Alaska Railroad 556 - Anchorage, Alaska - Locomotives on Waymarking.com

From a nearby sign post -

Outnumbering other war-time railroad engines, they were simple to maintain with the close clearance required for the narrow bridges and tunnels on European railroads. They were stripped down for war action, and acquired the nickname "Gypsy Rose Lee" locomotives after the famouse burlesque dancer.

Instead of being shipped to Europe, twelve of these locomotives were sent to Alaska by the U.S. Army to become Alaska Railroad Class 550. All twelve locomotives saw service over the 460 miles of the Alaska Railroad. For 13 years, No. 556 hauled passengers and freight from Seward through Anchorage and on to Fairbanks. In 1959, No. 556 was taken out of storage and moved to its present location, where it has been an educational display and object of play for three generations of Anchorage youngsters.

Of the thousands of USRA Consolidation Type locomotives originally built for war service, only three remain in North America. After service on the Alaska Railroad, several of the locomotives were shipped to Spain and are reported to still be in operation.

For more information contact: Alaska Historical and Transportation Museum, Inc., Palmer, Alaska.

Also see Wikipedia under the heading 'USATC S160 Class'; (visit link) this entry has a ton of information about this class of locomotive.

Locomotive Type: (required): Steam Do you need to pay an entrance fee to view this locomotive? (required): No How accessible is this locomotive display? (Required): Display is designed to allow additional climbing access. If "other" what is the engine type? (optional): Not listed If a fee is required what is the approximate cost for admittance? (optional): Not listed

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