Hmmm, I thought I had replied to this a while back, but I guess I didn't. Well being a fan of the Chessie System (as that's what rolled around my home growing up...B&O mainly though) I was an easy sell on C&O. If anything else needed to cinch it, it was going to the Henry Ford museum and seeing the Allegheny. That really did cinch it. Though I do model Chessie System, B&O, Monon and Indiana Railroad some as well.
My great-grandfather was killed in a massive boiler explosion on a 2-10-4 just outside Chillicothe, Ohio in 1948. I grew up listening to many stories of the C&O from my grandfather and have become more and more interested as I've grown older. I have just began to learn more about the railway in the passed year and plan to begin modeling soon.
It's a very interesting line to model. I however have no connection (i know of) to the C&O, unless you count C&O controlling B&O before "Chessie System". Anyhow I enjoy steam, and in my opinion C&O has some of the most interesting steam engines out there... though depending on scale, you'll be doing a lot of custom building.
Is that the explosion I have seen pictures of that shows the tubes sticking out of the front of the smokebox? Sorry for your loss.
That was the only 2-10-4 that blew wasn't it? Terrible. Reading the story of it, it was horrific. The people of those times really put their best forward.
Yes, I'm sure that's the one. I do not know of any other T-1's that suffered boiler explosions, though I am by no means an expert. I have tried extensively to find more information on this event, but the only place I have had any luck was in a September 1991 C&O Historical Magazine, which has an article on the event, and from my grandfather's stories/recollection (he was 12 at the time). He has a good memory of the event, as he was at the hospital the men were taken to and walked the tracks with his uncle later, and much more "inside information" than was printed in the Historical Magazine's article. He even has original pictures of the wreck from 1948. I have found no mention of the explosion in any of the C&O history or T-1 books I have read. If anyone knows of anywhere were I might find more on this, I'd be grateful for the information. Does anyone know of any other locomotive explosions where the superheater tubes were shot out of the smokebox?
There was a 2-6-6-2 that blew as well didn't it? There was one it flipped the boiler off the drivers if I recall (on the C&O). There were other explosions though on other lines. That's a lot of pressure in those things.
I think the one u may be referring to was actually 2-6-6-6 alleghany #1642 in 1953 by hinton, wv. The boiler was blown off the running gear. Possibly a bad water level gauge in that one, from what I have read.
Your relatives may have met or known my late dad, Darrell Spurlock, or "WDS" when as an operator he copied train orders at Man, Peach Creek, FD Cabin and other places in WV and KY before he became a dispatcher. Dad was friends with David McDonnie (sp?) and his father, Clyde. Dave worked second shift at Man for a while and Clyde was either dispatcher or chief dispatcher in Huntington during the late 60's to early 70's. We lived literally a stone's throw from the B&O's Ohio River Sub just north of Huntington at the time so B&O will always be my first love but, you have to admit, the C&O could be spelled "success" in many ways.
https://planeandtrainwrecks.com/Doc...ct+6+(byhits+(general+(phrase+crown+sheet)))) DOT report of the incident
Here's a photo of a true C&O workhorse, one of nearly 500 Geeps on C&O proper. This one is 6004, and it was idling on one of the tracks in the yards at Huntington, WV sometime in early 1979 or 1980 (I didn't take many notes in those days).
