Steam & Excursion > N&W Y6b 2199

I recently read that one of the Y6b's 2199 languished in a Roanoke scrap yard for 15 years after it was retired in 1960. The article I read went on to say the a man by the name of Andre Chapel proposed rebuilding during the energy crisis of the 70's with high degree steam, enlarged steam circuit and triple kylchap exhaust. unfortunately the project was abandoned. This is the first I've ever heard of this. Does any here know if it's true? Was it even possible to do?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/15 15:55 by apollo17.

The highest number "lingering" 2-8-8-2 that I know about in Roanoke was #2174. I am unaware of #2199 still around in the '70's and '80's. Please correct me if I am wrong. Photos?

The article didn't have any photos. I've heard there were two still in the scrap yard until about 1975-77 before the new owner of the scrap yard cut them up. Could be that 2199 may have been one of the two or the article I read had the wrong number. We do know for certain 2174 was there.

I remember photographing the three 2-8-8-2's in Roanoke in the scrapyard. If I had the money at the time, I would have purchased the best one (#2174 and tender?), and given or sold it to the VRM. This would have been a lot easier than dragging the #2156 from St. Louis to Roanoke. But, at the time I was working and using my limited vacation time and money for international steam trips.

I'd love to see the photos of the three in the scrap yard. I think so far the only photo I've seen of any one of them was 2174. It's a far fetched dream, but it would be something if by some chance a Y6b turned up in the corner of a scrap yard today, having been somehow overlooked .....like the lost engines of Roanoke were.

apollo17 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I recently read that one of the Y6b's 2199
> languished in a Roanoke scrap yard for 15 years
> after it was retired in 1960. The article I read
> went on to say the a man by the name of Andre
> Chapel proposed rebuilding during the energy
> crisis of the 70's with high degree steam,
> enlarged steam circuit and triple kylchap exhaust.
> unfortunately the project was abandoned. This is
> the first I've ever heard of this. Does any here
> know if it's true? Was it even possible to do?

The gentleman was probably Andre Chapelón, a French engineer who made huge advances in steam locomotive technology. The improvements you mentioned were exactly the kind of experiments he ran on French locomotives, with a great deal of success.

Y6b's 2174 and 2189 were in the Union Scrap Iron & Metal scrapyard. This was not the scrapyard that the "Lost Engines of Roanoke" were in. 2189 did not have a tender behind it, I believe. Ron Ziel's Twilight of Steam has pictures of the third Y6 in the scrapyard being cut up. I don't remember what year the picture was taken.

The last two Y6 types in the scrap yard were #'s 2174 and 2143 which lacked her tender. 2189 was there as well at some point as shown in one of the Ziel or Eagleson books.

Posted from Android