Tuesday, June 07, 2011










I found this photo at My Link page "Fallen Flags.Org", located to the right of Your computer screen.

The long running Standard 4-4-0 American type steam locomotive, dated back to the mid 1800's in the United States and Canada. This was a good sturdy quality locomotive design, that was used for many years on a number of railroads.

Before the 1800's were over, passenger and freight trains were becoming longer and heavier, and soon the capabilities of the standard 4-4-0 were being heavilly taxed. Larger and heavier locomotives with wheel arrangements of 2-6-0, 4-6-0, 2-8-0, were soon taking over. Still, there was very much a need for the standard 4-4-0 by the early 1900's. This example from the Reading Railroad, shows that even the standard 4-4-0 types were also becoming larger and heavier by the turn of the century.

Eventually, these locomotives were replaced. Many would be sold for scrap during World War 2 scrap drives in North America. Others lasted until the end of the steam era. Some even made it to museum preservation.

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