devoted to the topic of transportation.
Norfolk and Western 1218 is a preserved four-cylinder simple articulated 2-6-6-4 steam locomotive, built in June 1943 by the Norfolk and Western's (N&W) Roanoke Shops in Roanoke, Virginia as part of the N&W's class "A" fleet of fast freight locomotives. It was retired from regular revenue service in July 1959, and was later restored by Norfolk Southern for excursion service for their steam program, pulling excursions throughout the eastern United States from 1987 to 1991. It is currently on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia.
Norfolk and Western 2156 is a preserved Y6a class 2-8-8-2 compound Mallet steam locomotive. The Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) built it in 1942 at its own Shops in Roanoke, Virginia as the second member of the N&W's Y6a class. No. 2156 and its class are considered to be the world's strongest-pulling extant steam locomotive to ever be built.
Southern Railway 630 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in February 1904 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia for the Southern Railway (SOU) as a member of the Ks-1 class. It was primarily assigned to haul freight trains on the Murphy Branch between Asheville and Murphy, North Carolina until its retirement in the 1950s. No. 630, along with sister locomotive No. 722, were sold to the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) to be served as switchers.
Norfolk and Western 611, also known as the "Spirit of Roanoke" and the "Queen of Steam", is the only surviving example of Norfolk and Western's (N&W) class J 4-8-4 type "Northern" streamlined steam locomotives. Built in May 1950 at N&W's Roanoke Shops in Roanoke, Virginia, it was one of the last main line passenger steam locomotives built in the United States and represents a pinnacle of American steam locomotive technology.
Tennessee Valley Railroad No. 610 is a preserved S160 Class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation for the U.S. Army in March 1952. It is one of the last steam locomotives built for service in the United States and the last new steam locomotive acquired by the U.S. Army. As of 2023, No. 610 is owned by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.
The 21st Century Steam program was conducted by the Norfolk Southern Railway from 2011 to 2015, featuring four classic steam locomotives pulling passenger excursions along Norfolk Southern rails in the eastern United States. The last train was to be Southern 4501's Piedmont Limited excursion trip from Atlanta, Georgia, to Toccoa, Georgia, but cancelled on October 1 due to Hurricane Joaquin.
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway 2716 is a class "K-4" 2-8-4 "Kanawha" (Berkshire) type steam locomotive built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). While most railroads referred to these 2-8-4 type locomotives as Berkshires, the C&O referred to them as Kanawhas after the Kanawha River, which flows through West Virginia. Used as a dual service locomotive, No. 2716 and its classmates served the C&O in a variety of duties until being retired from revenue service in 1956.
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 1309 is a compound articulated class "H-6" "Mallet" type steam locomotive with a 2-6-6-2 wheel arrangement. It was the very last steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949 and originally operated by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) where it pulled coal trains until its retirement in 1956. In 1972, No. 1309 was moved to the B&O Railroad Museum for static display until 2014 when it was purchased by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR), who undertook a multi-year effort to restore it to operating condition. The restoration was completed on December 31, 2020, and the locomotive entered tourist excursion service for the WMSR on December 17, 2021. This was the first time an articulated locomotive operated in the Eastern United States since the retirement of Norfolk and Western 1218 in November 1991.
The Chesapeake and Ohio class H-8 was a class of 60 simple articulated 2-6-6-6 steam locomotives built by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio between 1941 and 1948, operating until the mid 1950s. The locomotives were among the most powerful steam locomotives ever built and hauled fast, heavy freight trains for the railroad. Only two units were preserved; Nos. 1601 and 1604.
Norfolk and Western 2174 was a Y6b class 2-8-8-2 compound Mallet steam locomotive, built by the Norfolk and Western Railway's (N&W) own Roanoke Shops, in 1948. No. 2174 and the other Y6bs were notably some of the most powerful steam locomotives ever built, being able to pull heavy freight and coal trains, unassisted. They were also some of the last steam locomotives ever built in the United States.
