The first modern design steam engine on the Norfolk and Western, the Y-6
class was an awesome figure on the popular railroad. The Y6b engine, called the "workhorse of the N&W," was particularly
well suited to mountain terrain, and its engineers said it was unstoppable as it labored its way up a grade. Often used to
power coal trains, the Y6 and improved Y5 class engines packed so much power they were rated at only two locomotives for a
10,300 pound load on the tough Radford Division eastbound Allegheny climb. Weighing more than 600,000 pounds and producing
more than 150,000 pounds of tractive effort, the 2-8-8-2 Mallet was up to any task put before it. The reliable and powerful
modern Class Y6 engines were the final steam engines retired in 1960 when the N&W completed its transition to diesel power.
| MTH Premier 20-3072-1 N&W 2174 2-8-8-2 Y6b |
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| 20-3072-1 N&W nbr2174 2-8-8-2 Y6b.jpg |
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