N&W "M" Series 4-8-0

Infobox Locomotive
name = N&W M Class
powertype = Steam

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caption = Strasburg Rail Road's former Norfolk & Western #475
tractiveeffort = convert|40163|lbf|kN|abbr=on
cylindersize = 21×30 in (533×762 mm)
gauge = RailGauge|ussg
boilerpressure = convert|200|psi|MPa|2|abbr=on
evaporativeheatingsurface = 2,940 sq ft
driversize = convert|56|in|m|3|abbr=on
builddate = 1906
valvegear = Stephenson (inside); Some later coverted toBaker
builder = Baldwin Locomotive Works (100 locomotives); Richmond Locomotive works (125 locomotives)
railroad = Norfolk & Western Railway
railroadclass = M
numinclass = 225
preservedunits = No. 475 on Strasburg Rail Road
whytetype = 4-8-0Infobox Locomotive
name = M2 Class
powertype = Steam

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|thumb|300px|Norfolk and Western Railway class M2 4-8-0.
tractiveeffort = convert|52457|lbf|kN|abbr=on
cylindersize = 24×30 in (540×762 mm)
gauge = RailGauge|ussg
boilerpressure = convert|200|psi|MPa|2|abbr=on
evaporativeheatingsurface = 4,041 sq ft
driversize = convert|56|in|m|3|abbr=on
builddate = 1910
valvegear = Baker
builder = Baldwin Locomotive Works (50 locomotives); Roanoke Machine Works (11 locomotives)
railroad = Norfolk & Western Railway
railroadclass = M2
numinclass = 61
whytetype = 4-8-0

The "M"s were a series of 4-8-0 steam locomotives owned and operated by the Norfolk & Western Railway. These were the last significant deliveries of 4-8-0s in the United States.The N&W needed to get coal shipments over a mountain range, and powerful locomotives were needed. 4-8-0s were chosen over 2-8-2s because the 4-8-0 had better adhesive weight. Thus, in 1906, the first of the most numerous American class of 4-8-0 was contracted and built by Baldwin.

urvivers

Several locomotives survive. The most well known is No. 475, part of the 1906 order, which is currently operating on the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania. No. 433, also of the 1906 order, is an outdoors static exhibit in a park Abingdon, Virginia, with a basic roof to protect it from rain. There are also three M2 locomotives, numbers 1118, 1134, and 1151, which reside in the Virginia Scrap Iron & Metal yard. Currently, there is a fundraising effort launched by The Western Virginia Railroad Preservation Society (TWVRPS) to saving these locomotives. The goal is $50,000, with the deadline at 31 December 2008. As of 17 September 2008, $2,733 have been collected.

References

*cite book
last = Carling
first = D. Rock
title= 4-8-0 Tender Locomotives
publisher = Drake Publishers Inc.
year = 1972
isbn = 87749-150-X
* [http://lostengines.railfan.net/ The Lost Engines Of Roanoke] Maintained by Richard Jenkins
* [http://www.twvrps.org/leor.html The Western Virginia Railroad Preservation Society]