Last steamer in regular service?

Hey guys,

I just posted a question in the Worldwide forum regarding the last steamer that was in regular service in each country around the world. If you'd like to share your knowledge or are currious on the subject, please join us there.

Here's a link.

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7921

Appreciate any information you can provide guys!

Last steam on a Class 1,or a shortline or an industrial RR ? I think the GTW used steam to at least 1959.An Illinois steelmill used steam till 1979.

The steel mill locomotvies were at the Northwestern Steel & Wire plant in Chicago. According to the July-October issue of Rail & Wire (IRM's newsletter), the last locomotive to operate at the plant was GTW 8380, which IRM now owns, in December of 1980.

How about the Reader Railroad as the last common carriers railroad???

Hmmmmm,

Yeah, I guess I did leave that a little vague, didn't I? Well, why don't we stick to the big guys, but if anyone wants to post interesting little tid bits (like byte did), they can.

GTW was the last? I thought Norfolk and Western or the Pensy would have been the last major carriers to operate steam (big coal roads). Didn't steam last until about '63 on the Pensy?

Union Transportation Co. of New Egypt, NJ leased a Pennsy 0-6-0 into the 60's, I think.

How about Union Pacific FEF3 #844? It's been in continuous service since it was built in 1944.

Stuart

mp15ac wrote:How about Union Pacific FEF3 #844? It's been in continuous service since it was built in 1944.

Stuart

well..not really.
I think these guys are talking about "last steam engine in actual revenue, day-to-day, normal railroad service"
the 844 is only run on special, rare occasions..
you cant go out today and find it hauling freight somewhere.

Last PRR steam was 1959.
last N&W steam was 1960.
Buffalo Creek & Gauley ran steam until 1963. (West Virginia)

Scot

The Crab Orchard & Egyptian (in southern Illinois) run steam in freight service till 1986, according to one source I found.

rlsteam wrote:The Crab Orchard & Egyptian (in southern Illinois) run steam in freight service till 1986, according to one source I found.

wow! well that might be the big winner for last operating steam in the US!

but..the big question..did the CO&E keep on using steam continuously from the "steam era" straight through 1985?!

here is a page:
http://www.gregschollvideo.com/gallery/pic13.html

'doh! this page says "The Crab Orchard & Egyptian Railroad was developed in the 1970s to serve Marion. "
http://www.illinoishistory.com/egypt.htm

so, (in my opinion) that disqualifies the CO&E from this contest..
even thought they ran freight, its still not the same thing as the last PRR steam in 1959..
I think we are looking for the last genuine steam-era running of steam..
not something that started up decades later..
if some shortline bought a steam engine and started hauling freight with it today, that wouldnt fit the defination..

I think we want the railroad that was running steam in 1935,
and 1936, and 1937, and 1938 (etc etc, keep adding years) and 1960, and 1961, and 1962..etc..you get the idea.

so, IMO, the big winner for the US so far is the Buffalo Creek & Gauley in 1963..
anyone have a later date for another railroad?

Scot

OK, here's a real oddball, what about the Denver Rio Grande & Western? Even though it was a narrow-guage railroad, weren't they still running regular, revenue freight runs up until the railroad closed in the mid/late 60's (or was it the 70's?)?

You just hit the nail on the head.The DRG&W operated steam passenger trains up till the 1980's.Thats when the Rio Grande sold the Durango to Silverton narrow gage line to another operator.Granted,it is passenger only,but it was continuosly steam until it was sold off. The Crab Orchard & Egypt had a 2-8-0 and used it till the dry steam pipe failed.Edgemoor & Manata used a 0-4-0 until 1972 when a bridge collapsed.I might withdraw steam being used on the GTW in Michigan,because the GTW was a Canadian railroad. Joe G.

The Edgemoor and Manetta Railway lasted into 1976. Check out:

http://www.geocities.com/joedbart/conte ... index.html

I believe Pennsy ended steam operations in the late 1950's with Pennsy's B6sb# 5244 operating sometime into 1959, leased by the Union Transportation Company of New Jersey. Check out:

http://kc.pennsyrr.com/guide/pemberton.html

While definately an unusual case, the Mt. Wahington Cog Railway has been running steam since 1866, missing only a few years due to WWI and WWII. The only internal combustion locomotive the railway ever owned never travelled more than a short way up the mountain due to technical problems and was eventually scrapped.

Roger

Public Serivce Electric and gas Company in NJ had a fireless cooker 0-4-0 in service at one of its generating stations until around 1974 or 75. Not common carrier but standard gauge, to move cars around in the station.