I know this thread has existed here before but I feel like it needs to be updated. I don't know if AFT2.0 is going to be a thing or not I doubt it would happen because well the country is divided, share holders call the shots, steam needs to have PTC etc. I have thought about a number of possibilities for steam that make sense.

ATSF 2926 and ATSF 3751 they could handle the train all over west of the Mississippi for the BNSF they have PTC and can travel without the need of an extra tender because of their large tenders.

SP 4449 it did handled the original AFT in 1976 it needs PTC installed it should be good to go since it does have the right crew to handle such a task

UP 4014 for the UP of course.

but for the East

NKP 765 and N&W 611 they have talented crews they need PTC installed. NKP 765 would be the best one to do the job because of the reputation and record of the FWRHS that makes them one over the 611. the 611 on the other has greater hp and tractive effort than the 765 but the FWRHS has a better and more proven record than the 611 crew so they both could the job well and are qualified to do so.

for the CSX on the other is a bit more tricky. candidates that up in the air because you don't know if the steamers are ready for the job like the C&O 2716, NC&St.L 576

the ones I could think of would be

PM 1225. the Pere Marquette merged with the C&O in 1947 so the 1225 is part of the CSX heritage

Reading 2102. it still needs upgrades like PTC but I don't know does the 2102 have roller bearings?

one more thing if CSX is going to do something for the B&O 200th the 1225 and 2102 would be best candidates for job if the C&O 2716 or NC&St.L 576 isn't ready.

2102 has roller bearings on all but the driving weel axles. (as do 2100 and 2101)

Phil Mulligan

1. Adding PTC is a bit more complicated and costly than getting a better set of tires for one's car.

2. Nonprofits (like for-profit businesses) need a business case justification for proposed operations, if they want to remain in business long.

3. Don't assume a given locomotive operator would not need an auxiliary tender. You may be surprised just much water these things consume, and controlling water chemistry is critical.

4. Offering subjective judgements of the relative merits of various locomotive operators is unproductive.

5. PM #1225 has rollers on all axles except the drivers. Those had a greatly improved lubrication system installed during the running gear overhaul.

Bob Thatcher

good points. I knew that PTC is very costly to do so I forgot to add that. thanks for the reminder. True about the auxiliary tenders when read or watched the video of the ATSF 3751 traveled from LA to Chicago in 92 and along LA to Williams AZ in 12 without aux tender although it had helpers throughout those trips. I do recognize that PTC installed isn't cheap but I believe since the ATSF 3751 + 2926 already have that installed. as well as the UP 4014 I don't know if the UP 844 has it or not? as for the others well to handle the AFT 2.0 if it becomes a thing it those would need that installed on the other hand well that's beyond me. I'm just shooting out ideas for motive power I never said I had all the answers.

I still believe that PM 1225 would be right fit to handle the B&O 200th if C&O 2716 or NC&StL 576 aren't ready. would it justify the cost to have PTC installed that's not my decision to make.

A Van Sweringen Berk would be a very good choice to power such a train. As Rich Melvin has pointed out for years, NKP 765 is the steam equivalent of a SD-40, from horsepower to axle loading. They all have either 69" or 70" drivers, capable of handling around a 30 car passenger train on a 2% grade. So, 1225, 765, or 2716 would all be excellent choices. So would a light 4-8-4, like GTW 6325, which could be made operable again if there was a good reason for AoS to do so (and no, I haven't consulted Tim Sposato about this, he's got a major jigsaw puzzle of a project coming up putting BLE 643 back together again). I'm thinking of engines that don't already have things to do/places to operate (765's dance card is already pretty full). Several major steam shops are probably going to have to participate in getting whatever engine is involved ready for such an operation.

The major stumbling blocks are PTC, the availability of coal for a nationwide operation, and lack of roller bearings on all axles. Of course the real stumbling block is the attitude of host railroads to a major steam operation in the 2020s. A split operation for motive power between the Eastern and Western regions, as happened with the Freedom Train, might be needed, and UP would probably insist on using 844 or 4014 (and their companion Diesel for dynamic braking/PTC) on any segment operating over their territory. It would be a great debut event for ATSF 2926, which is at the beginning of it's preservation career and would hopefully need very little work to be ready (literally less than 100 miles on it since restoration). Oh, and they are definitely going to need an auxiliary tender for the entire operation. That piece could be the same for the entire route and the title billboard for the train, leaving the locomotives in their original paint. It also could be where the PTC equipment is installed for the entire operation. This might be done using a regular fuel-carrying tender, with the PTC equipment installed in the former fuel bunker (maybe this is how the PRR T-1 replica guys get their tender rebuilt?), sort of like UP is doing with 4014, although this setup would require operation from the cab of the steam locomotive, rather than from a trailing Diesel, so the local pilot engineer would have to be qualified on it, which will probably be a Road Foreman most of the time anyway. The agreement-required, extra-board engineer can ride in the crew car for an easy day.

Not to be a turd in the punchbowl, but I notice a certain highly relevant locomotive number is absent from the discussion so far. Surely some organized effort can -- and should; it's long overdue -- be made to stabilize and restore 614 for service. If not for the renewed Freedom Train, for the B&O tercentenary.