Chesapeake and Ohio 2716: Difference between revisions
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| currentowner = [[Kentucky Railway Museum]], [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] (1980–1982), [[Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society]] (owned between 1994–1996) |
| currentowner = [[Kentucky Railway Museum]], [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] (1980–1982), [[Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society]] (owned between 1994–1996) |
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| disposition = Under restoration to operating condition at the Kentucky Railway Museum |
| disposition = Under restoration to operating condition at the Kentucky Railway Museum as Louisville, & Nashville 1992! |
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 2716 at the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven, KY | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Chesapeake & Ohio 2716 is a 2-8-4 "Kanawha" type steam locomotive built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. While most railroads referred to these locomotives as “Berkshires,” the C&O referred to them as “Kanawhas” after the Kanawha River which flows through West Virginia. Used as dual service engines, the 2716 and its classmates served the C&O in a variety of duties until being retired in 1956.
Donated to the Kentucky Railway Museum in 1959, No. 2716 has been restored to operation for excursion service twice since its retirement from the C&O. First for the Southern Railway dressed up as a fictitious "Southern Railway No. 2716", and again in 1996 for a few brief excursions in Indiana. Today, the locomotive is undergoing restoration to for a third excursion career under lease by the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation.
Service Life
2716 was one of ninety engines built for the C&O by ALCO & the Lima Locomotive Works between 1943 and 1947.[1] These locomotives were used for heavy freight trains, as well as fast passenger trains. After only twelve years of service, the C&O retired 2716 in 1956 in light of dieselization. With the exception of thirteen, including 2716, the C&O scrapped their Kanawhas in 1961.
In 1959, the locomotive was donated to the Kentucky Railway Museum, where it sat on display.[2] Twenty years later, in Spring 1979, the Clinchfield Railroad leased the locomotive for their steam program. The following year, however, No. 2716 running for the Clinchfield steam program was cancelled due to its parent company, the Seaboard Coast Line Industries firing the Clinchfield Railroad General Manager Thomas D. Moore Jr.[2] He was fired for participating in a scandal of misappropriated money and fraud, the result of which was a major management shake-up and the end of the steam program.[2]
1981–"Southern" 2716
In 1981, the Southern Railway was looking for a larger and more powerful steam locomotive to pull passenger trains for their popular steam excursion program and leased the locomotive from the Kentucky Railway Museum.[3] The Southern Railway took the locomotive to their Irondale, Alabama steam shops, where modifications were made. Chesapeake and Ohio 2716 was re-lettered as Southern 2716, and, even though the Southern had never owned any Berkshires, 2716 was configured to look like a Southern locomotive,[4] including moving the head light to the center of the smoke box, and the locomotive’s bell and whistle were changed.[4]
After operating on a test run on October 10 and 11, 1981, 2716 pulled its first Southern Railway excursions on October 17 and 18, running round-trip from Chattanooga to Rockwood, Tennessee. In November, the 2716 pulled excursions in Georgia and Alabama.[5] Beginning in April 1982, the locomotive resumed its excursion duties, pulling trains through Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. But three months later, it was discovered that the locomotive's firebox was cracked, (due to a very inexperienced fireman) which forced No. 2716 to be taken out of excursion service for repairs, and Nickel Plate Road No. 765, another 2-8-4, based in Indiana, was called into service as 2716’s replacement. Following the merger between the Southern Railway and the Norfolk and Western to form the Norfolk Southern, No. 2716 was retired in favor of Norfolk and Western class J No. 611 serving as the main motive power for the steam program.
1996–Third Career
After developing firebox issues for repairs in 1982, No. 2716 was taken back to the Norfolk Southern’s shops in Birmingham to be placed in storage.[6] In 1995, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS), same owner as Nickel Plate Road No. 765, moved No. 2716 to their facilities.[6] In 1996, the FWRHS restored the locomotive to its original C&O appearance and it operated on brief push-pull excursions through Logansport, Indiana before the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) inspectors ordered to give it new flues, but instead, the FWRHS gave No. 765 a complete overhaul. In March 2001, No. 2716 was returned to the Kentucky Railway Museum and was placed under a shelter.[1]
2016–2020 Restoration
On February 7, 2016, the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation was formed and announced that it had signed a long-term lease with the Kentucky Railway Museum to restore and operate No. 2716.[7]
By May 2018, the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation partners up with the CSX Transportation to move the locomotive to a former Louisville and Nashville rail yard in Ravenna, Kentucky to build a new rail-based tourist and community development center.[8]
Media
C&O 2716, as SOU 2716, can be seen in a 1984 National Geographic program entitled Love Those Trains on a Norfolk Southern steam excursion train between Huntsville, Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
References
- ^ a b "Chesapeake and Ohio 2-8-4 'Berkshire' Type Locomotives". Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c Wrinn (2000), p. 54.
- ^ "Southern Steam Specials". Trackside Travels. January 11, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^ a b "Southern Railway 2-8-4 2716 (C&O 2716)". Richard Leonard's Random Steam Photo Collection. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^ "Steam Central (1981 archives)". Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^ a b Wrinn (2000), p. 109.
- ^ Franz, Justin (February 7, 2016). "Kentucky group to restore C&O 2-8-4 No. 2716". Trains. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Gunnoe, Chase (May 19, 2018). "C&O 2716 group partners with CSX on Kentucky rail heritage site". Trains. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
Bibliography
- Wrinn, Jim (2000). Steam's Camelot: Southern and Norfolk Southern Excursions in Color (1st ed.). TLC Publishing. ISBN 978-1883089566.
Further reading
- Dixon Jr., Thomas W. (2013). Chesapeake & Ohio K-4 Class 2-8-4 Steam Locomotives (1st ed.). The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society. ISBN 978-0939487592.