Norfolk and Western Class Y6a

The Norfolk and Western Class Y6a was a class of 2-8-8-2 steam locomotive Mallets with a total of 16 examples built for the Norfolk and Western Railway. All 15 Y6a’s were scrapped by the cutter’s torches between 1959 and 1960 except for 2156 which is 1 out of 16 that was preserved from scrapped.
==History==
===Beginning===
In the days of steam, the Norfolk and Western Railway needed more motive power in order to tackle the issues from Second World War, so the Norfolk and Western Railway and their own Roanoke Shops had went back to drawing board to design a new steam locomotive for their freight trains, enter the N&W Class Y6a, the Y6as had a tractive effort of 166,000 lbf (738.5 kN), 600 lbf (2.67 kN) less than the Virginian Railway's XA, the Y6as would eventually be superseded by the N&W's most powerful steam locomotives known as the Y6bs.
===Disposition of the Class===
Withdrawal of the class began in the 1950s and the last engine was out of service in favor of diesel locomotives, but not all of them were scrapped, only 15 examples, Nos. 2155, 2157-2170 were cut up for scrap once the Norfolk and Western Railway had dieselized.
===Preservation===
One Y6a managed to survive into the preservation era, and that was No. 2156, the second member of the class Y6a. It was retired in July 1959 and was purchased by the National Museum of Transportation in St Louis, Missouri and moved to the museum where it was cosmetically restored in 1985.
In 2014, the National Museum of Transportation in St Louis, Missouri made an agreement with to lease the 2516 to Norfolk Southern and the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia, in return for an EMD FT B unit. On May 9–12, 2015, the 2156 was towed to its temporary home at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. There it met up and reunited with the recently restored J Class #611 and the retired Class A #1218 on May 31, 2015, as N&W's "The Big Three".
On June 10, 2020, No. 2156 left the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, VA to go back to the St. Louis Museum of Transportation. It arrived back at the St. Louis Museum of Transportation on June 15, 2020.
As of today, the 2156 currently remains on static display in National Museum of Transportation in St Louis, Missouri where it is unlikely to ever run again.
==Stock List==
Image	Loco No.	Operator(s) 	Current owner(s) 	Build date(s) 	Retired 	Restoration(s) 	Status
 	2155 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2156 	Norfolk and Western Railway	National Museum of Transportation, St. Louis, Missouri	March 19, 1942	July 1959	1985 (cosmetically)	On static display, based in St. Louis, Missouri
 	2157 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2158 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2159 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2160 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2161 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2162 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2163 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2164 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2165 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2166 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2167 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2168 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2169 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
 	2170 	Norfolk and Western Railway	- 	- 	- 	- 	Scrapped
==Gallery==
File:c858a64f30b9635fb65d7b72de26c3e2.jpg
File:D0JQjALWwAAUlqu.jpg
Category:2-8-8-2 locomotives
Category:Mallet locomotives
Category:2-8-8-2 steam locomotives
Category:Norfolk and Western locomotives
Category:Sole survivor
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:American locomotives
Category:American steam locomotives
Category:United States
Category:Locomotives
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:Eight-coupled locomotives
Category:Articulated locomotives
Category:Roanoke Shops locomotives