American locomotives

During the Moorland Steam Railway's 'Five Locos across The States' railtour in the United States, a series of **different locomotives preserved in the USA** befriended the British visitors, teased them for their size, or made rivalries with these 'Limeys'.

## Seattle

### Designer

Baldwin Locomotive Works

**Seattle** is a large preserved American steam locomotive that was once operated by the Reading Railroad Company. He was one of many locomotive who teased the five locomotive of the Moorland Steam Railway for their "small size".

### Bio

Seattle was rebuilt in 1945 by his original builder (Baldwin Locomotive Works) from a 2-8-0 into a member of the new T-1 class 4-8-4 "Northerns" of the Reading Company, his owner and operator. He earned his fame when heading with class leader No. 2100 (him being the third in the number series, 2102) on the famous 'Iron Horse Rambles' run by the Reading company in the 1960s, despite the fact he was replaced by diesel traction in 1956.

### Basis or real locomotive

   Seattle is based on the real locomotive. It was one of 30 I-10s class 2-8-0s rebuilt into the newer (and larger) T-1 class 4-8-4s for fast freight traffic by the Reading Company from 1945 to 1947. Despite the power of these locomotives, they were replaced when the Reading Company (like all American railroads) dieselised in the 1950s. The class is famous for the 'Iron Horse Rambles' railtours from 1959 to 1964. Four have been preserved.

No. 2102 is currently undergoing a restoration to operational condition.

### Trivia

Despite being named after Seattle, Washington State, No. 2102 never operated to that city during its days on the Reading Company, since Washington State isn't on the Reading's routes.

Seattle's model is a Broadway HO scale Reading T-1 4-8-4 in 'Iron Horse Rambles' livery. This's because Bachmann USA doesn't produce a model of the T-1 class.

## Grand Trunk Western

### Designer

American Locomotive Company

**Grand Trunk Western** is a USRA "Light Mikado" that once operated in Canada and the USA. He befriended Hood and King James I during the Moorland Steam Railway 'Five Locos across The States' tour and is considered the "friendliest American locomotive" met by the five British visitors.

### Bio

Grand Trunk Western was built just before WWI ended in 1918, but never got to see action like the 2-8-0 Baldwin "Pershings" he heard about. He was sold to Canadian Railway company Grand Trunk Western (GTW) and over his time there, he was renumbered two times until finally numbered '4070' by the GTW, which was under the control of the Canadian National Railway (CN).

### Personality

Grand Trunk Western is seen as one of the most friendliest locomotives in the United States. He makes friends with any locomotive, no matter the size or country of origin.

### Livery

Grand Trunk Western is painted in plain GTW black with the company's logo on his tender.

### Trivia

Grand Trunk Western is named after his former operator, the Grand Trunk Western Railroad

Grand Trunk Western's model is a renumbered and recrested Bachmann USA USRA "Light Mikado" in Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) livery.

Grand Trunk Western is one of a few locomotives in the series with has had an accident with a turntable.

Grand Trunk Western uses a stock standard GTW 6-chime whistle sound effect for his whistle blasts.

Grand Trunk Western is the second American locomotive introduced into the franchise, the first being MSR resident (since 1967) USATC S100/ SR USA class Audie.

## Morris (No. 385)

### Designer

Baldwin Locomotive Works

**Morris** is a large (and green) steam locomotive that worked for the Morris County Central Railroad in the USA. He's mostly known by his number he got on the Southern Railroad, **No. 385**. He befriended Stovold since both were ridiculed for their small size (in American railroading standards).

### Bio

No. 385 was built for the Southern Railroad in November 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. Unlike many locomotives in Southern, No. 385 didn't like the renowned "Jim Crow Laws" that lead to segregation in the Southern states of the USA, causing to normally have arguments with station staff and railroad works of the Southern Railway. The Southern finally sold him in 1952 to the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway (VBR), a coal hauling shortline in West Virginia. and renumbered him '6'. After being taken out of service in 1956, No. 6 was left on a siding to rust whilst the railroad continued operation with 4 ex-U.S. Army 0-6-0s (numbers, 5, 7, 8, and 9) until the line dieselized in 1963. No. 6 was later sold to a new excursion railroad that just opened and needed locomotives, the Morris County Central Railroad, in 1965, and returned to his old number of 385.

No. 385 decided it was time for a name and chose the name "Morris" as a tribute to the railroad. He soon met a familiar steam locomotive, an old army switcher called Denver (No. 4039), which worked with him on the VBR, and both were the railroad's flagships. The strangest thing that has ever happened to him was the repaint from black to the MCC's version of Southern Railroad green, which he simply hated for the bad memories of arguing with railroad staff. In 1973, Stovold visited the line with three BR Mk1s and two BR Standard 20 Ton brake vans. Morris called Stovold "old-fashioned" for his design and the LMS "Compound" responded with Morris being "ugly as an S160." This made Morris cross with the British 4-4-0 and got Denver to a switching challenge, which the term "switching" confused Stovold and when Denver showed him what switching was (in the UK, switching is known as "shunting") and soon said that he was built for high-speed passenger work, leading to a time trial on the route.

Morris lost to Stovold since the 2-8-0 thought that Stovold wasn't fast enough to beat him, but as the British locomotives say, "Never have a test of timing against express locomotives, since they have the larger driving wheels, giving them the edge of speed." As a result, Morris befriended the Compound and two days before he left, both double-headed special trips hosted by the MSR's crew in the USA escorting Stovold.

### Personality

Morris is normally a grumpy locomotive for his history dealing with believers of the Jim Crow Laws but is about to make friends with almost everyone from the North or overseas.

### Livery

Morris is painted the Morris County Central green livery with the number '385' etched on his cab sides in yellow and his window frames in red. His tender is also painted green with the company's name written in yellow on his tender. Morris also has a sliver smokebox instead of a black one.

### Basis or real locomotive

   Morris is based of the real locomotive. It was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in November 1907 as one of 25 H-4 class locomotives for the Southern Railway (USA) for freight traffic. The locomotive was sold off in 1952 following replacement by diesel traction on the Southern to the Virginia Blue Ridge Railroad and renumbered '6' under that company. It was later brought to New Jersey for work on the Morris County Central Railroad, an upstart heritage railway that operated 385 and US Army 0-6-0 No. 4039 as its star attractions. The locomotive is on static display today at the Whippany Railway Museum, which was once part of the defunded Morris County Central.

### Trivia

Morris is the first American locomotive to be close to the typical British locomotive design practice, which his the 2-8-0 that was adopted for heavy goods work (like Sharon and Capulet).

Morris is the first locomotive in the series that is know to argue with both railway workers and other locomotives.

## Bradley

### Designer

Rogers Locomotive Works

**Bradley** is an old tender locomotive that operates on the Trinidad, Denver & Western Railroad (TD&W) in the United States of America. He is seen as one of the oldest locomotives in the US still in operation and had mixed thoughts on his railway's British visitors.

### **Bio**

Bradley was built by the Rogers Locomotive Works in 1896 for the then Trinidad Northern Railroad (TNRR) but his arrival caused a storm of events in his first year on the railway, especially with aging 4-4-2 Elijah McCoy. In 1974, Bradley was back in full operational service and was the first locomotive to welcome Hood, Stovold and Capulet, while Labiche and King James I were visiting the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR). When Bradley noticed that neither had cowcatchers, air brakes, knuckle coupling and bells, he thought that the British "designed their locomotives in an odd fashion".

At Denver sheds, the three British visitors explained the purpose of the carriages they brought, which were BR Mk1s that have been modified and referred to as "converter coaches", which had a dual coupling that allowed for them to couple with American stock and allow them to use their vacuum braking equipment on air braked trains. Bradley soon asked about the coaches themselves since he had never seen "passenger cars" having such an odd shape but soon, his old habit with Elijah McCoy came back when he decided to challenge two of them to a time trial, which the three agreed to but Hood and Stovold called it a "piece of cake".

Bradley set the bar but was soon beaten by the British engines but explaining they had a third cylinder under their smokebox, which increased their tractive effort and their speed, hence why even “small” engines can still be fast. Bradley spent more time with Stovold since the both of them were practically designs from late-Victorian-early-Edwardian eras for their countries respectively. When Hood arrived with a passenger train from Denver to Wolf Ram, Bradley didn’t get how the Jubilee got such an odd name and what were curved brass plates on the side of him for, and was told by the British 4-6-0 that they called nameplates and are traditional for many top link express locomotives in the UK, which many railways did.

### Personality

Bradley is normally arrogant but is down to earth when he gets to know his railway’s UK visitors during the 1970s.

### Livery

Bradley is painted in the TD&W’s unlined blue livery with red wheels with his number and name painted on his cabsides and the company name ‘Trinidad, Denver & Western’ in same colour on his tender.

### Basis or real locomotive

   Bradley appears to be based of the Sierra Railway No. 3. This locomotive was built by Rogers Locomotive Works in New Jersey as Prescott & Arizona Central Railway (P&AC) No. 3, officially named 'W. N. Kelly', but was sold to the Sierra Railway and kept its number, but lost its name. The original wooden cab was destroyed in a derailment when the locomotive rolled down an embankment in 1918 and re-entered service with a modern steel cab. In 1935, the locomotive was withdrawn but wasn’t scrapped and became a major movie star. The locomotive has starred in over 115 feature films and television shows, including ‘Back to the Future: Part III’ (1990) as Central Pacific Railroad No. 131, leading to the nickname “Movie Star Locomotive” by enthusiasts.

### Trivia

Bradley is one of the main characters in ‘The Road to Denver’ and has so far appeared in all four episodes.

* Despite being in another series, this Bradley is not the same engine as described below and The Midlander is non-canon with 'The Road to Denver'.

Despite being the same character in both series, their basis’s aren’t the same since in episode two of The Road to Denver, ‘Milepost One’, Bradley was based off a 4-6-0 design Rogers built for the Illinois Central Railroad, while this one based off a more famous 4-6-0 built by Rogers.

Bradley’s age during Hood, Stovold and Capulet’s visit to the TD&W makes him the oldest locomotive seen.

For a locomotive of his size, Bradley is seen as “small” by American locomotive standards but “medium” by British standards.

Bradley’s livery makes him often mistaken by Capulet for a German locomotive.

Bradley's model is made from a Mantua HO scale Rogers 4-6-0 that has been repainted.

Like his basis, Bradley is oil-fired compared to coal first as seen in 'The Road to Denver'.

Virginia was used as spare parts for Bradley until 1975, when she was gifted to the Moorland Steam Railway, much to Bradley's joy.

## Blunt

### Designer

Canadian Locomotive Company

**Blunt** is an old Canadian Pacific express locomotive you hauls excursion trains in the US for Steamtown USA. He is one of the most "British-like" engines the five have met on their trip to the USA.

### Bio

Blunt was built by the Canadian Locomotive Company in 1948 for express work on secondary routes of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) as one of the infamous G5b class locomotives. Despite being built for secondary routes, be built to a practice performed by the British to express locomotives by being a 4-6-2 "Pacific" locomotive and had a light axle loading for his size (in North American standards). In 1965, Blunt was brought to the US by F. Nelson Blunt as part of the operating fleet, along with his brother No. 1246 and his sister No. 1293, of Steamtown USA. That same year, he had his last digit removed and became known as "No. 127" by enthusiasts.

In 1975, Blunt was still heading excursions in the United States' mainline network and certainly took some abuse from the larger American locomotives because he was "too small". When he met the British locomotives for the first time, he couldn't believe how similar in size he was to them (and how light he was to King James I) and soon made friends with the UK engines. When he mentioned about his life hauling express on lightly-laided track where the bigger engines can't go, King James I even pointed out that he was like a Canadian version of his old railway's (GWR) Manor class, which were built in the same specifications.

### Livery

Blunt is painted in Steamtown unlined black with his number on his cab and 'Steamtown U.S.A.' on his tender.

### Trivia

Blunt is named after F. Nelson Blunt, the person who saved the locomotive (along with classmates 1246 and 1293) from being scrapped.

Blunt's Steamtown USA number is just his Canadian Pacific number just without the last digit.

## Pennsylvania

### Designer

Francis William Webb

**Pennsylvania** is a mostly forgotten duplex locomotive built in Britain for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to a British design. He is known commonly as the "first duplex locomotive in the United States" but being known as a failure because of his British origins.

### Bio

From is heard from other US locomotives, Pennsylvania was built in Manchester in 1889 and heavily based on a odd British locomotive developed by Francis William Webb on the London & North Western Railway (LNWR). Sadly, the locomotive proved under powered against locomotives built in the US and the odd compounding system it featured was proving tricky to maintain. This made him unpopular among the fleet, railroad workers and management and he scrapped in 1897.

Pennsylvania's legacy came back when the PRR began building duplexes of their own, long after the LNWR scrapped theirs, and they proved powerful but had their services cut short thanks to dieselisation in the US shortly after their introduction.

Pennsylvania's name was brought up by many older locomotives built before 1895 who had worked or knew him in the past since he was one of the most unique locomotive ever used on an American railroad.

### Personality

Since no episode features this locomotive, Pennsylvania's personality is unknown.

### Basis or real locomotive

Pennsylvania is based of the real locomotive. PRR No. 1320 was built by Beyer Peacock & Co. of Gorton, Manchester, to the design of the LNWR Dreadnought class 2-2-2-0 compound duplex locomotives designed by Francis William Webb in 1889. The locomotive was seen as under powered and was out performed by locally built locomotives and was not popular among the PRR's locomotive crews, maintenance staff and management. These sealed the locomotive's fate and it was scrapped quietly in 1897. More than 50 years late, the PRR revisited the duplex practice.

### Trivia

Pennsylvania isn't the only European-built locomotive the PRR had. A French De-Glehn compound 4-4-2, No. 2512, was built in 1904 but it appears that it too was hated since it was scrapped eight years later.

Pennsylvania has the title of being the first duplex in the US but when it was introduced, the practice didn't catch on until the 1940s.

## PRR No. 2512

### Designer

Alfred de Glehn

**PRR No. 2512** is an experimental compound built in France that worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). It was known by many engines on the PRR as either **"de Glehn"** or **"the French aristocrat"** because of his posh attitude.

### Bio

No. 2512 was built by the Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques (SACM) at Mulhouse, France, in 1904 for the PRR as an experimental locomotive. Arriving in the states that year, he was soon on display at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition to show the American public the possible future of many new US locomotives being built in France or give American railroads a view on European outline locomotives.

After his time on display, No. 2512 was placed on work on express services and soon proved to be a capable locomotive but was almost uneconomical due to the amount of coal he burned on just one trip. As a result, tests were soon run on him at the railroad's Altoona workshops. Normally, he didn't leave unless no locomotive was available and was the only engine around. In 1907, No. 2512 gained infamy among PRR engines by acting "aristocratic" towards the American designs and how strangely they were designed, leading to him being nicknamed "the French aristocrat". Some soon began to refer to him as "de Glehn" after his designer and man who created his compounding system. Like the previous European-built locomotive the PRR had, No. 2512 only had eight years of service before he was withdrawn and scrapped in 1912. He is remembered as a strong and fast engine despite being weak by US standards.

### Personality

No. 2512 was mostly a posh engine but would always want to find work for the railway that had him built in the first place.

### Basis or real locomotive

No. 2512 is based off of the real locomotive. It was built in France to the classic design of the 4-4-2 "Atlantics" designed by Alfred de Glehn at SACM at Mulhouse, Alsace, for the Pennsylvania Railroad in the United States. It was displayed at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (aka the "St Louis World's Fair" and tested against other classes of PRR locomotives. The engine appears to have been too light for the railroad and saw little service outside of the railroad's workshops. It was withdrawn and scrapped in 1912.

### Trivia

No. 2512 isn't the only European-built locomotive the PRR had. A British-designed duplex, No. 1320 'Pennsylvania', was built in 1889 but it was hated by and was scrapped eight years later.

No. 2512's model is built from a modified Keyser's kit of GWR de Glehn Atlantics and a custom tender.