Steam & Excursion > Incapable

Most railroads used retired engines to make a "new" one on their own to save money if they had some usable parts from retired engines. The T&P had some 2-6-0 engines they retired that had a couple of good boilers on them. Upper management had plans made for two 4-4-2 engines using those boilers. They were constructed in the Marshall Tx shop as #339 and 340, had their pictures made, and made available for passenger service.

It was not long before management inquired how those two engines were doing. The superintendent of motive power answered "they are incapable of producing any usable tractive effort". That put an end to it and they were stripped of any usable items such as headlights, bells, pops and dynamo, et. al. and promptly scrapped.

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A handsome locomotive!

Santa Fe did something similar, but in reverse. When they acquired ten 4-4-2's from Dickson (!) in 1899 that failed to perform as high speed passenger engines, the Topeka Shops turned them into 4-6-0's. Most lasted in this configuration until the mid-1930's.

Never work, didn't have a joint in the boiler!! Santa Fe wasn't the weirdest but they had their days.

Out

callum_out Wrote:
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> Never work, didn't have a joint in the boiler!!
> Santa Fe wasn't the weirdest but they had their
> days.
>
> Out


THAT's a good one!