Just for fun: If Eric Brooman's famous Utah Belt had been set in the 1940s-1950s, what types of steam power do you think it would have?
In the July 1987 issue of MR he had an article about how the UB diesel roster developed. It stated that the last mainline steam the road had were 2-10-2 and 2-8-8-2 types. Didn't say what their heritage was. Duane Goodman
Awesome, didn't know there were any records of steam types by Mr. Brooman. Would be great to see someone do a transition era version of the railroad.
Judging by the size of the Utah Belt, they would have been built around 1930..the Utah Belt had F units, most roads that dieselized with F units typically had an old, worn out steam roster, or were giant systems that took 15 years to replace their steam
If I remember right an article said he liked Southern Pacific. But settled on EMD for a regional railroad. Might be based on Southern Pacific type of steam.
So we have 2-8-8-2s and 2-10-2s for sure. Maybe the UB would've had some dual service 4-8-4s, too. The Rio Grande and Southern Pacific both had these, so that could be an easy choice. Some heavy 2-8-2s would probably look good thrown in there....something really beefy looking. These alone could make a nice looking transition era roster IMO, where steam is concerned.
