Norfolk and Western No. 2174

Norfolk and Western No. 2174
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	N&W's Roanoke Shops
Classification	Y6b
Wheel arrangement	2-8-8-2 "Chesapeake"
Rail gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Standard Gauge
Cylinders	Four: two low-pressure (front), two high-pressure (rear)
Fuel type	Coal
Performance figures
Tractive effort	170,000 lbf (756.2 kN)
Service information
Running numbers	2174
Disposition details
Disposition	Scrapped

The Norfolk and Western Y6b class were a class of 30 2-8-8-2 articulated steam locomotives built at the N&W's Roanoke Shops between 1948 and 1952, numbered 2171-2200.

They were used generally for freight service on the N&W, even on timed freights (which is unusual work for a Mallet). They were eventually replaced by the EMD GP7s and GP9s thro and t the late 50’ throughout the late 50’s. In 1959, No. 2174 hauled a "Farewell to Steam" excursion. Having survived longer than many of its other counterparts and into the early 1960s in revenue service on the N&W, it ended up being sold to the United Scrap Iron & Metal Company (USI&MC).

The original owner of the USI&MC kept No. 2174 and similar mallet No. 2143 aside until a group could come forward with the money to purchase the pair. By the 1970s, attention was being given to the pair of old Mallets languishing in the scrapyard. As such, the Roanoke Chapter of the NRHS attempted to raise the funds to save the Mallets, but with the owner of the company asking for around $50,000 for just No. 2174, the efforts were slow.

Even worse luck for the NRHS came when the owner of the USI&MC passed away in the middle of the fundraising campaign, and in 1974 and 1975, the USI&MC was purchased by a British organization. Immediately after the purchase, the new owners wanted to clear out the lot of all scrap on the site, and that included the pair of Mallets.

After giving the Roanoke Chapter of the NRHS only 30 more days to raise the funds, the efforts soon fell through to save the engines. Only a few days later on February 16, 1976, both Norfolk and Western Nos. 2174 and 2143 were both cut up for scrap.

Although No. 2174 was gone, two other Y-Class 2-8-8-2s have survived into preservation, those being No. 2050, a Y3a class, and No. 2156, a Y6a class.

Trivia

• The first sixteen Y6b's (numbers 2171-2186) had an unusual smoke box front (which was necessitated for the fitting of Worthington type 6 SA feed water heaters). However, sometime after 1950, 2174 was later given the typical round smoke box door its Y6a cousins had.
• The Y6b, unlike its Y6a predecessors, were equipped with the Variable Valve Plumbing which enabled them to run on either Simple or Compound mode. When starting up heavy trains, crews would usually use the Simple mode to get more power out of the engine, and once the consist was moving they would switch to the Compound mode for better steam efficiency.
• The engine has been shown in Herron Rail Video's Pocahontas Glory Volume 5.

Gallery

List of Norfolk and Western Y Class 2-8-8-2s
Classes:	Y • Y1 • Y2 • Y3 • Y3a • Y3b • Y4 • Y4a • Y5 • Y6 • Y6a • Y6b
Excursion Star:	No. 2174 (Y6b)
Extinct:	Y • Y1 • Y2 • Y3 • Y3b • Y4 • Y4a • Y5 • Y6 • Y6b • HH1
Preserved:	No. 2050 (Y3a) • No. 2156 (Y6a)
Pennsylvania Railroad:	HH1
Never built:	Y7