|
| Title: |
CO 4-8-0-4-8-4 #500 - "John Henry" |
| Description: |
Born from a desire to remain a coal using company, C&O collaborated with Baldwin to create three steam turbines for service on a proposed "Chessie Streamline" between Washington DC and Cincinnati. The locomotive was powered by a single Westinghouse turbine which drove four 1000 kilowatt DC generators who turned eight traction motors. This was the longest single-unit locomotive in the world at the time. Sadly, it was not the sucess it was supposed to be. The Chessie Streamliner was cancelled before it ran service and the 3 steam turbines were retired and scrapped in 1950. No exact date or location was given for the photo. |
| Photo Date: |
11/1/1947 Upload Date: 5/28/2021 6:30:51 PM |
| Location: |
Unknown, OH |
| Author: |
Gary Everhart |
| Categories: |
|
| Locomotives: |
CO 500(John Henry) |
| Views: |
679 Comments: 0 |
|
|
|
| Title: |
C&O 500, steam-turbine-electric |
| Description: |
This photo was a gift to me, given many years ago. Original photographer and other data unknown. The notes on the back say that the photo was taken in "March 1948" (I guessed at a date--this was several years before I was born! My parents were still in high school at this time!) at Clifton Forge, VA "on the mainline". I don't know if C&O gave these three engines (500-502, Baldwin 1947) any names but "Jawn Henry" was a completely different steam turbine built for Norfolk and Western. |
| Photo Date: |
3/3/1948 Upload Date: 2/5/2019 10:55:25 PM |
| Location: |
Clifton Forge, VA |
| Author: |
Jonathan Spurlock |
| Categories: |
Roster,Passenger,Action |
| Locomotives: |
CO 500(John Henry) |
| Views: |
725 Comments: 0 |
|
|
|
| Title: |
CO Steam Turbine #500 - Chesapeake & Ohio |
| Description: |
Amateur photo of the C&O experimental steam turbine locomotive built in 1947 by Baldwin with Westinghouse electrical traction motors. Nicknamed "John Henry", the unique locomotive and its 2 sisters had multiple problems causing constant breakdowns and delays. They ended up on the dead line in 1949 and quietly scrapped in 1950. This innovative steam locomotive just could not beat the diesel superiority. C.W. Jernstrom labeled photo |
| Photo Date: |
6/1/1948 Upload Date: 11/19/2015 7:11:55 AM |
| Location: |
Clifton Forge, VA |
| Author: |
Gary Everhart |
| Categories: |
Roster,Yard,Steam |
| Locomotives: |
CO 500(John Henry) |
| Views: |
992 Comments: 1 |
|
|
|
| Title: |
CO Steam Turbine #500 - Chesapeake & Ohio |
| Description: |
Interesting amateur photo showing two crew members getting ready to load coal in the hopper located at the front of C&O #500, the "John Henry". Coal dust drifting backward from this position in the loco fowled the forward traction motors and caused many breakdowns. Other problems plagued the 106 feet long, 856,000 lb, five trucked (2-C1-2-C1-B arrangement) steam turbine locomotive. It and its 2 sisters were retired in 1949 and scrapped in 1950. The innovative steam experiment had failed again and diesels were here to stay. C.W. Jernstrom labeled photo |
| Photo Date: |
6/1/1948 Upload Date: 11/19/2015 7:13:36 AM |
| Location: |
Clifton Forge, VA |
| Author: |
Gary Everhart |
| Categories: |
Roster,Yard,Steam |
| Locomotives: |
CO 500(John Henry) |
| Views: |
1433 Comments: 2 |
|
|
|
| Title: |
C&O 500 |
| Description: |
|
| Photo Date: |
11/25/1948 Upload Date: 11/10/2012 4:40:20 PM |
| Location: |
Clifton Forge, VA |
| Author: |
Daniel Barnett |
| Categories: |
Yard |
| Locomotives: |
CO 500(John Henry) |
| Views: |
2617 Comments: 4 |
|
|
|
| Title: |
C&O 500 at the Fair |
| Description: |
Technology that failed |
| Photo Date: |
8/4/1949 Upload Date: 1/22/2011 11:28:10 PM |
| Location: |
Chicago, IL |
| Author: |
Lew Schneider |
| Categories: |
Roster |
| Locomotives: |
CO 500(John Henry) |
| Views: |
3335 Comments: 6 |
|
|
|
| Title: |
CO Experimental Steam Turbine #500 |
| Description: |
Interesting front view of the experimental steam turbine built by Baldwin and Westinghouse as a possible alternative to the traditional coal burning steam locomotive. Only three were built and proved expensive to operate and mechanically unreliable. Nevertheless, it's an interesting footnote to railroading. The unknown photographer's notes were more extensive on the camera settings than the loco - Ciroflex "B" camera, 1/25th sec exposure, f/10, EXX film, film size 120, taken at 2:45pm, printed on paper #4 |
| Photo Date: |
9/1/1949 Upload Date: 2/18/2019 5:11:23 PM |
| Location: |
Chicago, IL |
| Author: |
Gary Everhart |
| Categories: |
|
| Locomotives: |
CO 500(John Henry) |
| Views: |
658 Comments: 0 |
|
|
|
| Title: |
CO Steam Turbine #501 |
| Description: |
Up close view of the air intake grill of the Chesapeak & Ohio steam Turbine #501. This was enlarged from a photo y C.W. Jernstrom. Note the praying mantis caught on the lower left side. |
| Photo Date: |
7/13/1948 Upload Date: 6/29/2025 10:58:13 AM |
| Location: |
Greenwood, VA |
| Author: |
Gary Everhart |
| Categories: |
Roster,Steam,Track |
| Locomotives: |
CO 501(John Henry) |
| Views: |
13 Comments: 0 |
|
|
|
| Title: |
CO Steam Turbine #501 |
| Description: |
Three experimental steam turbine locomotives were built for the Chesapeake & Ohio by Baldwin and Westinghouse in 1948-49. They had conventional fire-tube boilers mounted backward to regular practice. They were streamlined and looked like nothing else on the rails. They were built for speeds of 100 miles per hour. The only problem was that they were incredibly complex. They spent much more time in the shop than on the rails. Coal dust fouled the forward traction motors and water dripping from the boiler often short circuited the traction motors on the other two powered trucks. Eventually they were quietly scrapped in 1950. C.W. Jernstrom photo |
| Photo Date: |
7/13/1948 Upload Date: 6/29/2025 10:58:14 AM |
| Location: |
Greenwood, VA |
| Author: |
Gary Everhart |
| Categories: |
Roster,Steam,Track |
| Locomotives: |
CO 501(John Henry) |
| Views: |
20 Comments: 0 |
|
|
|
| Title: |
CO 502 |
| Description: |
|
| Photo Date: |
7/20/1948 Upload Date: 11/10/2012 3:10:10 PM |
| Location: |
Cincinatti, OH |
| Author: |
Daniel Barnett |
| Categories: |
Roster,Yard,Steam |
| Locomotives: |
CO 502(John Henry) |
| Views: |
1833 Comments: 3 |
|
|
|
