The Home Machinist!

Near Newport News, VA the Ft Eustis Army Transportation Museum has aircraft of all sorts, marine vessels of all sorts and a couple of steam locomotives on exhibit. A consolidation (without lagging) and a narrow gauge tank 0-6-0 switcher.

BC

Fort Eustis is great. I always wanted to back there. I stopped there on way back from a machinery auction and my vehicle was overloaded, hot and so was I. I had some great time looking at the grand armored vehicles and helicopters .. Oh I forgot the loco's ( heck I wasn't into everything) but I remember reaching for the camera and it was shot or out of film. That wasn't the first time I knew there was a whole different world and history about steam and the ways they worked. In a way, it was a box I didn't open. Even though one grand Dad and his son/ one of my uncles were immersed in it. I was so young then but dang, when you can actually see the reciprocation and slides, valves and heavy work to maintain... wow.

My father was at Ft. Eustis in the transportation corps and was an engineer. He was a locomotive electrician on the Wabash RR so he already had railroad experience and knew how to operate at least the diesel locomotives. He also got to operate the steam on post with the 610 (which is at TVRRM now) being his favorite steam engine to run.
On days the C&O was too busy to bring cars up to post the C&O would allow the army guys to make the trip down to C&O's Lee Hall interchange so long as they were operating diesels. By the late 50's the C&O wanted nothing to do with any steam out on its tracks.
if I can find them I have scanned what few pictures he has left that he took while stationed at Ft. Eustis.

as promised some time back here are some pictures my father took while at Ft. Eustis VA. He was there in 1958 and 1959. Also there are acouple pictures taken at the docks in Newport News.

The 610 today is alive and well at the TVRR museum in Chattanooga TN but in a modified form to look a bit more american. The 610 in the late 50's was only about 10 years old and was still like a new locomotive with very little wear from its use around the base. This was my fathers favorite steam engine to run at Ft. Eustis. My father running the 2037 emd switch enginea picture taken out the back of a caboose while riding around the base at Ft.Eustis

a few more

the yard shack as I recall is the same one that is in one of Don Ball's color picture books. Don Ball was the director of railway operations during this period at Ft.Eustis. One night while my father was running the 0-6-0 thru the yard someone had put several torpedo's on the rail right outside this yard shack to be funny. Just as he was passing by a switchman came out of the shack and was hit by pieces of flying metal from them and got some severe cuts to his face.

Here are some pictures of the docks at Newport News. The military shipped a lot of stuff thru here in the day.

Thanks! These are super high definition or however you transposed them. Each photo can be expanded and clear. Great engines.