Favorite C&O Steam Locomotive

What is your favorite? For me that's a hard question since I like C&O steam power in general. If I had to pick it would probably be the K-4
2-8-4. Second choice would be the H-8 2-6-6-6.

What class was the "Yellowbelly"? That is my favorite.

The Yellowbellies were the L-1 class.

The K-4 was the best. High speed, lugging speed and looks.
I have a K-4 model in HO Scale, absolutely stunning.
Of course, I also like the 2-6-6-6 Brute.

The Alleghany, without a doubt. It is one of my all time favorite steam locos.

I guess it's a toss up between an H8 and a J3a.

Having seen C&O 614 on the high iron at *speed* ... I really wish I'd had the chance to see the 1600's do their thing.

The "face" of NKP 759 being one of my most indellible memories (it was my dad's favorite engine when I was a tike), I thought NKP wrote the book on 2-8-4's. It wasn't until years later that I learned of "the Vans" and the Advisory Mechanical Committee.

I'm now reading the new Huddleston book ... those C&O Kawawhas look like they mean business, too.

* JB *

My vote has to go to the T-1 2-10-4, simply because it became the prototype for the Pennsy's J-1 Texas, which in turn, because of its unique status as a crisis-spawned creation of the War Production Board, and the lack of preservation of any of its class, I have come to consider as the most typically American of all modern steam locomotives.

But there's a lot to be said for the Chessies's Berkshires and Alleghanies as well.

For me, it's the Alleghenies for freight and the F-19's for passenger. I rather like the J2's also - it's close between the J-2 and the F-19.

My favorite is, without a doubt, is the H-8 2-6-6-6 ! I believe my footprints are still in the dust on the top of #1601's boiler at Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, from an all around photo shoot many years ago.

Then the K-4 and J-3a, and... well most of the modern C&O classes

Speaking of classes, I have a fairly comprehensive table of info on most of the C&O Steam Locomotive classes you might like to check out.