Sunday, June 25, 2017

The Locos We Lost, Part 4

"will be shipped to Alaska, where it is expected, she will see many more years of service."
This was a statement in the July 28th, 1943 Chicago Bureau.

This, of course, is referring to C&S Nos. 69 or 70...right?

Nope.

"Old 76 will be shipped to Alaska, where it is expected, she will see many more years of service."


Because we know this, in fact, never happened, it prompted someone on the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum to ask, "Did C&S 76 miss the boat?"

There were many responses to that question including that as the war situation changed, the engine wasn't needed or that it was unsuitable to the needs on the White Pass and Yukon (though why the smaller C&S locos were better suited seems odd).

As we know C&S 75 and 76 were instead bought and sent to work on a railroad in Peru where they eventually were scrapped probably in the 1960s.

Had 76 made it to Alaska instead might she have survived to the present day?  Considering that 69 and 70 made it to Alaska, but also went to the scrapper, it is unlikely.

So off to Peru she went where she probably survived longer than she would have in Alaska.  But the grim scrapper came to her there just as well.

Like a bad 'choose-your-own-ending' kids' novel, no matter what you choose, 76 was to be a goner.  In the end, then, this was simply a rabbit trail for the fun of it.

No comments: