2174 and the other Y6bs were notably some of the most powerful steam locomotives ever built, being able to pull heavy freight and coal trains, unassisted.

2174 was retired from the N&W, and it was quickly sold to a scrap dealer, the United Iron & Metal Company, who stored the locomotive in their scrapyard for the next several years.

[4][5] The railway's mechanical engineering team was working to refine the company's Y series 2-8-8-2 compound mallets, despite the concept having been phased out on most other railroads.

[9] After World War II ended, the N&W decided to construct a bypass grade in their Bluefield Division, to discontinue their electrified section there.

[10][11] The end of their electrification, along with the post-war growth for the coal industry, encouraged the N&W to add more mallets to their roster, and the Railway's mechanical engineering team made multiple upgrades to the existing Y6 design.

[12] Other modifications made for the Y6bs included roller bearings for all of the tender axles, a larger diameter smokestack, and a manual reducing valve to switch the mallet between simple and compound operations at any speed.

[12][2] The Y6bs still retained some features that were previously applied to their predecessors, including a boiler pressure of 300 psi (2.07 MPa), 58-inch (1,500 mm) diameter driving wheels, and tenders that held 30 short tons (60,000 lb) of coal and 20,000 US gallons (76,000 L) of water.

2197 was built with a booster valve that allowed superheated high-pressure steam into the low-pressure cylinders, resulting in its tractive effort being boosted to 170,000 lbf (756.20 kN).

[12][13] 13 short tons (26,000 lb) had to be added to its front chassis frame to prevent wheel slippage, and all of the other Y6bs were subsequently rebuilt with these upgrades.

[2] In 1955, after realizing the economic challenges of keeping and operating an all-steam locomotive fleet, the N&W decided to begin purchasing diesels, with some RS-11s and GP9s being ordered from ALCO and EMD, respectively.

[16][17] The Y6b hauled it through the N&W's Pocahontas Division to Iaeger, and then it traveled over the Dry Fork Branch to Cedar Bluff.

2174 was sold to the United Iron & Metal Company, and the locomotive was stored in their scrapyard in Roanoke, along with fellow Y6b No.

[19][20][22] During 1975, some local preservationists, including the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS), made an attempt to acquire No.

[23] This decision stirred controversy among local railfans, including retired N&W employees who had operated Mallets in revenue service.