Question on C&O Berkshire

First, the C&O Rwy didn't have any "Berkshires".  The C&O had "Kanawha" class 2-8-4s, named after the Kanawha River.

Yes, some were equipped with steam train lines for occasional passenger service.

The C&O Kanawhas (C&O-speak for Berkshire) were purchased for fast freight service.  It's possible they may have occasionally pulled a passenger train in a pinch.

Rusty

How long will it be before someone says "It's your railroad; run what you want..."?

This sentiment, of course, never helps anyone asking a question.

Yes, as a matter of fact they did on occasion. I witnessed one going up the ramp to the Old Central Station in Downtown Louisville pulling the west end of the "George Washington" from Lexington, Ky. Thinking back it was about 1952/53. I have seen pictures of when an old C&O Engineer friend of mine, said that on occasion, he had ran a few of the 2700's on the passenger trains, from Russel, Ky to Elk Horn City, Ky, and returning the next day to Russell. He was senior engineer on that passenger run from 1952 until they stopped it some time in the early sixties, then returned to the manifest freight. Probably too much information, on the engineers part, but what ever...Brandy

Thanks for the replys.  I have my eye on a Geo. Washington set to go with my preorder arriving in November and didn't know if it was aappropriate to go with it.  And Brandy no that was not too much info.  I just couldn't find it in the C&O Historical Society.

Not a great picture but I think it did pull some passenger,

I think that's a K-4 in Southern RR excursion service circa the late 80s.

No thinking about it.  That is 2617 that the Caytor brothers least because 4501 was taken out of service for maintenance work.  Lightly Southernized she made a fine looking machine.  But did not last long.  She had her problems, on one of her last runs yard people commented that her was leaking water almost as fast they could fill her.

Ron

Yeah, that sounds about right.  The number should be 2716, though, since all the K-4s were 2700 series.  Some of the 26xx series were class N-3 2-8-4s, ex-PM, like the Lionel offering.

Some of the MTH Kanawha's come with passenger sounds. The C&O Berkshires like Lionel makes are ex-Pere Marquette engines which I don't believe were ever used in regular passenger service.

Ken

John Google c&o 2716 2-8-4 kanawha there are great pic.

John,

Yes the C&O 2-8-4, K-4 Kanawhas did on occasion handle passenger trains.

During the heavy WWll traffic they were assigned to passenger trains (sometimes double headed) between Clifton Forge, Charlottesville and Richmond VA.

I have seen them on the local passenger trains between Hinton & Huntington WV....

As mentioned before many were equipped with passenger steam & communication lines.

There are several pictures of the Kanawhas handling passenger trains in several publications of the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society...........

John, the Kentucky Railroad Museum at New Haven, Ky has the old C&O 2716. There aren't any plans to rebuild and run it, because they would have to go out on the CSX to get there, and you know what CSX management thinks about Steam Operation!

Rich could probably tell you something about the 2-8-4 Kanawha that's somewhere in Indiana not too far from where they keep the 765. Not sure of the number, but I think it's 2789 and the last one that C&O had built! I don't think that those folks have the monies either, to do a rebuild. I remember when they dropped the headlight on the 765, and made it the 2765, and relettered/numbered it for the C&O, I thought that was fantastic. I always thought that the pilot mounted head light and flying front pumps on the C&O engines, made them look, well, more massive, and more powerful, than what I.C., L&N , Southern, B&O, offered. Now then I did like the Pennsy 2-10-4's that came into Louisville, and seen a T-1 that brought the "South Wind" down from Chicago a few times. But all, in all, there ain't nothing like one of the Big C&O engines. I also liked their Massive Mikado's, pilot headlight and flying front pumps. Well better quit or "Hot Water" will on my &ss for rambling saying nothing. Just memories of a young boy in an old man's head.................Brandy!

I used to live in Huntington, WV back in the 1950's and the Kanawah's would occasionally pull passenger trains, according to my uncle who worked for the C&O and the L&N there. I used to love to watch them pull coal trains past my grandmother's house in Huntington and get the engineer to blow the whistle.

Weren't they also called "Greenbriers?"

No. The "Greenbrier" class were all 4-8-4s.

Tremendous response guys, thanks so much!  David great picture...Harry great reference.  So my conclusion is freight or passenger, and like D500 pointed out, it's my railroad so I can run what I want (I do like to be somewhat correct though).

During my research I found a great video on YouTube titled C&O 2716 in 1996 from the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society.  If I'm correct, Rich Melvin is seen at the controls from inside the cab.  Perhaps Rich could confirm?

Once again, thanks to everyone.

Brandy, those Pennsy J class 2-10-4s were based on the C&O 2-10-4 T class. The C&O Texans are also part of the Super Power blood line for the C&O Kanawha and NKP Berks. So there is a good reason why they probably caught your eye.

And I'm not sure the C&O ever called the 2-8-4s, acquired from the Pere Marquette merger, Kanawha's. They did call them over maintained however.

My Dad worked for the Pere Marquette and then the C&O and I didn't know any of this stuff so it is interesting to me too. Thanks guys.

.....

Dennis

John you are correct! It's your railroad and you can run engines and cars as you see fit. The other day at our club, I took all of my Pennsy  South Wind cars and was pulling them with 2 C&O 1600's, and pushing with my Pennsy J1a 2-10-4. One of the club members told me that It was motive power over kill, and I told him that it was the Fat Folks Express, and I had a train load of weight watchers going to a convention!

 Rich Melvin did do the honors with the 2716, as I remember making a post asking, which he thought was the best of the 2 engines the 765 or 2716, when describing the exhaust sounds  from the 2 locomotives, sounded like the 2716 was needing a good valve job, and some timing adjusted, which it ma,y or may not, have ever gotten, unless the Southern Railroad's folks did some work at their steam shop in Alabama. My step father followed their steam program from day one, but he was deceased by this time, and couldn't tell me anything, on who was doing what, to which piece of equipment. I remember him having very Hi reguards to C&O/Norfolk Western Steam Locomotives, as he met a lot of those folks during his travels,when working a district and regional road foreman of engines for the Southern Railway.

........................Brandy

Brandy......that 1st paragraph is just too funny.   Thanks also for the info on Rich.