Richard Leonard's New York Central Collection - Steam Locomotives in the 1930s through 1950s, Diesel Locomotives in the 1950s, Fantasy Steam (that never existed)

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National New York
Central Railroad
Museum

New York Central
System Historical
Society

This web site is a collection of New York Central System locomotive photos. Initially, many of the steam photos belonged to my father, the Rev. Dr. Richard D. Leonard, while some were taken by me in the 1950s. Others came from Gary Thompson of Normal, Illinois; Tom Rock of Cleveland, Tennessee; and my brother, Rev. David V. Leonard, late of Binghamton, New York. Eventually a sizeable group of images came from other sources via Wayne Koch of Mount Kisco, New York; these include William D. Volkmer, Carl Weber, John Sita, and Frank Fabian. Finally, several images of special interest were purchased via eBay. The Diesel Collection consists of photos my brother and I took in the 1950s. In the NYC Fantasy Steam collection are several images of New York Central steam that existed only in my imagination!

For additional interest, click this link to read my article "Michigan Memories of the New York Central" published in the third quarter 2012 issue of Central Headlight by the New York Central System Historical Society (opens as a PDF in a separate window). We also present a 1940 New York Central roster published in Railroad Magazine, by permission of Carstens Publications, then publishers of successor magazine Railroad & Railfan, and a 1944 steam roster appearing in the late Alvin F. Staufer's Steam Power of the New York Central System, Volume 1, by permission of the same publishers as requested by the New York Central System Historical Society.

The older steam photos here come from the 1930s, in many cases prior to the system-wide locomotive renumbering of 1936. These are generally from unknown photographers, though a few are identified. Some are photos of motive power delivered after World War II, including the last classes of steam engines ordered by the system. For additional commentary on my New York Central photography in the 1950s, visit the New York Central page in Richard Leonard's Steam Locomotive Archive. A few additional photos of NYC steam operating on the Michigan Central's Canada Southern subsidiary appear in the Canada section of our Random Steam Photo Collection. Some of the technical and historical information in the commentaries can be credited to the two-volume Steam Locomotives of the New York Central Lines by William D. Edson and H. Lansing Vail (volume I, 1997; volume 2, 2002), published by the New York Central System Historical Society.

Click on the selections below to bring up a full size image with commentary. You can also page through the collection sequentially. In most cases, locomotives are listed in order by their final number, although the photo may show an older number; photos from NYC subsidiary lines appear below those for the NYC proper. For further enjoyment, explore the links at left, including The Diesel Collection. And have some fun with my NYC Fantasy Steam.

Dr. Richard Leonard

Note: In the specifications for steam locomotives, cylinder dimensions are stated as diameter times stroke (e.g., 26x30). The abbreviation p.s.i. applied to boiler pressure designates pounds per square inch.


NYC 817 Class Fx 4-6-0	NYC 823 I-10h 4-4-2	NYC 1015 Class C 4-4-0	NYC 2981 G-16k 2-8-0	NYC 1153 G-46h 2-8-0
NYC 1162 G-46h 2-8-0	NYC 1198 G-46L 2-8-0	NYC 1235 F-12a 4-6-0	NYC 1240 F-12e 4-6-0	NYC 1244 F-12e 4-6-0
NYC 1253 F-12e 4-6-0	NYC 1200s F-12 4-6-0s	NYC 1306 H-5j 2-8-2	NYC 1351 H-5p 2-8-2	NYC 1425 H-5t 2-8-2
NYC 1524 H-5f 2-8-2	NYC 1559 H-5o 2-8-2	NYC 1956 H-7e 2-8-2	NYC 1977 H-7e 2-8-2	NYC 2000 H-7c 2-8-2
NYC 2022 H-7c 2-8-2	NYC 2156 H-10a 2-8-2	NYC 2167 H-10a 2-8-2	NYC 2222 H-10a 2-8-2	NYC 2256 H-10a 2-8-2
NYC 2346 H-10b 2-8-2	NYC 2391 H-10b 2-8-2	NYC 2501 L-1a 4-8-2	NYC 2545 L-1b 4-8-2	NYC 2560 L-1b 4-8-2
NYC 2627 L-1c 4-8-2	NYC 2710 L-2a 4-8-2	NYC 2716 L-2a 4-8-2	NYC 2728 L-2a 4-8-2	NYC 2758 L-2a 4-8-2
NYC 2786 L-2a 4-8-2	NYC 2811 L-2c 4-8-2	NYC 2886 L-2c 4-8-2	NYC 2927 L-2d 4-8-2	NYC 2967 L-2d 4-8-2
NYC 3037 L-3b 4-8-2	NYC 3135 L-4b 4-8-2	NYC 3137 L-4b 4-8-2	NYC 3137 L-4b 4-8-2	NYC 3138 L-4b 4-8-2

NYC 4322 I-40a 4-4-2	NYC 3441 K-2k 4-6-2	NYC 4380 K-14g 4-6-2	NYC 4398 K-14f 4-6-2	NYC 4422 K-11a 4-6-2
NYC 4518 K-11b 4-6-2	NYC 4523 K-11d 4-6-2	NYC 4669 K-3q 4-6-2	NYC 4678 K-3q 4-6-2	NYC 4683 K-3q 4-6-2
NYC 4707 K-3p 4-6-2	NYC 4728 K-3n 4-6-2	NYC 4851 K-3g 4-6-2	NYC 4863 K-3k 4-6-2	NYC 4907 K-5b 4-6-2
NYC 4915 K-5b 4-6-2	NYC 4926 K-5a 4-6-2	NYC 4932 K-5b 4-6-2	NYC 4933 K-5b 4-6-2	NYC 5274 J-1c 4-6-4
NYC 5290 J-1d 4-6-4	NYC 5297 J-1d 4-6-4	NYC 5300 J-1d 4-6-4	NYC 5314 J-1d 4-6-4	NYC 5334 J-1e 4-6-4
NYC 5336 J-1e 4-6-4	NYC 5341 J-1e 4-6-4	NYC 5344 J-1e 4-6-4	NYC 5367 J-1d 4-6-4	NYC 5369 J-1d 4-6-4
NYC 5376 J-1d 4-6-4	NYC 5379 J-1d 4-6-4	NYC 5396 J-1e 4-6-4	NYC 5401 J-1e 4-6-4	NYC 5405 J-3a 4-6-4
NYC 5412 J-3a 4-6-4	NYC 5415 J-3a 4-6-4	NYC 5424 J-3a 4-6-4	NYC 5433 J-3a 4-6-4	NYC 5434 J-3a 4-6-4

NYC 5439 J-3a 4-6-4	NYC 5444 J-3a 4-6-4	NYC 5446 J-3a 4-6-4	NYC 5449 J-3a 4-6-4	NYC 5450 J-3a 4-6-4
NYC 5453 J-3a 4-6-4	NYC 5454 J-3a 4-6-4	NYC 5469 J-2c 4-6-4	NYC 5474 J-2c 4-6-4	NYC 5500 S-2a 4-8-4
NYC 6000 S-1a 4-8-4	NYC 6000 S-1a 4-8-4	NYC 6000 S-1a 4-8-4	NYC 6003 S-1b 4-8-4	NYC 6016 S-1b 4-8-4
NYC 6020 S-1b 4-8-4	NYC 6703 B-10v 0-6-0	NYC 6783 B-11p 0-6-0	NYC 6890 B-10w 0-6-0	NYC 6901 B-11a 0-6-0
NYC 7189 2-Truck Shay	NYC 7190 M-1d 0-10-0	NYC 7226 U-61 0-8-0	NYC 7271 U-1a 0-8-0	NYC 7293 U-1a 0-8-0
NYC 7344 U-2d 0-8-0	NYC 7456 U-2a 0-8-0	NYC 7538 U-2g 0-8-0	NYC 7539 U-2g 0-8-0	NYC 7640 U-3b 0-8-0
NYC 7641 U-3b 0-8-0	NYC 7643 U-3b 0-8-0	NYC 7718 U-3c 0-8-0	NYC 7796 U-3c 0-8-0	NYC 7912 U-3e 0-8-0
CCC&StL 6427 Kh 4-6-2	B&A 148 B-11o 0-6-0	B&A 242 C-37 4-4-0	B&A 306 D-2a 2-6-6T	B&A 404 D-1a 4-6-6T

B&A 551 Kj 4-6-2	B&A 559 KL 4-6-2	B&A 561 Km 4-6-2	B&A 578 K-14g 4-6-2	B&A 586 K-14g 4-6-2
B&A 595 K-6b 4-6-2	B&A 600 J-2a 4-6-4	B&A 616 J-2c 4-6-4	B&A 617 J-2c 4-6-4	B&A 618 J-2c 4-6-4
B&A 1040 G-6h 2-8-0	B&A 1104 Z-1 2-10-2	B&A 1200 H-5j 2-8-2	B&A 1209 H-5j 2-8-2	B&A 1408 A-1a 2-8-4
B&A 1410 A-1a 2-8-4	B&A 1435 A-1b 2-8-4	B&A 1439 A-1b 2-8-4	B&A 1441 A-1b 2-8-4	B&A 1452 A-1c 2-8-4
B&A 1454 A-1c 2-8-4	K&M 9501 H-Xa 2-8-2T	P&E 19 K-14b 4-6-2	P&E 31 H-5l 2-8-2	P&E 37 H-5o 2-8-2
P&E 47 L-1d 4-8-2	P&E 50 L-1c 4-8-2	P&E 52 L-1c 4-8-2	P&LE 199 H-10a 2-8-2	P&LE 216 H-10b 2-8-2
P&LE 9090 NU-1b 0-8-8-0	P&LE 9247 K-6a 4-6-2	P&LE 9248 K-6a 4-6-2	P&LE 9402 A-2a 2-8-4	P&LE 9405 A-2a 2-8-4
P&LE 9505 H-9b 2-8-2	PMcK&Y 9218 F-105 4-6-0	PMcK&Y 9558 H-8b 2-8-2	NYC&HR 999 4-4-0	Commodore Vanderbilt Leaflet