Nickel Plate Road class H-6o
| Industry | Locomotive manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 9, 1825 (in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States) |
| Fate | Defunct |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
The Nickel Plate Road H-6o series comprised 15 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam engines constructed in 1918 by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Lake Erie and Western Railroad (LE&W). After the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (NYC&StL), commonly known as the Nickel Plate Road (NKP), acquired the LE&W in 1922, these locomotives were renumbered from 586 to 600 during 1923–1924.
History
Initially assigned numbers 5540 through 5554 under LE&W, these locomotives were absorbed into the NKP roster following the takeover. Between 1945 and 1946, eleven units—specifically numbers 586, 588, 589, 591, 592, 594 through 598, and 600—were sold to the National Railways of Mexico (NdeM), where they were subsequently dismantled. Only one locomotive, Nickel Plate Road No. 587, has survived preservation.
Preservation
Nickel Plate Road No. 587, originally LE&W No. 5541, was withdrawn from service in 1955 and donated to Indianapolis for static exhibition in Broad Ripple Park, where it remained for nearly three decades. In 1983, a group named "The Friends of the 587" was established; they carried out a feasibility assessment and initiated restoration efforts. After five years of work, the locomotive resumed operation in 1988, hauling its inaugural revenue train between Indianapolis and Logansport, Indiana.
In 1989, No. 587 took part in double- and triple-header excursion runs alongside Norfolk & Western Nos. 611 and 1218. Throughout the 1990s, it frequently operated excursion trips paired with NKP 'Berkshire' No. 765.
On June 28, 2018, a court mandated that No. 587 be removed from the ITM shops by July 12 or face scrapping. Subsequently, the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation arranged for its relocation to Ravenna, Kentucky, where it was stored alongside Chesapeake & Ohio No. 2716 until restoration funding could be secured; plans included eventually returning it to Indiana. Ownership transferred on March 5, 2021 to a private entity collaborating with Kentucky Steam Heritage on its future restoration. Presently, the locomotive remains disassembled in Ravenna awaiting a restoration strategy.
As of January 23, 2025, No. 587 is scheduled for auction due to outstanding storage fees. The sealed-bid auction closes on February 25; the successful bidder must remove both the engine and tender within sixty days after notification.
Accidents and incidents
- On September 12, 1943, Nickel Plate Road No. 590 (formerly LE&W No. 5544) experienced a derailment at Brocton, New York. It was repaired and returned to service until its retirement in February 1944; it was later scrapped at Canneaut, Ohio.
Fleet numbers
1957 Scrapped| LE&W No. | NKP No. | Construction Date | Serial Number | Retirement Date | Disposition Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5540 | 586 | September 1918 | 49682 | |||
| Scrapped | ||||||
| 5541 | 587 | September 1918 | 49683 | March 1955 | 1955 | Stored awaiting restoration in Ravenna, Kentucky |
| 5542 | 588 | September 1918 | 49684 | |||
| Scrapped | ||||||
| 5543 | 589 | September 1918 | 49718 | |||
| Scrapped | ||||||
| 5544 | 590 | September 1918 | 49719 | February 1944 | ||
| Scrapped | ||||||
| 5545 | 591 | September 1918 | 49720 | |||
| Scrapped | ||||||
| 5546 | 592 | September 1918 | 49721 | |||
| Scrapped | ||||||
| 5547 | 593 | September 1918 | 49722 | |||
| Scrapped | ||||||
| 5548 | 594 | September 1918 | 49723 | |||
| Scrapped | ||||||
| 5549 | 595 | September 1918 | 49724 | |||
| Scrapped | ||||||
| 5550 | 596 | September 1918 | 49725 |