Locomotive

A locomotive (also known as a train engine) is a type of railroad vehicle, examples of which can be found throughout the Mojave Wasteland, the Commonwealth and Appalachia.

Overview
Railroads were used for transporting freight in the pre-War United States, used by locomotives of several different companies. In the Mojave Wasteland, locomotives of the Barstow Express company are found. While an operational example cannot be found, due to the deathclaw infestation, Chomps Lewis at Sloan will tell the Courier that what they dig from their quarry is shipped off by train to the New Vegas Strip and other parts of the Mojave Wasteland. However, should the infestation be removed, the bartender of Boulder City will mention the trains are to become operational once more.

In the Commonwealth, these locomotives were used by NH&M to haul railcars and cargo, having a highly advanced design with an elevated driver's cab and the nuclear engine suspended high above the track. It served as an effective mode of rail transport and its use was widespread across the region. Trains found in Appalachia are the same model as those found in the Commonwealth, however, they are operated by the New Appalachian Railroad company. Some, if not all models, were even automated. Locomotives of an unknown type are mentioned to still have functioned shortly after the Great War in the Capital Wasteland, utilized by settlers to leave the region from the Union Station.

Fallout: New Vegas

 * A lone engine sits on the tracks at the Boulder City train station
 * One is attached to several boxcars in the gypsum train yard.
 * One can be found in the rail yard at Callville Bay.

Fallout 4

 * A well-preserved example, along with several boxcars and flatbeds, can be found at Bedford Station.
 * One can be found east along the tracks near Starlight Drive In.
 * One is on a red bridge, northeast of Egret Tours Marina.

Fallout 76

 * One can be found at Watoga Station with several boxcars.
 * Several can be found in the New Appalachian central trainyard.
 * One can be found in Harpers Ferry, which has a whistle that can be blown. Doing so is a requirement for the Possum: Rail enthusiast badge.

Appearances
Locomotives appear in Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76.

Behind the scenes

 * Locomotives in the Fallout series are based, at least in part, on real-world locomotive design. The locomotives in the Mojave Wasteland are very similar in appearance to the iconic F-Unit series of locomotives manufactured between 1939 and 1960 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. The locomotives in the Commonwealth appear to be inspired by the T1 Class and S2 Class locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad, manufactured between 1942 and 1946.
 * The locomotive at the entrance to Boulder City is adorned with the logo for the fictional Barstow Express. This may be a reference to William Barstow Strong, the former president of the real world Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.
 * It is unknown as to how these vehicles were powered. While the real-world F-series and T1 class locomotives were diesel-electric and steam-powered, respectively, the pre-War oil crisis and lack of a coal tender on Fallout 4 locomotive suggest that they may be powered via alternative means.