The Chesapeake & Ohio Class H6 is a class of 2-6-6-2 "Chesapeake" that were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1949.
History[]
Beginning[]
In the 1940s, during the Second World War, the C&O needed more steam locomotives for their usage within the United States to tackle the issues of the Second World War. So Baldwin had decided to go back to the drawing board and reuse the drawings from the USRA 2-6-6-2s. Enter the Chesapeake & Ohio Class H6, these locomotives were built for usage on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway within the US.
Disposition of the class[]
Withdrawal of the class began in the 1950s and by 1957, the last engine was out of service in favor of diesels, eight members of the class were scrapped.
Preservation[]
Two examples of the class managed to survive into preservation and those two examples were Nos. 1308 and 1309.
1309[]
No. 1309 was retired in 1956, after which it was stored for nearly twenty years in a roundhouse at Peach Creek, West Virginia. 1309, along with several others that were in that roundhouse, all considered impractical to restore to working condition, were taken out of storage in 1972 for cosmetic restoration and later moved to the B&O Railroad Museum in 1975, where the cosmetic restorations were completed while on static display, it was then announced in 2020 that the 1309 would be restored back to operational condition on December 31, 2020.
1308[]
No. 1308 was retired on February 29, 1956 and placed was stored at Russell until the C&O gave it to the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, Inc., a group founded in 1959. Collis P. Huntington is best known as one of the Big Four who built the Central Pacific Railroad from San Francisco to Promontory, Utah, but following that he spent at least ten years as a leading figure of the C&O. The town where 1308 sits is named for him. The C&O donated the engine to the New River Train Group in 1962 as has been on since been on static display at the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, Inc.
The locomotive was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Chesapeake and Ohio 1308 Steam Locomotive in 2003.
As of today, No. 1308 is on static display at the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, Inc. where it is unlikely it will ever run again.
Stock list[]
| Image | Loco No. | Manufacturer | Build date(s) | Retired | Restoration date(s) | Operator(s) | Current owner(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frameless | 1300 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | - | - | - | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | - | Scrapped |
| Frameless | 1301 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | - | - | - | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | - | Scrapped |
| Frameless | 1302 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | - | - | - | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | - | Scrapped |
| Frameless | 1303 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | - | - | - | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | - | Scrapped |
|
1304 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | - | - | - | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | - | Scrapped |
| Frameless | 1305 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | - | - | - | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | - | Scrapped |
|
1306 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | - | - | - | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | - | Scrapped |
| Frameless | 1307 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | - | - | - | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | - | Scrapped |
|
1308 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1949 | February 29, 1956 | - | Chesapeake and Ohio Railway | Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, Inc. | On static display at the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, Inc. |
|
1309 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | Build date: November 1949
Rebuild date: 2014–2020 |
1956 | 1972 (Cosmetically)
December 31, 2020 (Running Condition) |
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (First owner)
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (Current owner) |
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad | Operational as "Western Maryland Scenic Railroad No. 1309" |
Gallery[]
