2-8-0 Class S160 USATC Profile and Models

2-8-0 Class S160 USATC

5820 at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in June 2017. ©ARG_Flickr

The United States Army Transportation Corps S160 Class is a class of 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive, designed for heavy freight work in Europe during World War II. A total of 2,120 were built and they worked on railways across much of the world, including Africa, Asia, all of Europe and South America. For British deployment, 800 locomotives were constructed in 1942/3 in thirteen batches, split between ALCO, Baldwin and Lima Locomotive Works. Each of the four British railway companies eventually deployed a total of 400 S160's under the guise of "running in," but factually replacing damaged stock and increasing the capacity of the British railway system to allow for shipping of military pre-invasion equipment and troops.Almost all examples were exported to the European mainland post D-day and did not return. However some have since been re-imported for use on heritage lines. The S160's were designed for quick and efficient building, not long-term operations, thus compromises in design led to some difficulties in operation. Mainly due to their numbers, rather than the design or build quality, at least 26 examples of the S160 have survived into preservation, making them one of the most numerous survivors of all Mainline Steam Locomotives.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

Type of Locomotive

Steam

Builder

American Locomotive Company
Baldwin Loocmotive Works
Lima Locomotive Works

Build Dates

1942 to 1945

Total Built

2,120

Tractive Effort

31,492 lbf

Wheel Configuration

2-8-0

Operated By

United States Army Transportation Corps
(Used during WW2 by various European countries, UK, South America and East Asia)

Main Duties

Heavy Freight
Wartime

In Service Until

UK: 1945
Rest of World: some in use until 1990s

Surviving Examples

26 known preserved

 

OO Gauge (1:76 Scale)