L&N L-1 class Mountain-type number 418 is still in the early stages of running repairs at the company’s Corbin, KY backshop in this scene from 1946. The engine’s four-wheel pony, or engine truck is in the foreground. You can clearly see the loops where the safety chains are attached, plus the leaf springs and equalizers. The valve ladders have been removed and the valves and cylinder heads pulled for new rings and boring. All four driver sets have also been dropped. The 418 was infamous for having derailed at Highcliff, TN, on the Knoxville & Atlanta Division (its normal assignment, since it’s equipped with Automatic Train Control) just two years earlier. The engine was leading a southbound troop train, and it derailed as it entered the tight curves of the “Narrows,” near Jellico, TN. Thirty four were killed in the derailment, most of whom were Army recruits headed for basic training. While excessive speed was officially cited as the cause, many informed sources faulted the engine's pilot truck for not “slewing” into the curve as designed. (L&N Photo)
