#2849

Chesapeake and Ohio class M-1

🇺🇸 United States ·built by Baldwin Locomotive Works· from 1947· class of 3 coal-fired steam-turbine-electric locomotives

🚂 steam locomotive steam retired

2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. Chesapeake and Ohio Railway steam turbine locomotive 500: The only mark on the card is EKE.· Public domain
2. TRAIN S USA CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO RAILROAD CLASS M-1 & PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD V1 STEAM TURBINE LOCOMOTIVES - (LH PIC) ARTIST'S CONCEPT IN POPULAR MECHANICS JUNE 1945: ausdew· Public domain

Read about it on Wikipedia ↗

what is it?

The Chesapeake and Ohio class M-1 was a fleet of three steam turbine locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1947–1948 for service on the Chessie streamliner. As diesel locomotives became more prevalent following World War II, the C&O was one of several railroads that were reluctant to abandon coal as a fuel source, and saw coal-fueled steam turbine technology as a possible alternative to diesel. At the time of its construction, the M-1 was the longest single-unit locomotive in the world.

who runs it

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

base stats

speed 161 km/htop speed
power 4.5 MWpower output
weight 389 tin working order
built 3made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

First built 79 years ago, in 1947.
Top speed is 1.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 15 minutes.
4.5 MW is about 53 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
Weighs about as much as 65 African elephants (~6 t each).
46.9 m long: about 10 cars parked nose to tail.
Served for 3 years (1947–1950).

steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.

spec sheet

built: 1947–1948
in service from: 1947
retired: 1950
status: retired
number built: 3
kind: Steam turbine electric
traction: steam
origin: 🇺🇸 United States
builders: Baldwin Locomotive Works
operators: Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
top speed: 161 km/h
power: 4.5 MW
gauge: 1,435 mm standard gauge
wheel arrangement: 4-8-0+4-8-4 (4 nopwr leading
length: 46.9 m
weight: 389 t
nicknames: Sacred Cow

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q1022255, Wikipedia: Chesapeake and Ohio class M-1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.