I originally posted this to another thread that was seven years old. I did that because there had been a couple of recent posts about lost engines. Instead of letting the post wither in an old thread I thought it might be interesting to hear about other lost engines.
Here is the copied post:
"I know this is an old thread but the recent posts about sunken engines bring up an interesting topic, i.e. lost engines.
We have a local legend of a lost train.
I live close to Tottenham, Ontario where the South Simcoe Railway runs 4-4-0 #136 that is, if memory serves correctly, 135 years old and has been operating for all of its life, save for downtime to do boiler rebuilds etc. It was used in the Pierre Burton TV series called “The National Dream: Building the Impossible Railway” and it travelled the whole distance from Tottenham to British Columbia under its own power to film the series. That was in 1974.
Unfortuneatly the SSR website seems to be a little outdated in some places, and lacks a lot of information about steamer #136.
Anyhow, I digress. Sorry.
When you take the train from Tottenham to Beeton the conductor tells a story about a steam engine that disappeared in the fog one day while running on the same track. Supposedly it fell into a creek and sank without a trace. They have a lot of fun with the story. At one point the conductor tells the passengers that the whistle of the lost train can still be heard, at which point the engineer toots a few times. The creek is barely big enough to sink a wheelbarrow let alone a steam engine and train. Its all malarky of course but it adds a lot of fun to the excursion.
Only recently, a sunken engine was discovered in midst of the Rhine river in Germany. The loco dates back to 1852 and never saw service. While being transported on a sailing barge from the shop to the railroad, a storm hit, the barge capsized and the loco “fell” into the river, sinking deep into the mud. The loco´s name? “The Rhine” - what else?
Now there is a fundraiser going on to have that loco retrieved from its wet grave. It is expected to be in an excellent state.
That is an interesting story! I really hope that the locomotive can be raised. Perhaps you could post a link here to the organization that is working on raising the locomotive. Maybe some MR forum participants might be willing to part with a buck or two to help. I will!
this project is handled by the Foundation “Bahnwelt Darmstadt-Kranichstein”. This foundation operates the railroad museum in Darmstadt, one of the largest collection of railroad equipment in Germany. They also operate a number of steam train excursions in Germany.
If you wish to support this project, write an email to these folks, and they will be able to tell, how that can be done from outside of Germany:
When I was a kid, I heard of an old steam engine that derailed and slid down and embankment into a creek just a short distance from where it flows into the Missouri River. Laying upside down the wheels could be seen when the river and Creek were exceptional low. I’ve tried to find more information, but can’t find any.
Lake Erie has at least 2 1850 era steam locomotives laying on her bottom.According to the greal lake ship wreck book I read these locomotives was bound for the Rock Island Railroad.
Lake Michigan has at least two car ferries that went down, and since thier discovery the cars look to be in far shape. Course since they are shipwrecks, at least in this case, they are graves, so getting the cars might present a bit of a problem. There are also rumors of a couple of logging engines and drag line stationary engines left in the woods of northern Wisconsin.
I believe it was in the Bay of Bengal where two Chinese built 2-8-2 Mikado steam engines being shipped to the U.S. for excursion railroads went overboard during a storm off the coast of India several years ago.
Researching and writing about railroads for a living, I can tell you that most stories like this are urban legends. Most locos that went under water were recovered. A very few were not, for various reasons. I think the ones already recounted here are fact, however.
Here is one that is fact: In 1939, a Pacific, Boston & Maine No. 3666, and a passenger car went into the Piscataqua River near Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The engineer and fireman perished, but the rest of train crew and passengers survived, because when the air hose parted btw the first and second car, the rest of the train stopped. The locomotive is in deep, fast moving water, dangerous for divers, though some have been down there and viewed the locomotive. This incident has been verified and the loco is down there. Reportedly, it has been moved twice but not removed to make room for watercraft or because it was a potential hazzard for a nearby highway bridge. It’s likely only the boiler and running gear have survived. Some artifiacts have been brought up and the B&M Historical Society has a part from the valve gear in its collection.
I have often wondered about that…Stories abound of Great Lake ships that sunk during storms with all hands and tells of gold and other treasures still laying on the bottom of the Great Lakes.
Stories of sunken Railroad car ferries with their cargo…
Wasn’t there a means of recovering the freight car’s lading or was paying for the freight car and their loads cheaper?
What about that D&RGW standard gauge articulated steam engine buried in the old tunnel at Tennesee Pass which parallels the active tunnel (before the line was closed in 1996) =P