This is what is left of an Allegheny (#1642) after a boiler explosion. Wow, that's alot of damage there. That was a lot of power being expelled.
bnsf4354 That explosion happened on June 9, 1953. The 1642 was coming toward Hinton, W.Va. with 123 loads & 2 empties when the explosion took place 300 yards west of CW Cabin (C&O called their towers "cabins"). It took the boiler and threw it in an arch fashion and came to rest on the opposite side tracks. The cab was reported to have blown 133 feet from the exploding loco to rest on the banks of the New River. The 3-man crew on-board lost their lives. I went to Hinton, W.Va. in '97 and there was a museum of Hinton's history. There is railroad reports, newspaper clippings, etc. About the explosion of C&O's H-8 #1642 there and I don't know if it's still there as of this date. The story is also told in detail in Gene Huddleston's book " The Allegheny, Lima's Finest".
