USATC S160 2-8-0 OO Gauge

No.1604 had the honour of being the first S160 to be displayed publicly when on the 11^th December 1942 it was exhibited at Paddington station and officially handed over to Lord Leathers, Minister of War Transport, by Colonel N.A. Ryan,  Chief of Transportation, US Army. Overall, the GWR had the largest number of S160 locomotives on loan, with a total of 174 locomotives operating across the GWR network. No.1604 was allocated to Newport Ebbw Junction Shed prior to transfer to the continent and use by the SNCB before scrapping in 1946/7.

The London, Midland and Scottish Railway took delivery of a total of 50 locomotives. The engines were concentrated on a small number of sheds including Shrewsbury (4A), Crewe South (5B), Mold Junction (6B) and Toton (18A). As a result, they saw restricted usage on parts of the LMS network, mostly working on the Southern sections.  No.2415 was a standard American Locomotive Company (ALCO) engine and has been depicted in wartime condition. It was subsequently sent to Germany and worked from the Koblenz-Lutzel shed, before finally moving to Hungary with MAV and becoming 411.290.

The London and North Eastern Railway had the second-largest number of S160 locomotive allocations, with a total of 168 engines. These could be found all across the LNER network including Scotland, with large numbers of engines based at over a dozen sheds.  The largest concentrations were found in East Anglia serving many of the air bases which relied upon the railways. No.1712 was commissioned at Swindon works prior to delivery to the LNER. Once transferred to the continent, the engine was sent to Germany and worked from the Mainz-Bischofsheim shed, before finally moving to Hungary with MAV and becoming 411.147.

The Southern Railway had the smallest contingent of S160 allocations, with only 6 locomotives sent on loan. This was due to the SR electrification scheme, meaning that the railway had a healthy surplus of steam locomotives available for wartime traffic, allowing other regions to take more S160 locomotives. They arrived on the SR relatively late, just ready for the preparations for the D-Day landings. Many S160 locomotives were commissioned in SR works and allowed to run-in on SR metals before being dispatched to other regions.
No.2356 was transferred to Germany in September 1944 and worked from the Mainz-Bischofsheim shed before moving to Austria as OBB 956.123.

In 1946 the Longmoor Military Railway arranged an exchange of equipment with their counterparts at Fort Eustis in America. In return for an Austerity and WD 2-8-0 Fort Eustis sent an S160 2-8-0 and S100 0-6-0 (their comparable counterparts) to Longmoor.
The S160 was named Major General Carl R Gray Jr after the Army Director of Railway Services for North Africa, Italy and Northwest Europe. The engine originally carried the number 93257 after arrival at Longmoor. The loco was subsequently sent to Bagnalls in Staffordshire for overhaul in 1954. Upon return in 1955, the engine was painted in lined blue LMR livery and carried the number 700. Unfortunately, it was subsequently involved in an incident leaving flats on all driving wheels and with spares unavailable, the engine was cut up at Longmoor in 1957.

No.5820 was built by Lima in 1945 and sent straight to Poland as part of the war effort. At the end of hostilities the engine was taken into Polish State Railways stock as TR203-474 and later gained an ALCO boiler from another class member. The engine was mostly based at the Katowice steam shed in Silesia, but was eventually withdrawn and preserved at the Polish Railway Museum in Warsaw. An approach by a member of the Diplomatic Corps in the late 1970s led to the engine being made available for purchase and use on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.
It arrived in November 1977 and entered traffic the following year with its Polish number and livery. The engine briefly ran on the mainline, working to Shipley to turn on the triangle, ready for filming 'Yanks' for which the engine was repainted in original livery and number 5820. Following a period out of use from 1992 the engine returned to service in 2014, operating regularly until the expiry of its boiler certificate in 2023. During this period it carried its original number and livery.

One of the last S160 locomotives built No.6046 was sent directly to France towards the end of the War. When its use with the SNCF came to an end, the engine found its way to Hungary where it became MAV 411.144 with the Hungarian State Railways. It spent most of its time in Hungary working on industrial lines before being withdrawn for preservation in the Hungarian National Collection. However, an error meant the loco was sent for scrap. Fortunately, it was saved and moved to the UK, steaming for the first time in 2012. Since then, 6046 has been a regular performer at various heritage railways and has recently undergone an overhaul at the CVR once again, returning to traffic in October 2023.

No.2253 arrived in the UK in May 1943, where it was loaned to the LNER and based at Neville Hill in Leeds. It was returned to the USATC in September 1944 and sent to France, eventually working for the SNCB at Aarschot. The engine was later bought by the Polish State Railway and became TR203-288. No.2253 returned to the UK in 1992 and entered traffic on the NYMR for a short period. The locomotive was later sold to Peter Best and cosmetically restored prior to display at Locomotion in Shildon. In 2019 the locomotive steamed again, carrying a lined maroon livery and later that year was named Omaha. It has subsequently appeared at several preserved railways on hire.

For a short period after overhaul in 2014, Big Jim briefly appeared on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway carrying a pseudo-BR livery. The engine carried the number 95820 with an 8F power classification on the cabside, early BR emblem and overhead warning flashes.
The engine was subsequently repainted into a more authentic light grey livery with No.5820 – a livery which it has carried since.

No.5197 was completed in 1945 and exported directly to China in 1946 for use by the Chinese State Railways. The engine became part of the KD6 class and was numbered KD6.463. It worked around Fushun in the Chinese coal fields until withdrawal in the early 1990s. In 1995 the engine was saved from scrapping by Derek Foster and brought to the UK for restoration. After overhaul on the Llangollen Railway, it returned to traffic in 1998. Subsequently purchased by Greg Wilson, it moved to the Churnet Valley Railway to join his other S160 No.6046. The engine has visited many preserved lines on visits away from its home at the CVR, where it can be seen in operation today.