| Two days before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad received its first 2-6-6-6 Allegheny type locomotive. The C&O adorned these mammoth steamers with the name Allegheny for the West Virginia Mountains they climbed, pulling coal trains at 15 miles per hour. During World Was II, these locomotives hauled military troops and supplies. Capable of pulling passenger trains at 70 miles per hour or more during the war, these Alleghenies were considered the finest locomotive ever produced by Lima Locomotive Works. Eventually, 60 Alleghenies were in operation on the C&O. The first was retired in 1552, while some remained in service until 1956, pulling secondary passenger trains. All were retired by the end of that year. 1604 was 1 of 2 that escaped scraping. |