Lima outshopped Nickel Plate Berkshire 779 in June 1949. This is usually claimed to be the last (conventional) steam locomotive built by one of the Big Three locomotive builders for a (domestic) railroad. (Parenthetical qualifiers because of Baldwin's "Jawn Henry" steam turbine electric and locomotives for India in the 1950s.)
But… Stauffer's "C&O Power" says that the C&O's H-6 class 2-6-6-2 were delivered starting in September 1949. I assume that they were built earlier, and that C&Oasked Baldwin not to deliver them right away. (There were enough coal strikes in 1949 that C&O management probably felt they needed cashmere than new locomotives…) Does anyone know when these locomotives were actually built, and whether my conjecture about their delivery having been delayed is right?
But… Stauffer's "C&O Power" says that the C&O's H-6 class 2-6-6-2 were delivered starting in September 1949. I assume that they were built earlier, and that C&Oasked Baldwin not to deliver them right away. (There were enough coal strikes in 1949 that C&O management probably felt they needed cashmere than new locomotives…) Does anyone know when these locomotives were actually built, and whether my conjecture about their delivery having been delayed is right?
