1958 - Experimental Locomotive Jawn Henry Scrapped

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Roanoke Times - January 7, 1958

Experimental Locomotive, 'Jawn Henry,' Scrapped

    A bright future was forecast for "Jawn Henry" when he was spawned in 1954.
    At birth he caught the excitement of railroaders who saw in this 
oversized engine an answer to the inroads of the diesels.
    "Jawn Henry" was a steam engine and proud of it.
    His supporters said he could haul freight easier and cheaper than 
any of his competing engines.
    To prove his worth, "Jawn Henry" was put to a series of test. For 
months "Jawn Henry" chugged his way up mountains and across rolling 
hills, while research and test engineers for the Norfolk & Western 
Railway watched his every reflex. Railroaders in the mountainous West 
Virginia coal fields soon came to recognize his huge, proud frame.
    "Jawn Henry" felt he was something special and rightly so.
    The N&W went to good deal of trouble to construct the 
coal-burning, steam-turbine locomotive known as No. 2300.
    And the results of the tests on the 19,000 miles of the N&W's 
torturous mountain lines proved "Big Jawn" could take it. He compared 
favorably with his competitors in the freight-hauling line and 
suffered no serious breakdowns.
    Yes, in 1954 "Jawn Henry" had a bright future. Even though he was 
built for experimental purposes, it looked like he had won his 
locomotive spurs. He was on his way.
    That was 1954.
    Somewhere on some steep demanding incline, that future so bright 
once, dimmed out, and today "Jawn Henry" is no more.
    "Jawn Henry," once so big and proud, has been reduced to a pile of scrap.

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[Quite a rosie tribute to Jawn Henry written 50 years ago.

Louis Newton's book "Rails Remembered - Volume 4 - Tales of a 
Turbine" tells the story his experiences working with the 
experimental turbine-electric locomotive.]

- Ron Davis, Roger Link