Intermodal well cars plus Steam power

[jbsmith]

Ever run Intermodel wellcars with steam power?
Why not?
It Really does happen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhgHrDbN4EU

[CNE Runner]

No, but why not? It is your layout operating in your world. I say go for it!

Ray

[SteamGene]

The Strasburg Railroad actually runs freight service to a plastic plant.  I've seen a picture of one of their steamers - the Russian Decapod, I think, pulling 100ton covered hoppers.
Gene

[Santa Fe buff]

I'm thinking on doing something funny like that. Having the entire layout true-to-the prototype with buildings, signals, and everything else closely matching the C&O from the mid-1950s to the late 1950s. Although, I would likely love to run the glamorous locomotives of N&W and C&O. Pennsy is mixed in there. Then, I'll have this one operating day... CLASH OF THE ERAS! (Like those club layouts with the GEVOS and steamers.) Imagine a Geep helping a drag. A Dash 8-40C switching with a Baldwin 0-8-0. A Mogul helping a fruit train, with a SD9043MAC on the back.

I might do that, and then go back to how things should be the iron kitten.

Gene,
I find it interesting that Strasburg services a plastic plant, I think it's good that steam power is still helping out.

Joshua

[jettrainfan]

the closet i ever done was putting my 0-4-0 on a 20 car train! Don't worry, the pip squeak could not pull it! i got my DCC gp40 to help in the back. great sight.

[Jim Banner]

How about pulling cylindrical grain hoppers with steam?  In 1986, CN6060 (a 4-8-2 Mountain locomotive designed for passenger service) was heading west from Alberta to Vancouver B.C. for Expo '86.  Rather than let it run light, CN had it pull a string of barrel hoppers.

Jim

[RAM]

I had a friend who had retired from the Santa Fe.  He told me of one trip he made.  They had a train of 30 some cars.  They had a 4-4-2 and a 4-8-2 which had just came out of the shops in Topeka Ks.  The 4-8-2 started to run hot and they had to set it out.  The line follows the Kansas river so it is down hill until you get to Holliday where the line jointed the mainline.  They dropped a note off to one of the operators say that if they had to stop at Holliday they would need to send a helper out to get them.  They made it to Kansas City. 

[ebtnut]

FWIW, steam lasted until the late 1950's on a lot of big roads (PRR, B&O, N&W, SP, CB&Q, etc.), so there was some mix of what we might consider "modern" with steam.  I've seem pics of SP 4-8-2's in commuter service out of San Francisco hauling dual-level gallery cars.  Steam and diesel double-headed often enough.  Seen pics of PRR steam coupled to Alco C-424's.