In order to meet traffic demands during WWII, both the ACL and SAL were forced to lease and/or purchase steam locomotives from other railroads. The five DL&W 4-8-2's leased and eventually purchased by the ACL are well known. However, it has been reported that the ACL leased 20 other steam engines during the latter years of the war. I've heard that the ACL leased several C&NW 2-8-2's but am not sure of the total number of engines or if engines from other roads were leased as well.

Similarly, the SAL purchased 4-6-2's from the WM and 0-8-0's from another midwestern railroad which I can't recall at the moment. The SAL is also known to have leased C&NW 2-8-2's.

Can anyone provide information on: 1) the total number of "foreign" engines leased by the both ACL (reportedly 25) and SAL, 2) wheel arrangements, parent railroads and engine numbers, 3) which divisions on both railroads the engines were operated, 4) if the engines were renumbered or relettered for the ACL or SAL, and 5)(a long shot here) each railroad's opinions of the engines they leased.

Sorry for the length and number of questions but this was a very interesting period in the railroading industry and could make a great article if the information can be located. Thanks for any help.

-- Buddy Hill (palmettoLTD@hotmail.com), March 04, 2000

Answers

Thanks to all those people who have taken the time to contribute answers and valuable information to this question.

-- Buddy Hill (palmettoLTD@hotmail.com), March 30, 2000.

I stumbled across a reference in the November 1952 issue of Trains <& Travel>, pp. 48-49, to a steam locomotive leased by ACL during WWII. The engine was Erie RR No. 2509, a class K-3 Pacific. The article said that ACL leased the 2509 from September 1942 to October 1943, and that for a while she handled the South Wind between Montgomery, Al and Jacksonville, FL. Another assignment was a local between Waycross and Thomasville.

What was interesting about Erie No. 2509 was that it was originally American Locomotive Company No. 50000, the 50,000th locomotive built by American (or I assume its predecessors). It was completed in July 1911, and was designed completely independent of any particular railroads specifications, using the ideas of and theories of F. J. Cole. The engine was sold to the Erie in September 1912, after demonstrating on various railroads, including the NYC.

-- Jack Wyatt (cjwyatt@wavegate.com), March 30, 2000.

Gentlemen, according to Griffin's SAL book, Seaboard got a sizeable number of 2-10-0s from the GF&A. I couldn't figure out the number right away, but research the new Prince book and I'm sure you'll find the exact count. SAL also picked up 10 WM 4-6-2s (SAL class P-4), 6 2-8-0s from CNW (SAL class H-2), 8 Mikados from Wabash (SAL class Q- 4), and 5 0-8-0s from EJ&E (SAL class F-9). The 0-8-0s wee originally built as consolidations but were converted by EJ&E before their sale to SAL. The only SAL engines I recall that were sold--not scrapped--were the ten R-1/2s that went to B&O, and a few of the 2-10- 0s that went to GM RR. The only pre-owned ACL engines not mentioned above (that I recall) were the Mikados from NYC. Larry Goolsby can help out with this one.

-- John Golden (Golden1014@yahoo.com), March 14, 2000.

In regards to the engines leased by ACL, recently Marvin Black showed me a document from the ACL, circa WWII, that had the restrictions for various engines on the different ACL lines. One that stuck in my head was a single Virginian Railway 4-6-2, so that accounts for one more leased engine.

-- Jack Wyatt (cjwyatt@wavegate.com), March 14, 2000.

Just received a brief e-mail from the C&NWHS regarding engines leased/purchased by the ACL & SAL.

1) fifteen 2-8-2 leased to the ACL on 9-1-42

2) fifteen 2-8-2 leased to the SAL on 10-20-42

3) five 2-8-0 sold to the SAL on 2-3-43

I will have to contact them by snail mail to get the individual C&NW locomotive numbers.

Larry Goolsby kindly reviewed his ACL annual reports and provided the following information.

1) 12-31-42 - 22 steam locos under short term lease

2) 12-31-43 - 23 " " " "

3) 12-31-44 - 25 " " " "

With this new information 20 (15 C&NW 2-8-2 + 5 DL&W 4-8-2) of the locomotives leased can be accounted for. Any suggestions of possible candidate railroads for the remaining 2 to 5 engines? Thanks.

-- Buddy Hill (palmettoLTD@hotmail.com), March 13, 2000.

In the lead in to my question I also forgot to mention the Wabash 2-8- 2's purchased by the SAL. Also contacted the good folks at the C&NW HS about locomotives leased from that road. Their steam expert will research their records and get back to us in a month or so.

-- Buddy Hill (palmettoLTD@hotmail.com), March 05, 2000.