United States Army No. 2630 is a S-160 class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in November 1943, and saw service in North Africa, Asia, Great Britain, South America and almost all of Europe.
Unlike most of its sister engines which were sent off to war, No. 2630 remained stateside for use in railroad operation and maintenance training at the U.S. Army Transportation School at Ft. Eustis, Virginia.
It was renumbered as No. 612 in 1954, the engine remained on active duty for the Ft. Eustis Military Railroad for years; the Army kept operating steam locomotives to ensure no knowledge would be lost in the event that military operations began in a country still running them.
The engine was finally retired in 1972 and donated to the state of West Virginia for potential use on the Durbin Branch, a state-owned line connecting to the famous Cass Scenic Railroad. Flood damage to the line ended these plans, and No. 612 was stored outdoors for many years.
In 2010, No. 612 was sold to Robert Franzen, president of Steam Services of America, and was disassembled and trucked to the Southeastern Railroad Museum in Duluth, Georgia, for storage and stayed there until the Age of Steam Roundhouse acquired #612 from Mr. Franzen in 2015 and shipped it via several highway trucks to Sugarcreek.
As of today it's at the Age of Steam Roundhouse.
Trivia[]
- A total of 2,120 S-160’s were built by the combined efforts of the three major American locomotive builders, and the engines saw service in North Africa, Asia, Great Britain, South America and almost all of Europe.
- In 2019 the engine received a complete cosmetic restoration, back-dating it to as-built appearance and numbering it back to No. 2630 in anticipation of AoSR’s Steam to Victory event.
- Occasional weekend tourist trips around Ft. Eustis became popular stops for American railfans.
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