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[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 11-26-2020).]

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Good job Willie and you chose a very unique locomotive for the video. It's a one of a kind Baldwin S-2 6-8-6 steam Turbine locomotive. 6-8-6 refers to the number of wheels. 3-4-3 on each side=6-8-6. 6 truck wheels, followed by 8 driving wheels, which in turn were followed by 6 more truck wheels. It ran for the Pennsylvania Railroad for about 5 years from 1944-1949 Chicago to NYC. It had a very advanced turbine-to direct gear drive to the wheels where tractive force was spread equally between all the wheels and the steam did not 'chug-chug-chug' like a conventional steam engine. There was no recip motion for the driving wheels. The sound has been described as a constant 'whoof' and as far as i know, the following video is the only existing film of this locomotive on the web and sadly, no audio. (it actually had 4 exhausts spaced closely together which made it look like 1 stack. The steam toward the rear is just some vented steam.)

Thank you very much! I chose the image because it was a 6-8-6 as alluded to in the lyrics of the song, but I did not know it was a unique turbine. I looked over the few train images that I have shot over the years and none was suitable.

Following your Wikipedia link answers my curiosity about the big tube and cylindrical housing above the drive wheels.

[This message has been edited by williegoat (edited 11-26-2020).]