Norfolk and Western Steam Turbine 2300 WIP

Although superficially similar to the Chesapeake and Ohio steam-turbine, this was of quite a different design, being shorter and lighter, with a Babcock & Wilcox water-tube flash boiler working at 900 psi. GE traction motors were fitted to the four 3-axle bogies; all axles were powered so the wheel config was C-C-C-C.

The 2300 only survived for only three years. Once again there were difficulties with reliability. Coal dust contaminated the electrical equipment. The feedwater heater and semi-automatic boiler controls gave trouble, and the turbine blades suffered when the loco backed heavily onto a train. Thanks to poor shunting abilities by the engineer. None of these problems were unsoluble, but the locomotive was mainly used as a "pusher" and was scrapped in 1958.

The locomotive carried the name "Jawn Henry", a reference to a legendary black construction worker who pitted his manual hammer and drill against a steam drill. According to the story, he just managed to beat it but collapsed and died shortly afterwards. Not a good omen, perhaps...