Many European train and railway enthusiasts are familiar with Union Pacific's Big Boy, which has often been advertised as the "plus" locomotive (big, powerful, long etc.). The credit for this is surely due to the marketing attention that, unique among American companies, UP has been able to give to its service, its means etc. Other companies have preferred to focus on their (or, at least, what they thought was) mission: to move goods and people from one place to another as quickly, surely and economically as possible. Baltimore & Ohio was one of them. Few know the EM1 class, one of the most beautiful articulated locomotives ever produced, and very few know this EM11 class, which, having been produced in only 2 examples, the B&O 2627 and 2627bis (they had no other contiguous numbers available...) is really little known. Since Virginian, nearby, was working hard with its 900 (2-10-10-2) and Triplex, without great success, B&O decided to further improve the performance of the machines used on the Appalachian lines. In terms of power and traction, these EM11s were not second to any commercial machine of the time. The 2627, known as "Ye old fella" and its sister "Bis", as they were amiably called by the staff, performed traction and pushing services without batting an eyelid, pulling wagons to no end on 2% ramps, sometimes even in double traction. It was precisely on one of these occasions that the terrible accident occurred that put an end to the glorious career of both machines at the same time. In command of the "Ye" was Jonathan W. Melloyellow, while the driver of the "Bis" was Armand A. Allmand. The two, although they had known each other since childhood, were always in competition. Mellowyello, who was in the lead, decided to "detach" his friend and pushed at breakneck speed downhill. Allmand did not give up and pushed like crazy. They were glued, or better to say, hooked and evidently could not break away... They did not realize that they were approaching at 87,34 mph the very tight curve into the "Clochwell" river, a tributary of the Susquehanna. Witnesses claim to have seen 2 huge locomotives and about 30 coal cars hover in the air for a few seconds and fall back like a necklace thrown on the dresser. For several years, miners in the area dug up the coal that covered the scene to be able to give the two friends/enemies a minimal burial. Then the coal lost its importance, and so did this story that is remembered only by the few who nostalgically recall the days of steam.... *** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***



Baltimore & Ohio EM11
Baltimore & Ohio EM11
Country	USA
Year	1942
Class	Superheated steam 4 cylinder single esp.	2-10-10-4


Many European train and railway enthusiasts are familiar with Union Pacific's Big Boy, which has often been advertised as the "plus" locomotive (big, powerful, long etc.). The credit for this is surely due to the marketing attention that, unique among American companies, UP has been able to give to its service, its means etc. Other companies have preferred to focus on their (or, at least, what they thought was) mission: to move goods and people from one place to another as quickly, surely and economically as possible. Baltimore & Ohio was one of them. Few know the EM1 class, one of the most beautiful articulated locomotives ever produced, and very few know this EM11 class, which, having been produced in only 2 examples, the B&O 2627 and 2627bis (they had no other contiguous numbers available...) is really little known. Since Virginian, nearby, was working hard with its 900 (2-10-10-2) and Triplex, without great success, B&O decided to further improve the performance of the machines used on the Appalachian lines. In terms of power and traction, these EM11s were not second to any commercial machine of the time. The 2627, known as "Ye old fella" and its sister "Bis", as they were amiably called by the staff, performed traction and pushing services without batting an eyelid, pulling wagons to no end on 2% ramps, sometimes even in double traction. It was precisely on one of these occasions that the terrible accident occurred that put an end to the glorious career of both machines at the same time. In command of the "Ye" was Jonathan W. Melloyellow, while the driver of the "Bis" was Armand A. Allmand. The two, although they had known each other since childhood, were always in competition. Mellowyello, who was in the lead, decided to "detach" his friend and pushed at breakneck speed downhill. Allmand did not give up and pushed like crazy. They were glued, or better to say, hooked and evidently could not break away... They did not realize that they were approaching at 87,34 mph the very tight curve into the "Clochwell" river, a tributary of the Susquehanna. Witnesses claim to have seen 2 huge locomotives and about 30 coal cars hover in the air for a few seconds and fall back like a necklace thrown on the dresser. For several years, miners in the area dug up the coal that covered the scene to be able to give the two friends/enemies a minimal burial. Then the coal lost its importance, and so did this story that is remembered only by the few who nostalgically recall the days of steam.... * Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) *