American Steam Locomotive

**cessna152towser** · 21st November 10, 03:59 PM

While on a train excursion at the weekend I spotted this at the lineside as we drew into Cheddleton station in Staffordshire, England.
Its a United States Army Transportation Corps 2-8-0 Consolidation locomotive built in World War 2. According to Wiki they are relatively common due to the large number which were built during World War 2 but this only the second time I have seen one of these.
One for the x-marks railfans.

**MacBubba45** · 21st November 10, 04:22 PM

Thanks for that!

My dad started with Central Of Georgia in Savannah when he came back from the Pacific theatre after WWII when steam was still running. The station he started his career at is now the visitor's welcome center for Savannah.

**Downix** · 21st November 10, 06:12 PM

A beautiful machine, I love steam engines of all sorts, and yes, I even want a steam powered car one day.

**sblanck** · 21st November 10, 06:54 PM

Sweet is there an x railfan group? I am a fan of Union Pacific's steam team.

**ohiopiper** · 21st November 10, 11:03 PM

I've always been mildly interested in locomotives and railroads, but my son is an absolute junkie. He'll positively BEG to be driven down to the tracks when he hears a train whistle. A little too far to walk and still catch the train and I'm not about to let him drive himself. He's six. He will turn off the cartoon and watch the History Channel with me if there's anything railroad related on. And then there's the model railroad we built in the basement...

**tripleblessed** · 22nd November 10, 01:20 AM

Thanks, Alex. What a treat. When I was small, both lines that
crossed in the little town where I grew up were still running on
steam, and the sounds are still in my head. Just over a week
ago I wrote a song about the midnight mail train that stopped
every night, met by many townsfolk in their pjs, nightgowns and
robes, bringing bills to get the prior date to avoid late fees.

**English Bloke** · 22nd November 10, 03:18 AM

Cheers Alex. Nice picture. Typical November weather I see.

**Chas** · 22nd November 10, 03:21 AM

What a great find! Do you know if it is still running or is it just static distay?

Regards

Chas

**thescot** · 22nd November 10, 07:14 AM

Thanks, Alex. That's a great photo. My mother has a set of steam engine photos my dad had, mostly old mountain trains as I recall.

My dad, both grandfathers, and one great-grandfather were locomotive engineers, and since my dad got on when he was only 16 (there was a definite good ole boy system that looked the other way; you were supposed to be 21!), all of them fired and ran steam engines. After WWII, steam was on the way out, and the romance of steam engines was dying.

I love trains (worked on the railroad myself for a short while in college), but my grandson will sit and watch them switch as long as you'll let him! He's 2 1/2, and to get him settled down, all I have to do is call up steam trains on Youtube and get him in the chair next to me.

That's a great photo and an even better history lesson.

**cessna152towser** · 22nd November 10, 04:31 PM

Do you know if it is still running or is it just static display?

The railway company website suggests it is now out of service.
http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk/main/locos.php
Actually I now find that this is the same locomotive which I previously encountered when it was in steam at a World War 2 re-enactment in 2003.