mostlouistm

The St. Louis Transportation Museum, operated by the St. Louis County Parks Department, is located in West St. Louis a short distance off I-270. As its name suggests, it has a wide ranging collection of historic transportation vehicles, including motor cars, boats and an airplane.

There are some unusual pieces of railroad equipment in the collection, including Aerotrain #1, as well as the sole surviving Milwaukee Road class EP-2 Bi-Polar Electric, the only surviving EMD 1800 hp B-B locomotive (former B&O #50), an example of the largest tank car ever built, and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Silver Charger #9908 (locomotive of the General Pershing Zephyr).

However, when I was there, I only had a short time, so I concentrated on the only surviving example of an N&W Y-6 class (Y-6a #2156), my favourite steam locomotive, as well as the UP Big Boy #4006 and a couple of other locomotives. Next time, I’ll make more time and will update this page with some more interesting stuff!

16 Y-6as were built in 1942. They were state of the art, with cast steel beds, roller bearings on all axles, pressure and mechanical lubrication, and Baker vale gear with needle roller bearings throughout. Like their predecessors, the Y-5s, the Y-6 class gained its distinctive look from the 8° forward slanted exhaust stack to allow room for front end throttle (the angle is just discernable in the first photo), a slightly off centre smoke box door, inverted "Y" exhaust and crossed handrails on the pilot deck, and the massive low slung front cylinders. The slanted "sports model" front end of the cab was introduced with the Y-4 class and used on all subsequent Ys.

Y6s primarily hauled freight across the Alleghany Summit (the "a" in "Alleghany" is a local spelling) but also assisted other locomotives across the Blue Ridge.

The inverted "Y" or "wishbone" exhaust was introduced with the Y-5 and subsequently retro-fitted to a number of earlier Y class locomotives during shopping.

It was designed to allow the most unimpeded flow of exhaust from the front cylinders, reducing back pressure.

Also in this photo, the characteristic crossed handrails on the pilot.

Y-6s had 39" x 32" low pressure cylinders (photo on the left) and 25" x 32" high pressure. The drivers were 58" in diameter. Although not built for speed, lb for lb, Y-6s were the most powerful steam locomotive ever built. A unique "booster" injected a burst of high pressure steam to the pipe carrying low pressure steam to the front cylinders. Run simple, Y-6s had a tractive effort of 152,206 lbs, although this was only utilised for starting or climbing short sharp grades. At 10 mph, power usually reverted to compounding with a tractive effort of 126,838 lbs. Their top speed was 50 mph.

N&W developed its Y class 2-8-8-2 locomotives from 5 Y-1s built by Baldwin in 1910. These were not very successful and, by 1924, had all been either scrapped or converted to 0-8-8-0s for yard service.

Convinced of the utility of mallets on its challenging profile, however, in 1918 N&W turned out the first Y-2 from its Roanoke shops, and a revised Y-2a design followed in 1924. At the same time, inheriting 50 USRA 2-8-8-2s based on the original Y2 design in 1919, N&W brought these into its fleet as Y-3s. They were built by Alco (45) and Baldwin (5). 30 Y-3as were built by Alco in 1923 and, with increasing freight, N&W then took 10 more 2-8-8-2s from Alco in 1927, designated Y-4s.

The remaining 20 Y-5 class and 81 Y-6s were built at N&W’s Roanoke shops: the Y-5 from 1930-32, the Y-6 from 1936-40, Y-6a in 1942 and Y-6b from 1948-52.

The Y class had a long life: on 6th May 1960, the last N&W steam locomotive to drop its fire was Y-6b #2190. #2156 was donated to the museum by N&W in 1959.

Worthington 4 1/2 BL-2 feedwater (on the left of this photo) were balanced by two cross compound air compressors on the other side of the locomotive.

A glimpse inside the cab.

The automatic stoker feed is visible under the deck apron. The elevator casing runs at an angle on the lower left of the photo, enclosing an archimedes screw to lift coal to the firing plate inside the fire box.

Like #4004 (seen on the Cheyenne Big Boy page of this website) and #4017 (seen on the National Railroad Museum page), #4006 was one of the first group of 20 Big Boys, "class 1", built in 1941 and numbered 4000-4019. #4004 last operated in September 1957 and was donated to the museum in 1962.

A look inside the fire box shows circulators, grates and firing plate.

I find it amazing what people will throw into an open fire box!

#4006 has been fitted with chrome cylinder heads. This is not something I have seen on any other Big Boys, nor in any action shots of this locomotive.

The looming front end of a Big Boy is truly a marvellous sight to a steam locomotive fan. It stands 16’ 2.5” from tire to the top of the smoke stack.

A couple of shots of the backhead. Being open to the weather has been a bit rough on the cab interior (compare it with UP #4017 in the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay).

The museum has labelled various controls and you can read most of the labels in the larger versions of these photos.

The left side of the locomotive, showing both cylinders, front valve gear, air storage tanks and the massive steam pipe to the rear cylinder.

View along the right side of the locomotive (the engineer’s side).

View along the left side of the locomotive (the fireman’s side).

DM&IR class E #502 is one the first order of 6 Santa Fe type locomotive (2-10-2) built by Baldwin in 1916 and designed for heavy freight on the Duluth, Missabe & Northern Railroad, a precursor to the DM&IR. 10 more were ordered from Alco in 1919 (you can see DM&IR #506, which was one that second order on the National Railroad Museum page of this website).

#502 was upgraded in the late 1920s when the air tanks were relocated to the top of the boiler and a coal pusher, firebox siphons, an Elesco feedwater heater, cast iron Delta trailing truck and Franklin booster were fitted (the feedwater heater and booster were removed in the 1950s to reduce maintenance costs).

As part of the upgrade, #502 was supplied with a larger tender. Note the “dog house”, provided for the brakeman, one of the locomotive crew. “Dog houses” were sometimes fitted on tenders until 1937, when the law mandated a separate seat for brakemen in the locomotive cab

Cab and driving wheels. The driving wheels are 60” in diameter.

As part of the upgrade of #502, extra sand tanks were fitted on the pilot deck. This was to improve traction on the massive ore trains hauled from the Missabe Range to Lake Superior.

AT&SF 5011 class #5011 was the first of 25 oil burning Texas type locomotives (2-10-4) built in 1944 by Baldwin for fast freight service.

You can see #5017 of this class on the National Railroad Museum page of this website.

The cylinders are 30” x 34”.

A set of photos taken in the cab. Most of the labels can be read in the larger versions.

Because much of the AT&SF ran through oil producing regions of the country, oil burning locomotives were often preferred over coal burners.

C&O K-4 class #2727 is a Berkshire type (2-8-4) locomotive, although known as a Kanawha on the C&O after the river that cut through the C&O heartland in West Virginia.

The first 14 K-4s delivered in 1943 were built by Alco (you can see one of these, #2705, on the B&O Museum Car Shop page of this website, where there is more information about C&O K-4 Kanawhas). #2727 is one of 26 more ordered from Alco in 1944 (#2736 is on the National Railroad Museum page of this website).

#2727 was donated to the museum in 1957.

Class L1a #170 was the first of 4 Hudson type locomotives (4-6-4) built by Alco in 1927 for the Nickel Plate to haul heavy passenger trains. It remained in service until 1947 when passenger services were taken over by diesels. It then continued in freight service. 4 more Hudsons (L1b class) were delivered in 1929.

Note the smoke deflectors (also known as “elephants ears”) fitted to the smoke box to deflect smoke from the cab.

#170, the sole surviving Nickel Plate L1a, was donated to the museum by the Nickel Plate Road in 1957.

#551 is one of 3 USRA design C&IM F-4 class light Mikado types (2-8-2) built by Lima in 1928. Lima built 6 Mikados for the Chicago & Illinois Midland from 1922-31.

The first 2-8-2 wheel arrangement is recorded on the Lehigh Valley in 1883 (a converted 2-10-2). The name “Mikado” derives from the 2-8-2s built by Baldwin in 1893 for Japan Railways. The type became the workhorse of the American railroads: 19,500 were built and many remained in service until the end of steam.

#551 was donated to the museum by CIM in 1955.