The Chesapeake and Ohio class H-8 steam locomotives were nicknamed Alleghenies. The name referred to the Alleghany Mountains and the demanding mountain route where the locomotives hauled heavy trains.
Built by Lima Locomotive Works, the H-8s were massive 2-6-6-6 simple articulated locomotives. Sixty were constructed between 1941 and 1948. They were designed primarily for heavy freight, especially loaded coal trains moving across the Chesapeake and Ohio system.
The Alleghenies ranked among the most powerful steam locomotives ever built. On difficult grades, two H-8s could handle an 11,500-ton, 140-car coal train, with one locomotive leading and another pushing from the rear. Testing on other divisions produced drawbar readings above 7,000 horsepower.
The nickname should not be confused with “Berkshire,” a 2-8-4 wheel arrangement used by other railroads, or “Challenger,” a 4-6-6-4 articulated type. Only two H-8s survived: numbers 1601 and 1604.