2-6-6-6 "Allegheny" Locomotives in the USA
What were the most powerful steam locomotives ever built? The Big Boys? Nope. What was the heaviest steam locomotive ever built? The Big Boys? Well, maybe, maybe not. See the section on Chesapeake & Ohio Allegheny locomotives (below) to see what was the most powerful and perhaps the heaviest steam locomotive.
The Chesapeake & Ohio and the Virginian were the only two railroads to have this type of locomotive. The C&O called them Alleghenies. The Virginian called them the Blue Ridge type.
| Number of "Allegheny" Type Locomotives Built by Year | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | |||||||||
| Railroad | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | Totals |
| Road Numbers | 1600-1609 | 1610-1619 | 1620-1644 | 900-907 | 1645-1659 | ||||
| C&O | 10 | 10 | 25 | 15 | 60 | ||||
| VGN | 8 | 8 | |||||||
| Totals: | 10 | 10 | 25 | 8 | 15 | 68 | |||
Allegheny and Blue Ridge Locomotives
| Number of "Allegheny" Type Locomotives Built by Year | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | |||||||||
| Railroad | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | Totals |
| Road Numbers | 1600-1609 | 1610-1619 | 1620-1644 | 900-907 | 1645-1659 | ||||
| C&O | 10 | 10 | 25 | 15 | 60 | ||||
| VGN | 8 | 8 | |||||||
| Totals: | 10 | 10 | 25 | 8 | 15 | 68 | |||
Railroads that used 2-6-6-6 "Allegheny" Locomotives in the USA (data provided by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media)
Surviving Examples of 2-6-6-6 "Allegheny" Locomotives in the USA
| No. | Class | F.M. Whyte | Gauge | Railroad Line | Location | Status | Builder Info | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1604 | H-8 | 2-6-6-6 | 4'-8½" | C&O | B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore, MD | display | Lima #7824, 1941 | From Russell, KY, then the Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke, VA. One of only two surviving C&O Alleghenies, the other one being C&O 1601 at the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI. Damaged by a flood in 1985. |
| 1601 | H-8 | 2-6-6-6 | 4'-8½" | C&O | Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI | display | Lima #7821, 1941 | One of only two surviving C&O Alleghenies, the other one being C&O 1604 at the B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore, MD. |
Web Pages
Reference
- TRAINS, December 1998: "C&O's Monster Allegheny Engines"
- C&O Historical Society Magazine, May/June 2017 "Chesapeake & Ohio Allegheny 2-6-6-6 Locomotive: A Retrospective" by Karen Parker
- TRAINS, June, 1968: "The Big Engines" by Robert Le Massena