World War 1 Gov't Run RRs-Locos

[john]

Greetings. John Kyler has found an interesting, though cropped, photo of an engine with a big U S on the tender, and the number 231 under the cab window. The engine seems to be a 4-4-0 type. Seems to me that Frisco engines while under Gov't control had Frisco in large letters on the tender with number under cab window. Several photos showing this are around (see photo of Frisco 4-6-2 #1060 in Joe Collias' Frisco Power). Questtions:
1. anyone know details about John's engine pic?
2. did Gov't number any engines in manner described
above? If so, is a list available?
John Mann jmannmanny@aol.com

[pjb]

This sounds like Civil War locomotive, as they did not build 4-4-0s for use by military in Great War.
The locos in Collias' book are USRA period locomotives which , while connected with government administration of railroads secondary to war induced congestion (and failure of private ownership to deal with chaos), was a nonmilitary operation.
A U.S. Military Raiways loco would be an early loco: without electrical,or pneumatic appliances; with a wooden cab, with wood carrying tender and woodburning smokebox. So look for those features on a Civil War. I.U.Press is bringing out book on USRA locos. There are dozens of books with photos of Civil War locos with large US on them.
Good-Luck, Peter