U.S. Army Transportation Command 2-8-0 No. 2253 'OMAHA'
Grosmont, Yorkshire, UK 		Location: North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Status: Operational
Posted: Apr 23, 2026 @ 19:04:32 by Russell Newman
The newly oil fired ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", made her first moves under steam at Grosmont for the first time in a year and will be undergoing a series of test runs and footplate crew training before entering service again at the the North Yorkshire Moors Railway soon, and her fuel status should now say oil.
Posted: Apr 3, 2026 @ 16:04:37 by Russell Newman
Steam tests are now underway on the ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", to test out its new oil firing in the coming weeks before entering service again at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in May of 2026. As for the plans to take it mainline it turned out to be an April fools joke which took out a number of people, including me.
Posted: Mar 26, 2026 @ 21:03:34 by Russell Newman
Now fully converted to oil firing which its fuel status should now say oil, the ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", has been connected back up to its newly converted tender ready for steam testing on its new fuel and ready for the 2026 running season at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Posted: Mar 8, 2026 @ 20:03:47 by Russell Newman
The convertion to oil fired on ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", has now been completed and the locomotive is now fully oil fired and ready for testing at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. In another surpise move it has been annouced that No. 2253 will go mainline this year as its owners Steam Powered Services Ltd are fitting it with electrical and other equipment for mainline running on Network Rail, which this will be the first time since 1944 that No. 2253 has operated on the mainlines of the UK since it left for Europe during the D-Day Landings during the Second World War.
Posted: Oct 18, 2025 @ 10:10:38 by Russell Newman
The fuel status should now say oil as ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", is being converted to being oil fired.
Posted: Oct 16, 2025 @ 16:10:04 by Steve Frost, European Editor
Thanks to Martin for his contribution. We are aware of the question of origins of the loco. I have left it as the Baldwin data simply because it carries that plate (see the album photos) However, your contribution will be seen by those who visit the page and it is important that the information is there to be seen.
Posted: Oct 13, 2025 @ 12:10:56 by Martin Baumann
The PKP number is correctly given as Tr203-288 but other details are wrong. This is ALCO 70571 1943 ex USATC 2089 USATC 2253 Baldwin 64696 1943 became PKP Tr203-289 The two locos seem to have exchanged worksplates (and possibly boilers) in Poland
Posted: Sep 8, 2025 @ 13:09:01 by Russell Newman
The newly built oil fuel tank being built as part of the convertion to oil fired on ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", is nearing completion at Riley & Son Engineering Ltd, along with repair work to the tender. When completed the oil fuel tank will be placed in the bunker of the tender for a trial fitting.
Posted: Aug 17, 2025 @ 06:08:46 by Russell Newman
The convertion to oil fired on ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is progressing well, as the new oil control valve has been trialed fitted to the locomotive along with work on the boiler top manifold which is ready to lift down so the steam supply to the oil controls can be made fit and smokebox door is on clean up for painting. As part on the convertion to oil fired the ash pan is being converted into a firepan.
Posted: Apr 14, 2025 @ 13:04:32 by Russell Newman
The tender of ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", is being sent to Riley & Son Engineering Ltd for its new oil tank to be fitted as part of its convertion to oil fired, while work on the locomotive continues as Grosmont shed as other components being ordered and being progressed.
Posted: Jan 6, 2025 @ 06:01:29 by Russell Newman
Having worked its last trains over the New Year and early part of this year as a coal fired steam locomotive, the ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", has entered the workshops at Grosmont shed for its winter maintenance and work for its conversion to oil firing.
Posted: Sep 20, 2024 @ 11:09:37 by Russell Newman
The ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", has now left the Dartmouth Steam Railway and has arrived back at its home on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway at Grosmont in Yorkshire, in time for its staring roll in their Annual Steam Gala from the 26th to 29th of September 2024.
Posted: Jul 29, 2024 @ 12:07:51 by Russell Newman
Due to be heading to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway soon, it turns out that ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", is now leaving the Dartmouth Steam Railway and relocating back to her former home at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to become part of their main home running fleet. It has also been announced that No. 2253 will be converted from Coal fired to oil fired, which will be the first full size steam oil conversion in the UK since the end of steam. It follows on from the news that ex War Department (Dub-Dee) Austerity 2-10-0 No. 3672 "Dame Vera Lynn", is also due to return from overhaul as an oil fired locomotive. No. 2253 will be the first of the UK based S160 Class 2-8-0 Steam locomotives to run on oil in preservation, which the work will be carried out by American based FMW Solutions who will be assisted by the NYMR’s Engineering Department for the conversion. The work on converting No. 2253 to oil firing will take place over the winter period of 2024 into 2025.
Posted: Jul 17, 2024 @ 12:07:37 by Russell Newman
The ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", is to make a return visit to her former home at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for their Annual Steam Gala from the 26th to 29th of September 2024.
Posted: Jan 10, 2024 @ 14:01:18 by Russell Newman
Sadly due to a mechanical fault while being tested at the Severn Valley Railway, the visit of ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA", to the Great Central Railway for their Winter Steam Gala, has had to be canceled while the locomotive undergo’s repairs.
Posted: Dec 22, 2023 @ 06:12:38 by Russell Newman
The ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA" is visiting the Great Central Railway for the very first time to star in their Annual Winter Steam Gala from the 26th to 28th of January 2024. This will also be the first time the locomotive will be seen running on a British mainline since it left the UK for France and then later Poland During the D-Day Landings in 1944.
Posted: Sep 8, 2023 @ 11:09:57 by Russell Newman
The ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA" will be staying a bit longer at the Severn Valley Railway into the New Year as No. 2253 will be taking part in the Severn Valley Railway’s first ever Winter Steam Gala on the weekend of the 6th and 7th of January 2024.
Posted: Aug 25, 2023 @ 11:08:36 by Russell Newman
The ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA" is to visit the Severn Valley Railway for the very first time to star at their Autumn Steam Gala on the 14th to 17th of September 2023. This will also be the first time that an ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 Class 2-8-0 will have worked along the Severn Valley line in preservation then too.
Posted: Nov 26, 2019 @ 04:11:44 by Russell Newman
The former United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA" will stay a little longer at the Churnet Valley Railway for their Super Power Weekend Take 2 on the 1st and 2nd of February 2020. As the first Super Power that would have seen three S160 2-8-0s working together since 1944 was cancelled due flood damage to the Churnet Valley line. No. 2253 will work alongside Churnet Valley based sister S160s No. 5197 and 6046 which will be something special. After this No. 2253 move to the Dartmouth Steam Railway to start its 10 year loan to them.
Posted: Nov 4, 2019 @ 10:11:50 by Russell Newman
Ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA" will be staying at the Churnet Valley Railway over the winter till New Year following a deal with its owner and the Dartmouth Steam Railway which will see the locomotive working their Santa Specials and their post-Christmas Winter Warmers to Ipstones.
Posted: Oct 26, 2019 @ 13:10:48 by Russell Newman
No. 2253 "OMAHA" was one of the 800 S160 Class 2-8-0s that did work in the UK during the Second World War between 1943 and 1944. No. 2253 was built in 1942 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia U.S.A. and shipped to the UK in 1943 and was loaned to the LNER where she operated out of Neville Hill depot in Leeds till 1944. Following the D-Day Landings she was returned to the USATC Stock and went to France where she assisted with the allied advancement that ended the Second World War. After this the locomotive ended up in Poland where she was sold to the Polish State Railway and became No. TR2003-288. She operated out in Poland till 1992 when the locomotive was bought for preservation in the UK for use at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. No. 2253 ran at the Moors line till the end of her boiler ticket in 2002. Unpopular with footplate crews there the locomotive was sold to its current owner Peter Best in 2013, and was cosmetically restored for a World War 2 display at the Locomotion Museum in Shildon. After this she was moved to Northern Steam Engineering at Stockton on Tees for a full overhaul back in to traffic again that was completed in 2019. The locomotive is based at the Dartmouth Steam Railway in Devon on a 10 year loan to them. Its livery its in is loosely based on the colours of the Canadian Pacific Railroad and was named “Omaha” in memory of D-Day veterans who landed on Omaha Beach including its owners father.
Posted: Sep 30, 2019 @ 10:09:46 by Russell Newman
S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA" will be visiting the Churnet Valley Railway for a special groundbreaking event on the 26th of October 2019 in aid of returning trains to Leek for the first time since 1970! Dubbed Super Power Saturday the event will see No. 2253 join sister Churnet Valley based S160s No. 5197 and 6046 a awesome site of three S160 2-8-0s working together in the UK for the first time since 1944.
Posted: Aug 28, 2019 @ 10:08:49 by Russell Newman
Before her move to the Dartmouth Steam Railway for her 10 year stay ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 "OMAHA" will take part in the Autumn Steam Gala at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on September 27th to 29th 2019.
Posted: Jul 17, 2019 @ 11:07:56 by Russell Newman
The ex United States Army Transportation Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 was today steamed and moved under its own steam for the first time in two decades at Grosmont Shed on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. No. 2353 will begin testing and running in trials on the Moors line before moving to the Dartmouth Steam Railway for her Ten year loan there. The Locomotive has been painted in a Maroon livery very to that on the Canadian Pacific railway.
Posted: Jun 6, 2019 @ 10:06:22 by Russell Newman
Now officerly named S160 No. 2253 "OMAHA" was steamed for the very first time today which marks the end of its overhaul and rebuild.
Posted: Jun 3, 2019 @ 13:06:31 by Russell Newman
As part of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and as a tribute and honour to the D-Day Heroes ex United States Army Transport Corps S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 is to be officially named ‘OMAHA’. No. 2253 ‘OMAHA’ is in its final stages of overhaul and will soon begin test runs on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway before taking up residence at the Dartmouth Steam Railway from July 2019.
Posted: Feb 12, 2019 @ 13:02:33 by Russell Newman
S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 has been moved to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway today for testing and running in following completion of its overhaul and will stay on the Moors line till early April when it will move to the Dartmouth Steam Railway for a 10 year stay with them.
Posted: Oct 15, 2018 @ 14:10:17 by Russell Newman
Now in the final stages of its overhaul it has been confirmed by its owners that S160 2-8-0 No. 2253 will be sent to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for running in trials before it moves to the Dartmouth Steam Railway for the 2019 season.
Posted: Aug 13, 2018 @ 05:08:03 by Russell Newman
It has been confirmed that when S160 No. 2253 returns to steam later this year or early 2019 the locomotive will be painted in the livery of Canadian Pacific Railroad which will be something very different on the UK heritage railway circuit.
Posted: Mar 29, 2016 @ 14:03:24 by Russell Newman
2253 is currently at Stockton on Tees being overhauled and when completed it will be based at the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway.
Posted: May 4, 2014 @ 14:05:10 by Steve Frost
I can answer my own question. It has been sold and will be displayed at the National Railway Museums Shildon centre following cosmetic restoration.
Posted: Mar 9, 2004 @ 15:03:36 by Steve Frost
No news on the sale, but costings for overhaul are being sought. Will it stay on NYMR?
Posted: Mar 31, 2003 @ 06:03:10 by Steve Frost
World War 2 loco built for operations in Europe, many worked on various British railways before being shipped to the continent. This one ended up working for PKP in Poland before being returned to the UK. (the front buffer shanks are PKP items)Currently out of traffic and up for sale.