| Originally built by Alco-Richmond as Seaboard Air Line 2-8-8-2 #500, the loco was sold to the B&O in 1920 after SAL saw it was not a good model for their system. The B&O Shops rebuilt it from compound Mallet to simple-articulated,removed the trailing truck and reclassed BO 2-8-8-0 #7300 as EL-6a class. The loco was finally sent ot the scrapper's torch in May of 1950 after nearly 32 years of heavy service. Simplified EL-6a specs - 63" drivers, 200 psi boiler pressure, four 25x32" cylinders, engine wt of 492,000 lb and impressive tractive effort of 97,800 lb. This is a Ralph G. Dunn photo. |