Norfolk & Western 2156 - Steam Versus Diesel Tests, Upgrades, and Controversies

Steam Versus Diesel Tests, Upgrades, and Controversies

No discussion of N&W 2156 and its siblings would be complete without referring to their epic contest against new Diesel locomotives in 1952, and the related modifications to the locomotives, which have been a source of some debate among rail historians. N&W had coal traffic as arguably its most important source of revenue, and it had arguably the most modern and efficient steam locomotives of any major U.S. railroad. Accordingly, N&W resisted conversion from coal-burning steam locomotives to oil-burning Diesels longer than most major railroads. In 1952 N&W tested its A-class and Y6b-class locomotives against a four-unit Electro-Motive Division (at that time, of General Motors) F7 Diesel set. The tests indicated that fuel costs and similar items were roughly the same, and the test was considered a tie. However, eventually Diesels won out for lower maintenance and other operational costs.

Retrospective analyses of these tests have caused a few, even in published articles by knowledgeable historians, to assert that Diesel-locomotive-builder EMD and/or N&W used secretly modified locomotives for these tests. If N&W's modified Y6b locomotive number 2197, in addition to its publicized improvements, had received secret upgrades that would not be appropriate for daily-use locomotives, then the claims of substantially upgraded performance were something of a fraud. However, the greater weight of evidence and analysis indicates that N&W did not cheat on these tests, and that the only improvements were the ones N&W publicized and later incorporated into many locomotives. Also, the major participants in this debate all appear to agree that N&W did ultimately modify most of its Y5, Y6, Y6a, and Y6b locomotives (including N&W 2156) with a new "intercepting/reducing valve" and ballast on the front engine, which significantly increased their tractive effort.