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Gary Everhart's Collection
 
5/24/2024
 
 
 
 
 
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CO 4-8-0-4-8-4 #500 - "John Henry"
Title:  CO 4-8-0-4-8-4 #500 - "John Henry"
Description:  Born from a desire to remain a coal using company, C&O collaborated with Baldwin to create three steam turbines for service on a proposed "Chessie Streamline" between Washington DC and Cincinnati. The locomotive was powered by a single Westinghouse turbine which drove four 1000 kilowatt DC generators who turned eight traction motors. This was the longest single-unit locomotive in the world at the time. Sadly, it was not the sucess it was supposed to be. The Chessie Streamliner was cancelled before it ran service and the 3 steam turbines were retired and scrapped in 1950. No exact date or location was given for the photo.
Photo Date:  11/1/1947  Upload Date: 5/28/2021 6:30:51 PM
Location:  Unknown, OH
Author:  Gary Everhart
Categories: 
Locomotives:  CO 500(John Henry)
Views:  393   Comments: 0
CO Steam Turbine #500 - Chesapeake & Ohio
Title:  CO Steam Turbine #500 - Chesapeake & Ohio
Description:  Amateur photo of the C&O experimental steam turbine locomotive built in 1947 by Baldwin with Westinghouse electrical traction motors. Nicknamed "John Henry", the unique locomotive and its 2 sisters had multiple problems causing constant breakdowns and delays. They ended up on the dead line in 1949 and quietly scrapped in 1950. This innovative steam locomotive just could not beat the diesel superiority. C.W. Jernstrom labeled photo
Photo Date:  6/1/1948  Upload Date: 11/19/2015 7:11:55 AM
Location:  Clifton Forge, VA
Author:  Gary Everhart
Categories:  Roster,Yard,Steam
Locomotives:  CO 500(John Henry)
Views:  735   Comments: 1
CO Steam Turbine #500 - Chesapeake & Ohio
Title:  CO Steam Turbine #500 - Chesapeake & Ohio
Description:  Interesting amateur photo showing two crew members getting ready to load coal in the hopper located at the front of C&O #500, the "John Henry". Coal dust drifting backward from this position in the loco fowled the forward traction motors and caused many breakdowns. Other problems plagued the 106 feet long, 856,000 lb, five trucked (2-C1-2-C1-B arrangement) steam turbine locomotive. It and its 2 sisters were retired in 1949 and scrapped in 1950. The innovative steam experiment had failed again and diesels were here to stay. C.W. Jernstrom labeled photo
Photo Date:  6/1/1948  Upload Date: 11/19/2015 7:13:36 AM
Location:  Clifton Forge, VA
Author:  Gary Everhart
Categories:  Roster,Yard,Steam
Locomotives:  CO 500(John Henry)
Views:  1119   Comments: 2
CO Experimental Steam Turbine #500
Title:  CO Experimental Steam Turbine #500
Description:  Interesting front view of the experimental steam turbine built by Baldwin and Westinghouse as a possible alternative to the traditional coal burning steam locomotive. Only three were built and proved expensive to operate and mechanically unreliable. Nevertheless, it's an interesting footnote to railroading. The unknown photographer's notes were more extensive on the camera settings than the loco - Ciroflex "B" camera, 1/25th sec exposure, f/10, EXX film, film size 120, taken at 2:45pm, printed on paper #4
Photo Date:  9/1/1949  Upload Date: 2/18/2019 5:11:23 PM
Location:  Chicago, IL
Author:  Gary Everhart
Categories: 
Locomotives:  CO 500(John Henry)
Views:  412   Comments: 0
CO Experimental Steam Turbine #501 - Chesapeake & Ohio
Title:  CO Experimental Steam Turbine #501 - Chesapeake & Ohio
Description:  Here is a close up of the massive front grill of this innovative, experimental steam turbine locomotive built by Baldwin and Westinghouse in 1948. It has almost the appearance of a pair of screen doors in the front. Unfortunately, a total disaster in terms of reliability and the 3 built were scrapped in 1950 - barely two years of trial. C.W. Jernstrom photo
Photo Date:  7/13/1948  Upload Date: 2/19/2019 11:03:45 AM
Location:  Greenwood, VA
Author:  Gary Everhart
Categories:  Roster,Steam,Action
Locomotives:  CO 501(John Henry)
Views:  165   Comments: 0
CO Experimental Steam Turbine #501 - Chesapeake & Ohio
Title:  CO Experimental Steam Turbine #501 - Chesapeake & Ohio
Description:  One of the few action shots of this innovative experiment by Chesapeake & Ohio. Built by Baldwin in conjunction with Westinghouse, the 3 units built had conventional fire-tube boilers mounted backward to regular practice. They were streamlined and looked like nothing else on the rails. They were built for speeds of 100 miles per hour. The only problem was that they were incredibly complex and spent much more time in the shop than on the rails. Coal dust fouled the forward traction motors and water dripping from the boiler often short circuited the traction motors on the other two powered trucks. Eventually they were quietly scrapped in 1950. C.W. Jernstrom photo
Photo Date:  7/13/1948  Upload Date: 2/19/2019 11:03:52 AM
Location:  Greenwood, VA
Author:  Gary Everhart
Categories:  Roster,Steam,Action
Locomotives:  CO 501(John Henry)
Views:  421   Comments: 0


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