re: The first steam locomotive

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I am partial to the Southern Ps-4 (streamlined or not)

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I usually prefer my machines to look like what they are. Here's the last remaining Southern Railway Ps-4, in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.


Source: Wikipedia

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[T]he C&O H8 Allegheny the only locomotive that could drag a UP Big Boy around like a chihuahua on a leash.

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In this context "drag" very clearly means starting tractive effort--how hard it can pull from a stop, tug-o-war-style--and here's a ranking for that:
Virginian AE class - 176,600 lbs (none remain)
Norfolk & Western Y6 class - 170,000 lbs (one remains, No. 2156, not operational)
Union Pacific Big Boy, second series - 138,240 lbs (some remain, none operational)
Union Pacific Big Boy, first series - 135,375 lbs (Union Pacific 4014 operational)
Norfolk & Western A class - 114,000 lbs (one remains, No. 1218, last operational ca. 1989)
Chesapeake & Ohio H8 class - 110,200 lbs

How if you mean by power, i.e. speed times hard-pulling, then yes, the H8 may be king.

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Which railroad?

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Chicago & Northwestern
The line was originally the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad when they were donated the rights of way by the local farmers in order to obtain railway service to their communities. This branch line was finally abandoned and the tracks removed in 1961.

Since there seems to have been a lot of interest in the subject I will post my summary of the experience for those who wish to read it.

Operating the Locomotive

At the age of 12, I had the privilege of my first ( and only ) opportunity to run a steam locomotive.
I lived near the tracks and was down by the east grain elevator hunting sparrows with my Daisy air rifle when the local freight train which was sorting cars stopped on the side track immediately adjacent to where I was.
I stood in a narrow walkway between two buildings immediately adjacent to the tracks and when the engine stopped directly in front of me the engineer looked down at me and asked "Hey boy, do you want a ride?" Naturally I said "sure", and he said "Then put your gun down and I will give you a hand."
He reached down and pulled me up into the cab with him and the fireman and then had me sit on his lap by the controls. Once on board, he explained the engine controls to me and then had me throw the shifting lever from ”neutral” to the “forward” position. He then instructed me to put my hand on the steam throttle valve lever and open it ”VERRRY SLOWLY”. Unfortunately his definition of "very slowly" and that of a highly excited young boy were somewhat different. Needless to say I turned the valve too far too quickly and proceeded to spin the drivers causing the engineer to grab his hand over mine and bring the engine back under control, after which he again opened it as necessary for a nice slow start. He then helped me get the feel as we moved the short string of cars out past the switch and onto the main line, then paused the train while the conductor/brakeman played switchman. I was then allowed to reverse the grip and slowly back the train toward the other cars sitting on the main line. He took over to reconnect and re-split the train at the appropriate locations. I was then allowed to throw the lever forward and run the throttle and proceed out past the switch again. After the switch was thrown to the side track I was again allowed to reverse the train until it was necessary for him to control the decoupling action. I thought that I was getting to be an old hand at running steam locomotives by then, but after a couple of trips back and forth, he then told me that that was all of the switching, and that they had to go on down the line now.
My ride was over, but before helping me down he took a time card and wrote a note to my parents for me. My mother passed that note on to me after having kept it for about sixty years and I now have it to share with my children and grandchildren.
The note reads "Mr, a good boy you have, I had him on the engine and gave him a ride." It was signed by the engineer whose name was E. A. Radeunz and who lived in a Norfolk, NE.
That act of kindness would have gotten both the engineer and fireman fired today but it gave me a memory that has lasted for more than 77 years and that I share with you today.

Legit CSB. That's cool as shite.

The last few generations of steam engines were beautiful machines. Nothing like them.

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The last few generations of steam engines were beautiful machines. Nothing like them.

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I'm just a bit younger than ImaObserver, born in 1954. More recently, I was surprised to learn that steam engines were still running around when I was a child. But I never recall seeing one at the time, and I always thought of them as something out of old westerns, not something surviving into my childhood.

I was able to catch the UP Big Boy when it went through the Chicago area a few years back. Man, what a machine!