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(erielack) New steam in the USA

In a message dated 9/30/04 8:23:57 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
tsterpka_@_mindspring.com writes:

> I saw that on an RFD TV show on Chinese Steam, if you can believe
>  it.......the boat carrying the originally ordered engine sunk. Am I
>  mistaken, or was that the first new steam engine purchased in the US since
>  the late '40's-early '50's?

My note last night described the sequence of this flurry of new steam in the 
USA; the sunken Susie 141 was fourth of four engines. The Valley Railroad 
1647, today's Susie 142, was the first of the new engines to run in the USA.  

But there's always a discussion among the steam historians about "new steam 
engine purchased in the US...," using your words.  Various new locomotives have 
been bought and built for use in the U.S. of different gauges.  Two examples: 
The Mount Washington Cog has built, I think, four or five new locomotives, 
basically renewing its entire fleet from 1869.  The two Golden Spike National 
Historic Site engines at Promontory are all-new, standard gauge, and operate 
almost daily. 

The flurry of patriotism that followed the first Gulf War caused several 
orders for Chinese engines to be dropped, including 2-10-2s and 2-8-2s and 4-6-2s. 
A couple of buyers restored existing engines (Ohio Central comes to mind, and 
there were others), and far more just dropped their plans. The proposed 
Missouri & Northern Arkansas had planned to build an all-new railroad in the Ozarks 
(some of it partially on the original M&NA right of way) related to Branson, 
Missouri, and had planned to purchase a fleet of Chinese 2-8-2s.

It would be fun to build a brand new American-prototype steam locomotive, but 
efforts to do so couldn't get past the decision on which one.  England 
settled on a missing class of 4-6-2, and is fundraising to built a second.

                        ....Mike

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