ANY BODY HAVE ANY STORIES ABOUT A STEAM LOCOMOTIVE THAT WAS USED FOR FREIGHT.BUT HAD TO USED TO PULL A STRANDED PASSENGER TRAIN?

Here's a couple of versions with a different spin....

The incident at Archer Hill in Wyoming occurred on November 4, 1996.  Train NPST had three diesel units (UP 9111, UP 9122 and UP 3222) pulling 136 cars at 11,620 tons. The rear unit, UP 3222, tripped a relay and could not recover its load and the train stalled at the base of Archer Hill.. UP 844 was returning from excursion trips in Missouri and Arkansas and was immediately behind the stalled train.

After checking their fuel and water, the UP 844 crew called the Omaha dispatcher and received permission to proceed past the red signal and to the rear of the freight. The EOT was removed from the freight, the steam locomotive coupled to the freight train and an air test was made. The code of UP 844's rear end device was given to the engineer of the freight so he would be able to monitor the rear end brake pressure and control the entire train's braking.

The UP 844 pushed on the rear and once the engineer in UP 9111 opened his throttle the train slowly began to move. The train gets up to about 20 mph and is moving well when it is discovered the crew of the freight is about to go dead and a dog catch crew is on the way. The train stopped on the Archer grade (.67% westbound), a new crew arrived and the process was repeated. Finally the crest of Archer Hill was reached, the UP 844 was cut off and the original EOT device replaced. The NPST proceeded downhill under its own power while the UP 844 and its train followed.

A second incident....

UP 844 was on its annual shakedown run to LaSalle, CO on July 8, 1998,  when an intermodal freight proceeding it with a single SD60M (UP 6155) died approaching Nunn, CO. The intermodal train was able to coast down grade into Nunn where the UP 844 could get around it and couple to the front of UP 6155 and pull the dead engine and train to LaSalle where replacement power was waiting.

Sounds like that UP 844 was a "very useful little engine" .

I read on the MTH website on the history section of the Pennsylvania Mikado "Over level or moderately hilly terrain, an L1s could handle a 70 - 80 car freight train. In one instance, a Mike hauled two GG1's with their two passenger consists through a 10-mile stretch after the overhead wire became disabled."

I believe that one of the Strasburg RR's steam locomotives rescued a dead GG1 from the PRR mainline, and dragged it back to the Strasburg's shops for emergency repair work.  The story was reported, with photos, in a book about GG1's, I think.

Strasburg rescued 3 electrics (2 GG1s, 1 E44) on 3 separate occasions in the 1970s:
10/8/1974; AMTRAK GG1 #925 towed with GE 44 ton diesel.(1/1975 Trains)
12/14/1976; CR GG1 #4855 towed with 2-6-0 #89 (Spring 1977 Railfan)
11/7/1977; CR E-44 #4415 towed  with 4-4-0 #1223 (3/1978 Trains)
Photo attached is of the 12/14/76 incident; photo courtesy Strasburg RR facebook page.

While I can't tell you of a specific incident at this moment,  Back in the late '40s, PRR had more than their share of new Diesel breakdowns.  This was a time when there was a lot of learning going on, as to what types and kinds of maintenance was required on the newly arrived Diesel units.  It did not help that PRR ordered stuff from any builder who could actually deliver product.  Many a time, the Penn had to dispatch tired steamers to the rescue.  Penn's ongoing maintenance on all types of power at this time was at an all time low.....so any and every type of steamer available would be grabbed to assist the ailing passenger train to the next division point.  The last two Q2 freight locomotives were delivered with steam heat conduit and air signal lines, and I'm sure they got used on occasion !   The EMD units did the best, as you can imagine, and after they were standardized for varnish, the others were re-geared for freight, and things improved rapidly.  

Borden

Thanks for that snippet on 9331. that makes my evening.

I've seen a video on line with it towing old rivets around at the museum.

Jamie

I saw this story on the history channel trains limited.The enginer of that freight train was suprised that a steam locomotive was helping the train.Justice was done for all the people who worked on the steam locomotive.I can say one thing about american steam locomotives.They might not be very pretty but they did do one thing pull trains.When I saw this I could not help but think about my mth railking 844.I think the santafe northern pulled a intermodel train that was having trouble.

You know I am glad some one taken a picture of this.Because some people will try to say this didn,t happen.But it did in living black and white.

Don't think so. You may be referring to the UP Challenger, #3985 that handled a double stack train from Cheyenne to North Platte, NE, however the train was not "in trouble". That operation was well planned in advance.

Hey guys thanks for your reply.But I know their more storys out there.So keep em coming guys.

NP dispatcher and historian Jim Fredrickson photographed the trifecta when working as an operator on Stampede Pass with steam, electric and diesel power all on the head end of the same train. 

A Milwaukee passenger train detoured off of home rails on Snoqualmie Pass to the NP at Easton.  The NP provided a Pacific as road power and an A-B set of FTs as helpers for the 2.2% up to Stampede Tunnel. The Milwaikee's Bi-Polar electric remained on the train.

The NP frequently used 2-8-2 as passenger helpers and would also use 4-6-6-4s as passenger road power to avoid needing helpers.  Either type would be used in a pinch if a passenger locomotive was ailing and needed replacement.  And almost anything that could pull was used for troop trains.  Other railroads were similar in dispatching what ever was available when in need.

This is a W-3 Mikado on the North Coast Limited.

And a Z-8 articulated with F3s on the Mainstreeter. 

Both photos my Ron Nixon/Museum of the Rockies

I have a story about a diesel locomotive that had to come rescue a stranded passenger train pulled by a Northern class 4-8-4.  In 1992, A railfan group based in Omaha sponsored a trip to Marysville, KS from Omaha pulled by the UP 8444.  I was in Jr. High.  The trip was outstanding until the minor inconvenience of the Steam Engine "breaking" shortly after we were underway back to Omaha from Marysville.  The railroad sent down some  40-2's to pull us back.  It took forever for them to get down to where we were.  The railroad felt bad for this, so when we got into Lincoln around 10:00, they loaded up the dining car with Free Pizza Hut, and there was free beer for the 21+ crowd.  I have no digital images from this trip, but if I find some stills to scan in, I will ammend my post.

Seaboardm2, you're right about Amtrak sometimes having to be rescued by a freight locomotive.  It happens several times a year on the Southwest Chief, and I participated in moer than one, but one in particular comes to mind.

 Around 2005, there was bad winter weather, and the BNSF line across western Kansas was snowed in.  Amtrak had to detour No.4 via the southern BNSF transcon through Amarillo.  I got a call in the evening, advising me that we would have to add a freight unit to the point in Amarillo, and requesting my assistance.  We were in a blizzard here, and I drove downtown and briefed with the Roundhouse Foreman and the Car Foreman.  We got the engine and the crew in position to add the engine, and I briefed the crew on passenger train handling rules and procedures.  When No.4 arrived, the front of the GE locomotive was covered with snow and ice.  I had to use the chisel on a switch broom to get to the m-u receptacle on No.4's engine, while the carmen knocked the ice off the air hoses.  Everybody worked as a team, and we got them going in 30 minutes, thanks to everyone knowing what to do and going right to work as soon as the blue flag was hung on the engine.  I was proud of everyone, since the people here at Amarillo don't often see passenger equipment, but were prepared to add a locomotive and make an air brake test on foreign line passenger cars in blowing snow and frigid temperature.  It felt like a Santa Fe day here. 

But . . . you asked about the 1940's.  I have seen photos of Santa Fe's early diesels being towed by steam engines before World War II.  One, I recall, showed the Super Chief with box cab units 1 and 1A being towed by a 4-4-2.  I'm sure that little "bicycle" really raced once it got the train started.  In another photo, one of the E1A's and its train was being towed by a 2-8-2.  The 2-8-2 was a 55 MPH engine, so I would imagine that it was later exchanged for a real passenger steam engine that could make 100 MPH.

I'm pretty sure Thomas The Train did that.

I recall reading, perhaps as a photo caption, a NKP class H-5 Mikado (2-8-2) being used by the NKP for the last leg of the trip from Ft. Wayne to Chicago if the train was late and would not permit the time necessary for the diesels to be serviced. The Alco PA's would have been cut off at Ft. Wayne for servicing. I believe that NKP Hudsons were at times used this way also, but they were a passenger engine.

A photo exists of the NYC's James Whitcomb Riley being pulled by a H-5 Mike but I do not remember whether it was a road failure that caused this operation.

NKP and NYC H-5 Mikes were almost identical, and neither road ever identified them  as a passenger engine!

Hey guys I thought I would shair this with you.You see when I had gotten started geting mth trains the railking.I had a erie berkshire and a ns dash 8 and double head them.I didn,t have a big layout at the time.So I had about 16 to 23 boxcars.To my suprise they worked together pretty good.The erie berkshire was doing it thing the ns dash 8 fell in step with the berkshire.I made a big mistake of blowing the whistle.EEESHH!!Whistle and horn blowing at the same time.Never did that again.

I recall a story from steam days of an 0-6-0 or 0-8-0 switcher being used on a winter passenger run, because it was the only working engine available that had steamline connections (it was used to switch passenger cars in a station area, so had connections to heat the cars). I can't remember right now where I read it, I think either Trains or Classic Trains?

In 1965 when the Mississippi River flooded, CB&Q 4960 was used pull passenger and freight trains through a flooded section to avoid a 2 hour detour:

Rusty

Per the original question:

Of course this happened; it wasn't unusual or odd. Equipment is equipment, to be used as

needed, even if not always in an optimal manner. "Passenger" locos pulled freight, too.

And many modern steamers were designed as "dual-purpose" locos, intended to do both

duties (NYC Niagara, for one).

The last time I saw a steam locomotive in real commercial service on the Milwaukee Road was July 4, 1955.  I was twelve years old in a boat on Long Lake IL where I could have a good view of the trains on the Rondout-Fox Lake IL line.  Some time in the afternoon a Chicago bound train stopped at Wilson Road station.  The train had an RS3 for regular power but it had an 0-6-0(!) coupled in front of the RS3.  The 0-6-0 was obviously hauling the train and the RS3.  As it chugged off into history I never saw another Milwaukee Road actual use of steam.

        The very last commercial use of steam I ever saw was in 1986 on a fantrip on the CSXT around Atlanta.  As we were going through a small yard we stopped.  The REAL train crew uncoupled our engine, S&A 750, an old Pacific, and used it to switch a boxcar and spot it on a factory siding.  After they spotted the car they recoupled our engine to our train and we finished our excusion.  It might not have been much but it was for the commercial use of the railroad.     Odd-d