Last steam in America

[Anonymous]

Where and when was the last steam operation in America? Not excursions or one-off trips, but just plain old everyday service. And what was the last major road - and when - to take steam off it's roster? (Except of course UP 844 and 3985...)

[Anonymous]

Where and when was the last steam operation in America? Not excursions or one-off trips, but just plain old everyday service. And what was the last major road - and when - to take steam off it's roster? (Except of course UP 844 and 3985...)

[Anonymous]

I think the last common carrier steam was Mobile & Gulf in Alabama. It was a lumber company railroad with a 2-6-0 making the 12 mile run once or twice a week. A bunch in Maryland bought the M&G a GE 70t and brought the mogul to Md. for excursions on the Baltimore & Annapolis about 1970. The suburban-types screached "You'll kill our children!" So the group wound up on the Delmarva Peninsula near Ocean City, Md. running the Ocean City Western RR. That was in the very early 70's. The OCW is defunct; I don't know where the ex M&G 2-6-0 is . About the last intrastate outfit in steam was the Edgemoor & Manetta RR in SC. They hauled new bath towels from a mill about 2 miles to the SCLRR with an 0-4-0 saddle tank. Jim Boyd "discovered" the E&M and wrote about it in RMC. E&M came to its end about 1975 when the only on-line bridge fell into Fishing Creek. The 0-4-0 is now in a park somewhere, and the mill probably is in China.

[Anonymous]

I think the last common carrier steam was Mobile & Gulf in Alabama. It was a lumber company railroad with a 2-6-0 making the 12 mile run once or twice a week. A bunch in Maryland bought the M&G a GE 70t and brought the mogul to Md. for excursions on the Baltimore & Annapolis about 1970. The suburban-types screached "You'll kill our children!" So the group wound up on the Delmarva Peninsula near Ocean City, Md. running the Ocean City Western RR. That was in the very early 70's. The OCW is defunct; I don't know where the ex M&G 2-6-0 is . About the last intrastate outfit in steam was the Edgemoor & Manetta RR in SC. They hauled new bath towels from a mill about 2 miles to the SCLRR with an 0-4-0 saddle tank. Jim Boyd "discovered" the E&M and wrote about it in RMC. E&M came to its end about 1975 when the only on-line bridge fell into Fishing Creek. The 0-4-0 is now in a park somewhere, and the mill probably is in China.

[Anonymous]

http://parkengines.railfan.net/IL/content.shtml Northwestern steel and wire used steam to work their yards and intra-plant operations into the early 90's.

[Anonymous]

http://parkengines.railfan.net/IL/content.shtml Northwestern steel and wire used steam to work their yards and intra-plant operations into the early 90's.

[Wdlgln005]

GTW fans may have the1987 tape"Last Breath of Fire" by Steve Booth at Hopewell Productions. It's one of my favorites as it follows Mikado #3740 on a way freight working it's way from Durand to Detroit in the late 1950's. Nothing fancy , just a dirty old mike with a job to do as it had been done for years before!

The last Class 1 regularly scheduled passenger train occured March 27,1960. In Charles Foss book "Evening of the Diesel" ,Train Number 21 Detroit to Durand, operated in two sections, one with engine 6319 and the other with engine 6322. The last freight engine in revenue service was Mikado 4070 in March 1960.

[Wdlgln005]

GTW fans may have the1987 tape"Last Breath of Fire" by Steve Booth at Hopewell Productions. It's one of my favorites as it follows Mikado #3740 on a way freight working it's way from Durand to Detroit in the late 1950's. Nothing fancy , just a dirty old mike with a job to do as it had been done for years before!

The last Class 1 regularly scheduled passenger train occured March 27,1960. In Charles Foss book "Evening of the Diesel" ,Train Number 21 Detroit to Durand, operated in two sections, one with engine 6319 and the other with engine 6322. The last freight engine in revenue service was Mikado 4070 in March 1960.

[bigboy4024]

the last steam passenger train was by the grand trunk in the late 50s. but the last steam freght was the norfolk and westernright up to the late 60s hope this helps big boy

[bigboy4024]

the last steam passenger train was by the grand trunk in the late 50s. but the last steam freght was the norfolk and westernright up to the late 60s hope this helps big boy

[dknelson]

Some of the steam tourist operations have pulled revenue freight now and then, as have the UPs excursion engines.
The Crab Orchard and Egyptian in southern Illinois used a small 2-4-2 until they got too successful in the late 1970s and had to buy an EMD.
Actually I think the Northwestern Steel & Wire 0-8-0s were all silent by the early 1980s, after the wealthy elderly and eccentric owner died. Today the entire plant is shut down -- at one time that would have been the primary brand of nails you'd see in a hardware store. But the day I went in 1980 I think there were at least three and possibly four 0-8-0s in full steam, out of something like a dozen on the property.

For some time the BN kept a small steam locomotive 0-4-0T in operation at a tie plant out west -- long enough for it to be painted w/BN logo.
Dave Nelson

[dknelson]

Some of the steam tourist operations have pulled revenue freight now and then, as have the UPs excursion engines.
The Crab Orchard and Egyptian in southern Illinois used a small 2-4-2 until they got too successful in the late 1970s and had to buy an EMD.
Actually I think the Northwestern Steel & Wire 0-8-0s were all silent by the early 1980s, after the wealthy elderly and eccentric owner died. Today the entire plant is shut down -- at one time that would have been the primary brand of nails you'd see in a hardware store. But the day I went in 1980 I think there were at least three and possibly four 0-8-0s in full steam, out of something like a dozen on the property.

For some time the BN kept a small steam locomotive 0-4-0T in operation at a tie plant out west -- long enough for it to be painted w/BN logo.
Dave Nelson

[Modelcar]

...To put time in perspective and how steam was winding down....I boarded a troop train having just returned from across the Pacific...Boarded in Seattle, Wa. in August of 1954 and traveled all the way across the country to Ft. Meade Md. I kept track of all the steam engines I could see in the roughly 3000 miles and the total was 8...! That includes a several hr. stop in some Chicago yard and what I saw there...So by that point in time they were gettng rather scarce.

[Modelcar]

...To put time in perspective and how steam was winding down....I boarded a troop train having just returned from across the Pacific...Boarded in Seattle, Wa. in August of 1954 and traveled all the way across the country to Ft. Meade Md. I kept track of all the steam engines I could see in the roughly 3000 miles and the total was 8...! That includes a several hr. stop in some Chicago yard and what I saw there...So by that point in time they were gettng rather scarce.

[Anonymous]

Here in Canada both CP and CN were using steam right up until 1960. There was also steam used for quite a while after that for switching at the Manitoba and Saskatchewan Coal Co. at Beinfait, Sask., as well as at some logging operations in B.C. and colleries in Nova Scotia.

This may be getting slightly off topic, but in the 70's and 80's the prices of diesel fuel were so high that there were actually serious plans made to build brand new coal burning steam locomotives for use in the US, complete with computer controlled firing. BN and Chessie System were planning to be the first to use these. Unfortunately, they were never built, but the project came extremely close to actually happening. Check out www.trainweb.org/tusp/ult.html for more information.

[Anonymous]

Here in Canada both CP and CN were using steam right up until 1960. There was also steam used for quite a while after that for switching at the Manitoba and Saskatchewan Coal Co. at Beinfait, Sask., as well as at some logging operations in B.C. and colleries in Nova Scotia.

This may be getting slightly off topic, but in the 70's and 80's the prices of diesel fuel were so high that there were actually serious plans made to build brand new coal burning steam locomotives for use in the US, complete with computer controlled firing. BN and Chessie System were planning to be the first to use these. Unfortunately, they were never built, but the project came extremely close to actually happening. Check out www.trainweb.org/tusp/ult.html for more information.

[Anonymous]

The California & Western RR in Fort Bragg Ca. serviced a large redwood sawmill on the north coast of Ca. Occaisionally they would use their 2-8-2 lite Mikado in freight svc. when their diesels were down. Last year the mill closed and the RR was forced to suspend ops. until they can find a way to survive on tourist excursions. The city of Fort Bragg gave them enough money to run weekend trips thru this summer, after that their fate is uncertain [:0][}:)][:(]

[Anonymous]

The California & Western RR in Fort Bragg Ca. serviced a large redwood sawmill on the north coast of Ca. Occaisionally they would use their 2-8-2 lite Mikado in freight svc. when their diesels were down. Last year the mill closed and the RR was forced to suspend ops. until they can find a way to survive on tourist excursions. The city of Fort Bragg gave them enough money to run weekend trips thru this summer, after that their fate is uncertain [:0][}:)][:(]

[foamer4000]

The Union Pacific has had the #844 on the roster continuosly since her purchase. She spent several years renumbered as the #8444. The mighty northern will not run again for several more years as she is undergoing heavy repairs. The Union Pacific has always had a steam engine on its roster. The Great western railway of Loveland Colorado had a fleat of 0-4-0 Locomotives that into the late '70's
David

[foamer4000]

The Union Pacific has had the #844 on the roster continuosly since her purchase. She spent several years renumbered as the #8444. The mighty northern will not run again for several more years as she is undergoing heavy repairs. The Union Pacific has always had a steam engine on its roster. The Great western railway of Loveland Colorado had a fleat of 0-4-0 Locomotives that into the late '70's
David

[ironhorseman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Sask_Tinplater

This may be getting slightly off topic, but in the 70's and 80's the prices of diesel fuel were so high that there were actually serious plans made to build brand new coal burning steam locomotives for use in the US, complete with computer controlled firing. BN and Chessie System were planning to be the first to use these. Unfortunately, they were never built, but the project came extremely close to actually happening. Check out www.trainweb.org/tusp/ult.html for more information.

I saw a color sketch of that locomotive at a bookstore the other day. It's a diesel engine that thinks it's a steam engine. Or vice versa.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Durango & Silverton RR. From what I've read, this railroad and it's steam engines have been in continuous service since it was started in 1870 as the Denver and Rio Grande Western RR. The Silverton branch has been in service 1881. I don't know when they officially converted to a tourist road (maybe it wasn't official, maybe it just gradually happened that way).

So, you see, the railroad has never had it's engines out of service and sitting idle for many years only to restore them from static display. It's still a railroad and it still runs on steam. (Source: Cinders & Smoke 1965-1991 (they update it nearly every year)).

Now, as far as Class I railroads go I think Winston Link did his photos of the Norfolk Western in the 1960s and titled his book "The Last Steam Railroad in America," but I already see other have cited steam engines from the 1970s and I won't dispute that. I would just like to think the D&SNG RR deserves a little credit in this category.

[ironhorseman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Sask_Tinplater

This may be getting slightly off topic, but in the 70's and 80's the prices of diesel fuel were so high that there were actually serious plans made to build brand new coal burning steam locomotives for use in the US, complete with computer controlled firing. BN and Chessie System were planning to be the first to use these. Unfortunately, they were never built, but the project came extremely close to actually happening. Check out www.trainweb.org/tusp/ult.html for more information.

I saw a color sketch of that locomotive at a bookstore the other day. It's a diesel engine that thinks it's a steam engine. Or vice versa.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Durango & Silverton RR. From what I've read, this railroad and it's steam engines have been in continuous service since it was started in 1870 as the Denver and Rio Grande Western RR. The Silverton branch has been in service 1881. I don't know when they officially converted to a tourist road (maybe it wasn't official, maybe it just gradually happened that way).

So, you see, the railroad has never had it's engines out of service and sitting idle for many years only to restore them from static display. It's still a railroad and it still runs on steam. (Source: Cinders & Smoke 1965-1991 (they update it nearly every year)).

Now, as far as Class I railroads go I think Winston Link did his photos of the Norfolk Western in the 1960s and titled his book "The Last Steam Railroad in America," but I already see other have cited steam engines from the 1970s and I won't dispute that. I would just like to think the D&SNG RR deserves a little credit in this category.