Steam & Excursion > Central City, Ky Oct. 2, 1960

ICRR 4-8-2 2613 is paused at Central City, Ky while pulling an excursion from Louisville to Dawson Springs, Ky
This engine had pulled L&N's Centennial Train from Louisville to Nashville and back almost a year earlier and also an excursion from Louisville to Paducah on May 14, 1960.
This October 2nd trip actually became IC's last steam passenger train. The engine remained in occasional freight service for another year or two based at Paducah.
It was later offered for sale to the Kentucky Railway Museum but they were lacking the funds to buy it so it went to scrap at Paducah.
Built in 1942, it was one of 20 2600's that were mainly fast freight haulers but at least some had steam heat connections for passenger service.
They had more tractive effort than N&W's J class 4-8-4's.

And, on a personal note, that is me in the brakeman's seat about to enjoy my first big steam cab ride from Central City to Dawson Springs.
-JH

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Beautiful engine with the dreaded whitewalls and trim.   Should have saved her.

Thanks for posting.  In addition to knowing EG Baker, I can remember seeing steam on the IC.
When I was 10, my friend and I walked over by 15th St  and Algonquin Pkwy to see the morning passenger train go out.
It was on a school holiday.  We were standing fairly close to the tracks and it scared us .
I also remember their steam switchers.  They pushed their interchange from their Oak St Yard over to K&I 15th Street Yd.
Thanks again.
ALLEN  

I'll never understand the logic, "lets offer it for sale to a museum, but if they can't afford then lets scrap it."

If you want a museum to have it, just give it to them. Was the IC that hard up for money?

The Kentucky Railway Museum, at that time, probably did not want the engine and would not have purchased it even if they had the money.
They turned down the offer of an L&N "Big Emma" for free.  Instead, they accepted donation of a C&O "Kanawha" #2716.
ALLEN 

Shame the IRM wasn't around to save it. That would've been a great engine for their collection. Do any of these engines survive today? Good looking loco!

Posted from Android

That's a nice engine but a bit large for most small museums to handle even if donated free. I wonder if the IC weighed the tax donation value vs. scrap cash value in making their decision?

exprail 

Panamerican99 Wrote:
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> They had more tractive effort than N&W's J class
> 4-8-4's.
>

IC 2600's - Tractive Effort - 78540

N&W Js - Tractive Effort - 80000

Close but no cigar. Good try though.

gregudolph Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Panamerican99 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > They had more tractive effort than N&W's J
> class
> > 4-8-4's.
> >
>
> IC 2600's - Tractive Effort - 78540
>
> N&W Js - Tractive Effort - 80000
>
> Close but no cigar. Good try though.

About 1 1/2% difference. Basically a wash.

The 80,000 pound traction effort for the J is AFTER the boiler pressure was increased from 275 to 300.  If it were worded "more powerful for than the N&W J as originally built," then the statement is accurate.

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

A great trip.

IC usually insisted on money being paid for locomotives for a couple of reasons.

Foremost was top management's obsession with paying off debt.

Another was for the recipient to prove it could raise money to keep the display looking good in the future. There are plenty of examples of donated locomotives being received with great fanfare, only to be immediately ignored and neglected. Some even wound up being scrapped.

Only the people who were making decisions at KRM (the vast majority of whom are no longer with us) could say for certain what their reasoning was.

Having been around a few years after that, my personal opinion is that it was a combination of their obsession with L&N (Louisville was corporate HQ) and an equal amount of disdain for anything IC.

To this day, the only thing IC in KRM's collection is an IC caboose, IIRC.

MJV1988 Wrote:
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> Shame the IRM wasn't around to save it. That
> would've been a great engine for their collection.
> Do any of these engines survive today? Good
> looking loco!
>
> Posted from Android

No 2600's survive, but 2500 is in Centralia, IL and 2542 in Macomb, MS.

I was on this excursion, but I was only six years old and can't remember much of it. 

Very nice photo.  Thank you for posting.