Here's a Harold Vollrath photo of one of the NYC's last Berks, the 9400 series. LEW, I think they ended up on the P&LE, right? Ken, sorry I can't answer your last few questions.
Classic Trains sring 2004 has a nice article on the P&LE 2-8-4. As the article states they came to the B4 in 1955 while I was at Greensburg on the yard engine.I never fired one but did get on one and look it over.With the 63" drivers it was about like an overgrown H-10.The crews said they road good with the longer wheel base and the 4 wheel trailer trucks.With the big fire box and boiler I don't think steam would be a problem.With the drifting valves ,The knobs above the cylinders,the engines were very quite when drifting.I don't remember anyone talking about problems but they could have had. Steam went out in a blaze of glory between Cincinnati and Indianapolis. In either the winter 1955-56 or 56-57 the coal trains were run with double headed H-5,H-7,L-3, L-4 or any combination.In one 24 hr. period they ran 24 coal trains besides the regular trains which was 6 or8 Pass. trains and 6 through freights and 3 locals.The next year they were diesel and the the L&N said they had a 1000 cars of coal for the B-4 at Cincy And Perlman said they could not handle it and that is when the L&N coal was divided between the B-4 and the PRR. LEW
