Re: NNG: Turning Steam Locomotives on wyes

Sometimes its the curvature, and other times its fact they have not been kept up due to lack of use. You mentioned the Ohio Central which I videotaped several times. I never saw the wye at Coshocton but it was rarely used for whatever reason. For several years there was a tourist operation at Sugar Creek running 5 miles to Baltic. This used 4-6-0, 2-8-0, and 4-6-2 locomotives. They had a wye at an industrial site north of Sugar Creek where they turned 1551(Ex CN 4-6-0) for us in 1994.

The Ohio Central ran some good trips in the late 90's and 2001-2004. However when they ran Columbus trips the steam engine would operate one direction with diesels taking the opposite direction. For example a trip ran from Columbus to Dennison with F units eastbound, and 4-8-4 6325 took the train back to Columbus. For Sunday, they had to tow the steam engine separately with a diesel back to Dennison, so it could run to Columbus. So the wye scenario was mostly due to the bigger heavier engines.

One interesting trip had 6325 heading west from Dennison to Morgan Run. This was the OC shops, and junction with the north-South line to Sugar Creek. The RR had 4-6-2 1293 waiting there and it took the train northward. They only had a west-to-north connection. So 1293 took the train north to Sugar creek. Afterwards, 6325 backed to Sugar Creek, and it pulled the southbound leg to Morgan Run. From there the final leg was pulled to Dennison with F-units.

Dennison had a museum, and many trips were run there to support the museum. There was a lot of talk about building a roundhouse there with a turntable, which we all thought would be great. However now the Ohio Central is no longer in existence. The former owner however did build his roundhouse to stable all his steam locomotives, but its near Sugar Creek, and not open to the public.

Further on wyes, the Norfolk Southern ran 611 the last two years on trips where turning would be easier. For example on one weekend in May they ran 2 trips in one day. Roanoke to Lynchburg in the morning, where they turned the whole train on a connection that made a wye. Then they ran back west to Roanoke. The afternoon trip went west(no turning at Roanoke) to Walton, which is a junction between the mainline to Bluefield, and the line SW to Bristol. So again mainline connections were used to turn. In the old days I remember watching 611 turn on the Portsmouth, Ohio wye very gingerly, and with lots of creaking ties and rails.

Once 611 was in Ludlow, KY having just had some work done on the running gear. They wanted to pull a freight for 50 miles or so to do further break-ins but there was no place to turn it unless they went 120 miles to one of two destinations. So they wound up testing the new crosshead guide by going back and forth in the yard for a few hours.

As for Union Pacific the 4-6-6-4 3985 could go more places than 844 due to turning radius. I know more info than you really wanted!!!

Greg



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2016 01:17PM by Greg Scholl.