In the previous picture [id=380222968] I mentioned a dynamometer large enough to accept a locomotive. Here's a picture of it.

This is only a guess, but I'd think the cylindrical objects are water-cooled Prony brakes that absorb the effort from the locomotive's drivers, while measuring horsepower. There's also a force gauge that attaches to the locomotive's coupler to measure tractive effort.

I don't recall if the Civil Engineering department owned this, or if it was managed by the Theoretical and Applied Mechanics department. It was gone long before I was a student there.

Regardless, the CE (now CEE, for Civil and Environmental Engineering) department has a very active Railroad Engineering program which survives to this day.