Top 3 Steam Locomotives

America has been overtaken by an evil killjoy king who hates trains and who has issued a decree that all remaining steam locomotives in the country must be scrapped at once...saving three. And you get to pick the three. Which three would you save?

I'll kick-off with...

1. Sierra Railway No. 3

2. Arcade & Attica RR No. 14

3. Virginia & Truckee No. 22, the "Inyo"

1. SP 4449
2. CN/Strasburg 89
3. PRR 5741

SP 4449
SF 3571
UP 3985

NW 611
NKP 765
UP 3985

PM 1225
NW 1218
NW 611

#1 An Allegheny
#2 A Hudson (We'd have to make one first, or go back in time and get one)
#3 A "J"

Union Pacific 3985

Union Pacific 844

Southern Pacific 4449

Good morning, Mister Harriman

B&M 410, 1455, an 3713!

Among "surviving" locos:

NKP Berkshire 759
UP Challenger 3985
PRR K-4 1361

and if they could be "reincarnated":

A PRR J-1
an NYC Husdon
and a DL&W Pocono

CNJ 113

Ely Thomas lumber Co. 6

B&O William Mason

Tough call. I've fired or operated six of them.

Ely-Thomas Shay #6
Surry Sussex & Southampton #26
Cavan & Leitrim #3L
Black River &Western #148
Black River &Western #60
New Hope & Ivyland #1533

I'd pick the first three, I've gotten to know them quite well over the years.

Voting for my late father, who was a boiler and powerplant operator from his days in the Navy as Machinist Mate on a destroyer, a fan of all kinds of steam power:

MILW 261, he watched it go by through Waverly NY on its way home from Steamtown.
BR&W 148, he watched it go by 2 blocks from our home, 148 acting as a Blue Comet loco down the NY&LB for the Blue Comet Nostalgia Special in the 70s.
UP 4017 (?), the Big Boy at Steamtown, just for its shear size. He was impressed!

[quote="Mountcastle"]America has been overtaken by an evil killjoy king who hates trains and who has issued a decree that all remaining steam locomotives in the country must be scrapped at once...saving three.

To me that sounds like something that has happened around 1946 .. 49 - no?

= J =

Not sure if this one as added

ARCADE and ATTICA RR's 2-8-0 No. 18
Both E.B.T. RR 's Mikado's

Mr.S wrote:Not sure if this one as added

ARCADE and ATTICA RR's 2-8-0 No. 18
Both E.B.T. RR 's Mikado's

there's six

i'd pick 15 or 17