I don’t know if this is the correct forum but I am looking for a story in a railroad magazine about a B&O steam locomotive and its engineer that escaped scrapping / retirement. The story is quite fantastic and the locomotive goes to some wild places and ends somewhere in the midwest in a town with an improbable name. The name of the president of the B&O was frequently named.
Can anyone direct me to this story and / or give the highlights of it?
thanks,
Marc Immeker
If this particular steam locomotive was indeed a B&O loco, you can guarantee that the story you refer to would have been substantiated and a well-known fact of B&O history! Are you definitely sure it was a B&O loco? Can you provide a timeframe to put this into perspective?
Wade
You may be thinking about the P-7 and the Q4 in the B&O museum. Apparently there were some shenanigans that got them saved from the scrapper’s torch. The story is in Slagle and Stouffer’s book B&O Power. (still available from Al Stauffer. Al’s a great guy BTW)
To say they were hidden in plain sight is an understatement.
I was told by an active player in that drama, (who shall remain nameless) that around 1960 or so, the locomotives were fired up, after being “un-hidden” and run into the museum under their own power!
LOL it was a Vintage Rails story and was used in a railroad magazine in the 40’s I know the story and the town exists!! It is What Cheer Iowa my great grandma lived near there. I have no idea where that magazine is but if I find it I will post info here.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1189/is_v256/ai_3453395
Here is a link! It was Saturday Evening post.