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October 14, 2015
Hol - I think one of the most unusual and sad sights I ever photographed in
July 1963 of Q steam at NWS&W in Sterling, IL, was that of two Class
M-4-A 2-10-4 type locomotives that had been converted into stationary boilers to
provide steam to the steel mill. In order to move the massive locomotives
over industrial trackage with sharp curves to the back of the mill, burners had
cut the pony and trailing trucks, as well as all rods, off both locomotives
turning them into huge 0-10-0's. Slots had been cut into the front bottom
of both smoke boxes for large blowers to create draft as seen on the locomotive
at right. A tall smoke stack had been added to that locomotive to
carry the smoke upwards. Hanging over the tender in the background was a
conveyor belt used to dump coal into the bunker where the still operative
mechanical stoker would've spread it on the grates. Water was provided by a
fire hose connected to a hydrant. In back of the smoke stack you can see the
steam pipe that would've connected both M-4-A's to the mill. A really pitiful,
but still fascinating, scene. This is not the greatest quality photograph, but
then again it was the best I could get shooting "dark" locomotives that were
back lighted by the sun. Perhaps, some one else also photographed these two
locomotives with better results and recorded their numbers which for whatever
reason I did not. I was told at a later date that both M-4-A's survived in
such service for some time, then when their boilers eventually failed, were
cut-up on the spot. Best Regards - Louis
Louis Zadnichek II
Fairhope, AL
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