2-8-0 Class S160 USATC Profile and Models
5820 at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in June 2017. ©ARG_Flickr
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The United States Army Transportation Corps S160 Class is a class of 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive, designed for heavy freight work in Europe during World War II. A total of 2,120 were built and they worked on railways across much of the world, including Africa, Asia, all of Europe and South America. For British deployment, 800 locomotives were constructed in 1942/3 in thirteen batches, split between ALCO, Baldwin and Lima Locomotive Works. Each of the four British railway companies eventually deployed a total of 400 S160's under the guise of "running in," but factually replacing damaged stock and increasing the capacity of the British railway system to allow for shipping of military pre-invasion equipment and troops.Almost all examples were exported to the European mainland post D-day and did not return. However some have since been re-imported for use on heritage lines. The S160's were designed for quick and efficient building, not long-term operations, thus compromises in design led to some difficulties in operation. Mainly due to their numbers, rather than the design or build quality, at least 26 examples of the S160 have survived into preservation, making them one of the most numerous survivors of all Mainline Steam Locomotives. |
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Type of Locomotive |
Steam |
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Builder |
American Locomotive Company Baldwin Loocmotive Works Lima Locomotive Works |
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Build Dates |
1942 to 1945 |
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Total Built |
2,120 |
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Tractive Effort |
31,492 lbf |
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Wheel Configuration |
2-8-0 |
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Operated By |
United States Army Transportation Corps (Used during WW2 by various European countries, UK, South America and East Asia) |
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Main Duties |
Heavy Freight Wartime |
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In Service Until |
UK: 1945 Rest of World: some in use until 1990s |
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Surviving Examples |
26 known preserved |
War Department