VGN 2-10-10-2 - my 2014 challenge

[jwb]

It's worth pointing out that they were built for the line west of Roanoke over Clark's Gap, which was electrified in the 1920s. They were then moved to service east of Roanoke, which had a crossing of the Blue Ridge (a helper grade eastbound on the N&W) that was almost entirely downgrade for loaded trains. The few videos of this section show a lot of tunnels in pretty spectacular scenery, but operationally it was pretty easy going. (This was the typically remarkable engineering of the VGN, although as a late-built line, it had to have some advantage over earlier ones.)

Their power probably wasn't needed on the line east of Roanoke, and the AG 2-6-6-6s were the locomotive of choice for coal trains after WWII.