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PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD B8 0-6-0 Although the Pennsylvania Railroad's Class B6 0-6-0 switching locomotive was a very successful design, and was built from 1902 until 1926, when first developed the B6 was considered too heavy for all applications on the system particularly on the lines west of Pittsburgh where lighter track conditions prevailed in yards and industrial spurs. Accordingly a new design was developed, the Class B8. The first B8 was built at the PRR-Juniata Works in Altoona, PA. in 1904, and although intended for use on the Lines West, the first locomotive received No. 44 for use on the Eastern Lines. As built the B8 had smaller cylinders than the B6 and weighed about 15 tons less. The design was successful and 268 examples were built from 1904 to 1913. While most examples of the class were built at the Juniata Shops, 85 were built by Baldwin and 3 (all for the Grand Rapids & Indiana) by Lima. The engines were built for both the Lines East and Lines West (of Pittsburgh), and PRR subsidiaries - New York Philadelphia & Norfolk, Cumberland Valley and the Grand Rapids & Indiana. The engines of the subsidiary companies were renumbered into the PRR roster in 1918-1920. PRR locomotives were also transferred, renumbered and re-lettered for subsidiaries Cornwall & Lebanon and NYP&N and then back again when those subsidiaries were absorbed. Although built in large numbers and used from one end of the giant PRR system to the other, being smaller than the B6, the design was always susceptible to being replaced when more powerful locomotives could be used. During the 1920's the PRR worked to upgrade track and facilities in their yard and branch lines and the B8's were replaced, not only by more powerful 0-6-0's, but also by 2-8-0's downgraded from mainline services. The B8's were never superheated and by the mid-1920's many were stored. A need for shop locomotives at various locomotive terminals on the system caused 27 of the class to be equipped with saddle tanks and fuel bunkers for use as shop switchers. As engines were rebuilt they were changed to Class B8a. These conversions mostly took place in the mid-1920's, but three locomotives were converted in 1946, 1947 and 1948 respectively. The effects of the great Depression caused many locomotive to be stored and many were never restored to service when traffic levels increased. A number of B8's were sold for continued use. Three were sold to the Timken Roller Bearing Co. for use on the Start Terminal RR at Canton, Ohio. Several were sold to the Republic Steel Corporation for use at their blast furnaces in Ohio, one to the Pennsylvania Coal & Coke Co., one to the River Terminal Co. of Cleveland and one to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's South Buffalo RR. Four locomotives were transferred to the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in 1933 (and scrapped in 1937-1939). The most unusual sale was of ten locomotives to the Mitsubishi Trading Co. of Japan. It is believed that these engines were sent to Manchuria for use in a coal mining operation. The River Terminal locomotive was resold to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and used to construct the extensive facility at Hanford, Washington. After that job the locomotive was sent Southern California and used by the U.S. Marine Corps at El Toro, California in Orange County. The PRR continued to own a few B8's through World War Two, but the efficiencies of the diesel electric switcher could not be denied, and most were removed from the roster by the late 1940's. The B8a variants lasted a few years longer, with No. 436 being dropped in October 1956. Sheer numbers and distribution all over the system made the B8 a significant locomotive. Every major terminal had a few of these engines for specialized switching, transfer, hump and even way freight assignments. Key Imports is pleased to bring you this PRR model that has not been available before as a commercial model.
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