Just a few survive.... Moore-Keppel Climax #3, a 1910-vintage, 55-tonner, hauls a 7-car mixed freight along the old C&O Durbin Branch on a warm spring afternoon. In this case, it's a photo freight, run by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, but most of the time, little #3 spends her retirement hauling tourists, many of whom are probably completely unaware of her significance.
Out of more than 1000 locomotives built by the Climax Locomotive Works in Corry, PA, fewer than two dozen survive today, and there are just 4 in the entire world that can still operate. Three of these locomotives are located in the US. There is a 50-ton, 2-trucker at Clark's Trading Post in North Woodstock, New Hampshire, and a 70-ton 3-trucker at the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad in Mineral, WA. Although the numbers of survivors would tend to indicate that Shays and Heislers were more popular designs, Climaxes were very much valued by their owners. They were the least expensive of the geared types, but they were known for being rugged and able to run on really poor track. It has been joked that if someone put two scratches in the dirt, a Climax would happily track them. Anyone who has ever seen the photos of a Climax running on tracks that were literally awash in a swollen river knows that this little "joke" is only a slight exaggeration...LOL!
Scenes depicting steam operations on the old C&O Greenbrier Division between Cass and Durbin, WV, featuring Moore-Keppel Climax #3 and Meadow River Heisler #6.
