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N&W 133 Crossing East Fork River
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Posted to History of the Peavine Railroad Facebook Group by Chad Fannin, August 15, 2019. Description from post.
At first glance one might say “look it’s class J #611 crossing the East Fork of the Little Miami River” but they would be wrong. This is K2a #133 4-8-2 Mountain class built in 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. Quick history finds that in 1916 and 17 the N&W built 16 K1 class 4-8-2’s in there Roanoke shops. This was during the entry into WW I and a newer more powerful heavy passenger type engine was needed for the steel heavyweight passenger cars being put into service. It was also right before the nationalization of all US railroads and the formation of the USRA, United States Railroad Administration and them taking 100% control of all US railroads especially for the upcoming war effort. This is a story within itself and I encourage a google search of it to get all the details. With the USRA’s control of what engines could be manufactured and who could buy what, the N&W was able to buy 10 new class K2’s 4-8-2 built by ALCO in 1919 that were patterned after their own K1’s built in 1916. In 1920 the USRA restrictions came to a end but in 1923 N&W liked this design and purchased 12 more and classed them K2a’s all of which were very similar to the original K1 built by N&W in 1916 with some newer upgrades, these 12 were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works. K1’s, K2’s, and K2a’s were the favorite passenger locomotive until 1941 when the class J 4-8-4 600 numbered locomotives were being introduced into service and took the K’s place as the heavy passenger locos. During WW II the government restricted the N&W from streamlining all the new J’s being built because of the steel being needed for the war effort. After the war was over streamlining was a priority. Not only did all 14 of the class J’s get streamlining so did the 10 K2’s built in 1919 and the 12 K2a’s built in ‘23. These K’s numbered 116 through 137 were called the baby J’s and were mostly assigned to shorter or local passenger trains. So in all there were 36 similar looking streamlined locomotives on the N&W Railway. The baby J’s were all scraped and gone by 1959.
Chad Fannin
8-15-19
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Location:
Batavia, OH
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Date: 1/1/1952
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Source:
Chad Fannin Personal Collection
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Photo or Original Source Credit:
Ed Fannin Personal Collection
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Photo ID: 2035
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Photo Link:
Click Here To See Original
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Categories:
East Fork River Bridge |
Steam |
Bridges |
East Fork River (Batavia) |
Norfolk and Western |
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