la junta

[jboot111]

there is a steam engine in la junta colorado and it is a 2-6-2 and i was wondering what type it is



pics to come

[J3a-614]

Here is a list of what is still around in Colorado:

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/lists/CO.shtml

ATSF 2-6-2 data:

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/prairie/?page=atsf

Is this her?

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1774110

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1774110

Poor thing! 

I bet she was fast in her day. 

[jboot111]

that is her but she has been restored



i have climbed on it a couple times now



it is quite fun

[Doneldon]

jboot-

The loco in La Junta is a 2-6-2 Prairie. Prairies were pretty successful and versatile engines but they came along at the wrong time. They were a hot commodity at the turn of the 20th Century but the movement to super power locomotives which started soon after that resulted in railroads building and buying Prairies for a very short time. The other big change which hurt the 2-6-2 was the advent of purpose-built locomotives. Prairies worked well in both general freight and passenger service but early 20th Century engineering allowed them to build fast passenger locos, heavy drag freighters, powerful but fast engines for manifest freights and so on.

Those two issues doomed the Prairies. For example, the Santa Fe had several hundred Prairies but all except a handfull were built right around 1900. I've always thought that Prairies had good lines and a pleasing balance between power and speed. The railroads liked them enough to keep many in service for 40 or more years, but the new locomotives were super power, specialized machines which could be tailored for optimal (and therefore efficient and economical) performance on specific jobs.
                                              -- D

[RAM]

The 1800s were good freight locomotives.  They also worked the yards and even used as helpers.  I am sure it was the last live Santa Fe steam locomotive that I had the joy of climbing up into the cab.  I think it was in the summer of 1951. 

[Doneldon]

RAM-

You're right about the 1800 Class Prairies. And they were used in helper service. It kind of surprised me when I first saw photos of a Prairie in helper service but they put quite a bit of tractive effort on the rails and spent much of their lives doing helper service, even on Raton and El Cajon.
                                                                                                                                                                                                  -- D