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On May 18, 2019, No. 40 powered four excursions over the SEPTA main line in Montgomery County between North Wales and Gwynedd Valley, PA as part of North Wales Borough’s Sesquicentennial celebrations. This would be the locomotive's first trip on the mainline since 1985. |
Bullard Company No. 2 is a small tank locomotive at Steamtown National Historic Site. It spent its working life as an industrial switcher in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The locomotive joined the Steamtown, U.S.A. collection in Bellows Falls, Vermont in June 1963, and is displayed inoperable at Steamtown National Historic Site. It is among the smallest standard gauge locomotives in the world, being no larger than an average car. |
John Bull is a British-built railroad steam locomotive that operated in the United States. It was operated for the first time on September 15, 1831, and it became the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operated it in 1981. Built by Robert Stephenson and Company, the "John Bull" was initially purchased by and operated for the Camden and Amboy Railroad, the first railroad in New Jersey, which gave "John Bull" the number 1 and its first name, "Stevens". (Robert L. Stevens was president of the Camden and Amboy Railroad at the time.) The C&A used the locomotive heavily from 1833 until 1866, when it was removed from active service and placed in storage. |
After the C&A's assets were acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1871, the PRR refurbished and operated the locomotive a few times for public displays: it was fired up for the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and again for the National Railway Appliance Exhibition in 1883. In 1884 the locomotive was purchased by the Smithsonian Institution as the museum's first major industrial exhibit. |
In 1939 the employees at the PRR's Altoona, Pennsylvania, workshops built an operable replica of the locomotive for further exhibition duties, as the Smithsonian desired to keep the original locomotive in a more controlled environment. After being on static display for 42 years, the Smithsonian commemorated the locomotive's 150th birthday in 1981 by firing it up; it was then the world's oldest surviving operable steam locomotive. |
, the original "John Bull" was on static display in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and the replica was preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. |
Until the railroad was completed, the locomotive was placed in storage; horse-drawn cars served the construction efforts until 1833. The C&A applied both numbers and names to their first locomotives, giving this engine the number 1 and officially naming it "Stevens" (after the C&A's first president, Robert L. Stevens). However, through regular use of the engine, crews began calling it "the old John Bull", a reference to the cartoon personification of England, John Bull. Eventually the informal name was shortened to "John Bull" and this name was so much more widely used that "Stevens" fell out of use. |
In September 1836 the "John Bull" and two coaches were shipped by canal to Harrisburg, and became the first locomotive to operate there. |
Stephenson built the locomotive originally as an 0-4-0. The locomotive's power was transmitted to the driving axles through pistons that were mounted under the boiler between the two front wheels and in front of the front axle. These inside cylinders' main rods were connected to a rear crank axle with a connecting rod between the two axles to power the front axle. |
Due to poorer quality track than was the norm in its native England, the locomotive had much trouble with derailment; the C&A's engineers added a leading truck to help guide the engine into curves. The leading truck's mechanism necessitated the removal of the coupling rod between the two main axles, leaving only the rear axle powered. Effectively, the "John Bull" became a 4-2-0. Later, the C&A also added a pilot ("cowcatcher") to the lead truck. The cowcatcher is an angled assembly designed to deflect animals and debris off of the railroad track in front of the locomotive. To protect the locomotive's crew from the weather, the C&A also added a cab to the locomotive. C&A workshop crews also added safety features such as a bell and headlight. |
After several years serving as a switching engine and stationary boiler, the "John Bull" was retired in 1866 and stored in Bordentown, New Jersey. Toward the end of its life in revenue service, the locomotive worked as a pump engine and as the power for a sawmill. |
The locomotive remained on display in this location for nearly 80 years, but it was transported for display outside the museum on certain rare occasions. The most significant display in this time occurred in 1893 when the locomotive traveled to Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition. The Pennsylvania Railroad, like many other railroads of the time, put on grand displays of their progress; the PRR arranged for the locomotive and a couple of coaches to be delivered to the railroad's Jersey City, New Jersey, workshops where it would undergo a partial restoration to operating condition. The PRR was planning an event worthy of the locomotive's significance to American railroad history — the railroad actually planned to operate the locomotive for the entire distance between New Jersey and Chicago. |
In 1927 the "John Bull" again traveled outside the museum. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was celebrating its centenary that year in its Fair of the Iron Horse in Baltimore, Maryland. Since the locomotive's original tender (fuel and water car) had deteriorated beyond repair and was dismantled in 1910, the PRR built a replica of the tender at its Altoona, Pennsylvania, workshops. The locomotive was also refurbished in Altoona for operation during the fair. This fair was the last steam up for the locomotive until 1980. |
After the locomotive returned to the Smithsonian, it remained on static display. In 1930 the museum commissioned the Altoona Works to build a second replica of the locomotive's tender for display with the locomotive in the museum. This time, however, the replica tender re-used some of the fittings that the museum had retained when the original tender was dismantled twenty years earlier. |
The Smithsonian recognized the locomotive's age in 1931, but, since the museum didn't have the funds to refurbish the locomotive for full operation again, it was decided to run the locomotive in place (with the driving wheels lifted off the rails using jacks) with compressed air. The museum borrowed an 1836 coach from the Pennsylvania Railroad to display on the track behind the newly rebuilt tender, and the locomotive's 100th birthday was officially celebrated on November 12, 1931. The locomotive's semi-operation was broadcast over the CBS radio network with Stanley Bell narrating the ceremonies for the radio audience. |
The PRR again borrowed the locomotive from 1933 to 1934 for the Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago. Unlike its earlier jaunt to Chicago, for this trip, the railroad hauled and displayed it as a static exhibit. While this exhibit was progressing, the Altoona Works were busy again building a replica; this time the replica was an operable copy of the locomotive. The replica was then operated in 1940 at the New York World's Fair, while the original locomotive and rebuilt tender returned to the Smithsonian. |
The original locomotive was displayed outside the museum one more time in 1939 at the New York World's Fair, but the museum's curators decided that the locomotive was becoming too fragile for repeated outside exhibits. It was then placed in somewhat permanent display back in the East Hall where it remained for the next 25 years. In 1964 the locomotive was moved to its current home, the National Museum of American History, then called the Museum of History and Technology. |
The "John Bull" had remained on static display for another 15 years, but the locomotive's significance as one of the oldest locomotives in existence, or its use on the first railroad in New Jersey, was not very plainly noted in the display's literature. As 1981 and the locomotive's 150th birthday approached, the Smithsonian started discussions on how best to commemorate the locomotive's age and significance. There was very little question that special publications and exhibits would be prepared, but museum officials were left with the thought that the exhibit could still be so much more than that. |
Many superficial inspections were performed on the locomotive in 1980 and it was found to be in relatively sound mechanical condition. There wasn't a significant amount of deterioration noted in these early inspections, and when the wheels were jacked off the rails, as they had been 50 years earlier, the axles were found to be freely operable. One morning in January 1980, before the museum opened to the public, museum officials used compressed air to power the cylinders and move the wheels through the connecting rods for the first time since its last semi-operation. After the compressed air blew some dirt and debris out of the locomotive's exhaust stack, it was soon running smoothly. |
Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 is the oldest and only surviving example of the class "E-1" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive and the only surviving original Spokane, Portland and Seattle steam locomotive. It was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in May 1938. Nearly identical to the class "A-3" Northerns built for Northern Pacific Railway, it burns oil instead of coal. |
After years of running second-hand equipment, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S) was allowed by its parent companies, Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway, to purchase its first new locomotives. These included three Northern E-1 class locomotives (700, 701 and 702) for passenger service and six Z-6 class Challengers (4-6-6-4s) for freight service. |
After retirement from service in 1956, the SP&S 700 was donated to the City of Portland, Oregon in 1958. It was on static public display at Oaks Amusement Park until 1987, then moved to private quarters for the continuation of work to restore it to operating condition Since 1988/1989. It began making occasional excursion runs in 1990. In 2012, the 700 was moved to a new facility where it can again be viewed by the public, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. |
700 was delivered on June 21, 1938, joining the 702 pulling overnight passenger trains between Spokane and Vancouver, Washington, along the north shore of the Columbia River, with the 701 providing backup and pulling freight. Owing to an undersized turntable, the Northerns didn't reach Portland, Oregon until 1944. |
By 1947, the Great Northern Railway had begun to streamline its premier passenger train, The "Empire Builder", and had started adding diesels to the locomotive mix. SP&S also started purchasing diesels at this time, but they arrived after the streamlined cars were brought into service and for a few months, the 700s pulled the Portland section of Great Northern's "Empire Builder" and Northern Pacific's "North Coast Limited". |
In 1947, the 700 suffered a catastrophic derailment and fell on her side while pulling a passenger train in Washington. It is unknown if the engineer, fireman, or leading brakeman were injured or killed. |
Through the late 1940s and early 1950s, the E-1s continued to pull secondary passenger trains, but by 1954, the diesels had completely replaced steam for passenger service and the E-1s were relegated to pulling freight trains until 1955. |
Finally, on May 20, 1956, a spruced-up 700, with its normally grey smokebox painted silver, pulled its last passenger train. The "Farewell To Steam" run had a total of 21 cars carrying 1,400 passengers from Portland, Oregon to Wishram, Washington, in the heart of the Columbia Gorge, and back again. |
After the trip, the 700, 701, 702, Challengers and other SP&S locomotives were sent to the scrap line. At the same time, however, Union Pacific Railroad was offering to donate a steam locomotive to the city of Portland, Oregon, and not to be outdone, the SP&S offered the 700. The two locomotives (SP&S 700 and OR&N 197) were moved into Oaks Park along the Willamette River in 1958 and were soon joined by SP 4449 where they sat for nearly 20 years. |
For nearly 20 years the 700, along with the other two locomotives, sat behind chain link fences, slowly fading and rusting away. Only the attention of a single Southern Pacific Railroad employee, Jack Holst, saved the locomotives from complete uselessness. Mr. Holst regularly visited the locomotives and kept the bearings and rods well greased and oiled. Unfortunately, Mr. Holst died in 1972, before the first locomotive, SP 4449, was removed from Oaks Park and restored. In 1975, 15-year-old Chris McLarney started working on the 700, cleaning and oiling various parts. He founded the PRPA (Pacific Railroad Preservation Association) in 1977 to provide support for the preservation work. |
Between 1987 and 1989, the SP&S 700 was moved from Oaks Park to the Southern Pacific's Brooklyn Roundhouse, in southeast Portland, for the continuation of restoration work. With the support of many individuals and the Burlington Northern Railroad, No. 700 returned to operation on May 15, 1990. |
The 700 was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 25, 2006, as the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Steam Locomotive. |
Until June 2012, the 700 and its two companions resided at the Brooklyn Roundhouse. The City of Portland was leasing the roundhouse from its owner, Union Pacific Railroad (UP), but after the railroad announced plans to demolish the roundhouse to allow expansion of the yard, the engines needed to find a new home. The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, with significant support from the City of Portland, raised funds for a new restoration and visitor center adjacent to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry to provide the city's steam locomotives with a permanent and publicly accessible home before the closure of the roundhouse. |
Strasburg Rail Road (Canadian National) No. 7312, also known as Strasburg Rail Road No. 31, is an 0-6-0 "Switcher" type steam locomotive originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in August 1908 for the Canadian National Railway. It is owned and previously operated by the Strasburg Rail Road outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania. As of 2021, No. 7312 is currently undergoing restoration back to operating condition, however, the restoration progress has currently been put on hold for the foreseeable future. Whether or not No. 7312 will run again is still yet to be determined. |
No. 7312 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in August 1908 for the Grand Trunk Railway as number 118. The 118 was renumbered 1708 in September 1919. In January 1923, the Grand Trunk Railway was merged into the Canadian National Railway. Three months after the creation of Canadian National, 1708 was renumbered 7157, a number the locomotive carried until February 1952 when it was renumbered 7240. In 1957, the locomotive received its final CN number of 7312. In July 1958, No. 7312 was retired at Stratford, Ontario where it had been working as the shop switcher. |
Sierra Railway 28 is a 2-8-0 steam locomotive owned and operated by Sierra Railway in California. |
2-8-0 Consolidation number 28 was built in January 1922 for the Sierra Railroad by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in response to the increase of freight traffic on the Sierra with the construction of the Don Pedro and O'Shaughnessy Dams requiring carloads of rock and cement. After the dam projects were finished, the 28 was assigned to freight traffic on the Sierra's lower division between Oakdale and Jamestown, California. |
In the mid 1930s, the 28 was used in the upgrade of the O'Shaughnessy Dam and frequently ran on the Hetch Hetchy Railroad, which was operated by the Sierra Railway under contract from the city of San Francisco. The 28 also ran mixed freights between Oakdale and Tuolumne until 31 August 1938 when passenger service on the Sierra Railway was discontinued. |
By the 1940s, the 28 was one of only six remaining locomotives on the Sierra's roster and continued to handle freight and railfan excursions until 1955 when the Sierra dieselized. However, the Sierra kept the 28 along with 4-6-0 number 3, 2-8-0 number 18, 2-8-2 number 34 and 2-8-2 number 36 for occasional railfan trips and movie work. The railfan excursions were ended in October 1963 after the 28 derailed in the Jamestown yard. |
The 28 also made a few brief cameo appearances in several movies and TV show during this time including Overland Trail, Nichols, Little House on the Prairie, Bound for Glory and The World's Greatest Lover. |
On October 19, 1963 the locomotive derailed backing through a switch in Jamestown effectively ending all excursion trains on the railroad until the opening of Railtown 1897. In May 1971, the Sierra Railway opened its Jamestown shops and yards to the public in the form of Railtown 1897. The 28 quickly became the workhorse of this new tourist operation. In 1979, Crocker Industries, which owned the Sierra Railroad and Railtown 1897 decided to sell Railtown 1897 and all of its assets, including the 28, to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which reorganized Railtown 1897 as Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. |
After the State of California took over Railtown's operations, 28 continued to serve as its locomotive, operating seasonally. In February 2009, the 28 was taken out of service after its crown sheet and other parts of the firebox were found to be too thin for legal operation. 28 sat stored in public view in the Jamestown roundhouse awaiting funds until August 2013 when it was torn down for repairs to its firebox along with new flues and Staybolts. |
After being out of service for a 5-year restoration, the 28 returned to operation on June 1, 2019. |
The Baltimore and Ohio’s P-7 class was a class of 20 Pacific type locomotives built in 1927. Named for the first 20 Presidents of the United States, they were the prime motive power for the B&O’s top passenger trains for 31 years. One example, No. 5300, “President Washington”, has been preserved. |
The P7s were rather simple locomotives when built. Bearing a considerable resemblance to the Pennsylvania Railroad’s K4s, the two designs did differ in their style of firebox and boiler pressure. The engines produced an impressive 50,000 lbs. of starting tractive effort and could pull heavyweight passenger trains up to 80 miles an hour. Water scoops mounted on the underside of the tender allowed the locomotives to refill their 11,000-gallon tanks without stopping. The cabs of the locomotives were equipped with automatic train control, which improved safety by forcibly applying the brakes if the engineer failed to acknowledge an unfavorable signal. |
The engines would receive upgrades over their 31-year careers and some locomotives received streamlined shrouds, but the class never saw a major rebuild . In 1937 locomotive 5304 was rebuilt by the B&O into a Class P-7a streamlined locomotive. In 1942 locomotive 5306 was rebuilt into a Class P-7b streamlined locomotive. In 1944 locomotives 5305, 5308, 5309, 5318 were rebuilt into Class P-7c. In 1946 locomotives 5301-5303 were rebuilt into Class P-7d’s. Locomotive 5304 was also rebuilt to Class P-7d in 1946 . |
"*The entries in this column are the numbers assigned to the locomotives when built. Some engines were renumbered before being retired." |
With the introduction of the P-7 class into its passenger fleet, the B&O sought to distinguish itself from its competitors, mainly the Pennsylvania Railroad. To accomplish this, instead of the usual simplistic black paint scheme, each of the P-7s would be adorned with names after the first 20 Presidents of the United States (a single locomotive, “President Adams”, symbolized both John Adams and John Quincy Adams). Combined with a vibrant green paint scheme and gold trim, the railroad hoped to make the class more distinctive and memorable. The locomotives were put on display frequently for public relations, with the class making its debut performance at the Fair of the Iron Horse, which celebrated the railroad’s 100th anniversary in 1927. |
The locomotives were used throughout the B&O’s network in the eastern US, with their most famous efforts being the Royal Blue, a high-speed train connecting Washington DC and Jersey City. Also used between Baltimore and Philadelphia, the engines were used mainly in the Midwest leading up to their retirement. |
Being an early adopter of diesel power, the B&O retired the P7s by the late 1950s. In 1957, the President of the B&O Howard Simpson ordered the first P-7 built, No. 5300, to be saved from scrapping. The locomotive received a cosmetic restoration to its as-built appearance. Currently on static display at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, it is the only "Pacific" type locomotive built for the B&O to have been preserved. |
The Class P7 also made appearances in Thomas & Friends as the engine Caitlin is based on the streamlined P7, more specifically engine No. 5304 “President Washington”. |
Norfolk and Western Railway class J (1941) |
The Norfolk and Western class J was a class of fourteen 4-8-4 "Northern" streamlined steam locomotives built by the railway's Roanoke Shops located in Roanoke, Virginia from 1941 to 1950. They were operated by the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in revenue service until the late 1950s. |
These locomotives were built to run on the N&W main line between Norfolk, Virginia and Cincinnati, Ohio, pulling the "Powhatan Arrow", the "Pocahontas" and the "Cavalier" passenger trains as well as ferrying the Southern Railway's the "Birmingham Special", the "Pelican" and the "Tennessean" between Monroe, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee. The class J, with the class A and class Y freight locomotives, became the Norfolk and Western's "Big Three" considered to be at the pinnacle of steam technology. |
Only one class J locomotive, no. 611, survives. It was retired in 1959 from revenue passenger service and moved to the Virginia Museum of Transportation (VMT) in 1962. It has been restored twice: once as part of the Norfolk Southern Railway's steam program in 1982 and again as part of the VMT's "Fire up 611!" campaign in 2015. |
The Js' distinctive streamlining was designed by N&W's Tool Supervisor, Franklin C. Noel. |
The first class J locomotives (nos. 600–610) had 275 pounds per square inch (psi) boilers, driving wheels, and Timken roller bearings on all wheels, rods, valve gear and wrist pins. After 1945, the boiler pressure was raised to . Calculated tractive effort was – the most powerful 4-8-4 without a booster. The driving wheels were small for a locomotive that was able to pull trains at more than . To overcome the limitation, the wheelbase was made extremely rigid, lightweight rods were used, and the counterbalancing was precise – so precise that it could theoretically allow the locomotives to reach speeds up to without the rail damage that could have occurred with conventional designs. |
As delivered, the class J locomotives had duplex (two) coupling rods between the main (second) and third drivers (tandem rods), but in the 1950s Norfolk and Western's engineers deemed them unnecessary a single coupling rod was substituted between the main and third drivers. The negative effect of the J's highly engineered powertrain was that it made the locomotives sensitive to substandard track. |
While on loan in 1945, no. 610 hauled a 1015-ton passenger train with 15 cars at speeds of more than over a section of flat, straight track on the Pennsylvania Railroad, known as the "racetrack", in the Fort Wayne Division. |
The class J locomotives were built with automatic lubricators at 220 points, allowing them to operate up to between refills. Despite their comparatively small driving wheels, they rode very smoothly at all speeds: the Pennsylvania Railroad's inspector stated that it rode better than any of their own steam locomotives except for the 6-4-4-6 class S1. |
The first five locomotives (nos. 600–604) were outshopped between October 1941 and January 1942, costing the railroad US$167,000 apiece. The second batch of six locomotives was delivered in 1943 without either shrouding or lightweight side rods, due to the limitations on the use of certain materials during the war; they were classified J1. When N&W showed the War Production Board the reduced availability numbers because of this, the Board allowed the J1s to be re-fitted in 1945 as Js with the lightweight rods and shrouding. The last batch of three locomotives was rolled out in summer 1950: they were to be the last steam passenger locomotives built in the United States. |
The class Js pulled the network's prominent passenger trains, such as the "Powhatan Arrow", the "Pocahontas", and the "Cavalier" between Norfolk, Virginia and Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as ferrying Southern Railway's the "Birmingham Special", the "Pelican", and the "Tennessean" between Monroe, Virginia and Bristol, Tennessee. Because of their power and speed, the class Js were among the most reliable engines, running as many as per month, even on the mountainous and relatively short route of the N&W. |
In the late 1950s, N&W began purchasing first-generation diesel locomotives, experimenting with fuel and maintenance cost. They leased several sets of EMD E6s, E7s, E8s from the Atlantic Coast Line and Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroads. As a result, the class Js were retired from passenger service. Doghouses were installed on their tenders to accommodate the head-end brakemen when the class Js were reassigned to freight service until they were all retired between 1958 and 1959. |
One locomotive, no. 611, has been preserved. Its survival was in part due to its excellent condition after its 1956 derailment and subsequent repair, and also in part to the efforts of photographer O. Winston Link, who offered to purchase 611 himself rather than see it scrapped. The locomotive was donated to the Roanoke Transportation Museum in 1962, where it sat dormant for two decades. Since then, it has had two excursion careers: from 1982 to 1994, after Norfolk Southern Railway restored the locomotive, and in 2015 (by Norfolk Southern) and afterwards by the VMT. |
Atlantic Coast Line 1504 is a 4-6-2 USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive built by the Richmond Locomotive Works in Richmond, Virginia in August 1919 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) as a member of the P-5-A class. |
The locomotive was built for passenger service and was assigned to pull the ACL's mainline passenger trains such as the "Florida Special" and the "South Wind" until being retired in 1952 and donated to Jacksonville for display. |
The locomotive pulled passenger trains, including the "Miamian", the "Florida Special", "Palmetto Limited", the "Southland", the "South Wind" and the "Dixie Flyer". By the late 1940s, the railroad had dieselised its passenger trains and the locomotive was assigned to fast freight service and spent its last years in the Tampa, Florida area before 1952, the year it was retired and put into storage. |
1504 was chosen for preservation by ACL president Champion Davis and the Head of ACL's Mechanical Department, John W. Hawthornethe. In 1960, after some years in storage, the locomotive was given a thorough mechanical overhaul and then placed on display in front of the then new ACL General Office Building in Jacksonville. In 1986, CSX presented the locomotive to the city of Jacksonville, Florida. It was cosmetically restored and put on display at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, where it currently resides. It is the only surviving original USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive and is in almost original condition. |
The locomotive was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1990. It is also on the National Register of Historic Places. |
In the late 1930s, when looking for heavier steam power to move freight and passenger trains swiftly, the New York Central looked at a dual service steam locomotive. The modern 1940 L3a from ALCo was able to move both heavy passenger trains and freights with relative ease. So, the NYC acquired both the L-3 and L-4 classes of Mohawks from the American Locomotive Company and Lima Locomotive Works from 1940 to 1943. |
As of 2021, No. 3001 is on display at the National New York Central Railroad Museum. Whether or not the locomotive would be restored to operating condition is up for debate. |
Southern Railway "Maud" 1509 is the oldest surviving steam locomotive of the Southern Railway. The engine was built by Baldwin in 1880 for the Atlanta and Charlotte Air Line Railway, originally numbered 27 and named "Talullah". The railroad was later absorbed by the Richmond and Danville Railroad which itself became the Southern Railway, with the engines being renumbered, and as such, "Talullah" ultimately became Southern #1509. |
A misprint in one of the Southern's early locomotive rosters had confused the engine with number 1101, a Baldwin 4-6-0. As a result, many believed the engine was originally built as a 4-6-0 for the Washington City, Virginia Midland, and Great Southern Railway (presumably 1101's original owner). Such mistakes were quite common from the Southern Railway's formation to the 1903 renumbering, with much of the locomotive records during that time being either incomplete or containing conflicting information. Thus very little of the 1509's early career is known, however, most railroad historians have concluded that the 1509 had most likely been built either as a 0-4-4T or possibly as a 0-4-0, as opposed to the larger 4-6-0 design. |
Southern rebuilt the engine in 1925, and from then until retirement, it served as a switcher for the railway's Pegram Shops in Atlanta. There, it was given the name, "Maud" by the shop employees. "Maud" was retired in 1949, and moved to Inman, Georgia, where it was to be scrapped. However, the shop's workers had favored "Maud", and wrote to then Southern Railway president E. E. Norris requesting the engine be preserved. Norris obliged, and "Maud" was placed on display outside of the shops until 1960. That year, the engine was donated to the Atlanta chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, who had placed it in their Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia. |
As of November 2020, Southern Railway 1509 is stored, disassembled outside the Southeastern Railway Museum's shops, where it is awaiting restoration. |
Canadian National 3254 is a class "S-1-b" 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in 1917 for the Canadian National Railway by the Canadian Locomotive Company as a member of the Canadian National class S-1-b. It used to be a part of the operating fleet at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania until being indefinitely retired from excursion service in 2012 due to serious frame issues, being replaced by Boston and Maine 4-6-2 #3713 as part of Steamtown's operating fleet for use on excursion trains. |
Canadian National 3254 was built in 1917 by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian Government Railways where it was numbered 2854. In 1918, the Canadian Government Railways combined with the Canadian Northern Railway formed the Canadian National Railways. The 3254 had considerable pulling power, could climb grades with ease, and was used to handle very heavy freight trains. On July 24, 1941, No. 3254 collided head on with Great Northern H-5 4-6-2 No. 1351 at North Road cut. This accident caused the locomotive's frame horns to be bent and the frame is also bowed to one side, causing the cab to sit off-center. Despite the bent frame, the Canadian National loosely repaired the locomotive, and it continued service, until it was retired in 1958. |
Steamtown also owns a Canadian National class S-1-d "Mikado", No. 3377 as a static display piece. No. 3377 was the target of copper thieves during her trip to Scranton. The locomotive was never repaired and became a spare parts provider for No. 3254, including the tender, which replaced the 3254's tender in 2010 due to rust leaks and 3254’s old tender was scrapped. |
As a result of issues with either the boiler/firebox or the frame, combined with other needed maintenance which made further operation impractical, No. 3254 was taken out of service indefinitely after the 2012 season. The early retirement is likely attributed to its 1941 collision. She has frequently been described as a "rough rider," and had been chewing up bearings at an accelerated rate. It also consumed a staggering amount of coal compared to the amount consumed by No. 2317. As a result, No. 3254 will be replaced by Boston and Maine 4-6-2 No. 3713 as part of Steamtown's operating fleet for use on excursion trains. As of 2021, No. 3254 is unlikely to run again anytime soon due to its poor mechanical condition. |
Nahma and Northern Railway Locomotive No. 5 |
The Nahma and Northern Railway Locomotive #5 is a locomotive located at the corner of Main Street and River Street in Nahma Township, Michigan. |
The town of Nahma was established in 1881 by the Bay De Noquet Lumber Company as the base for its upper Michigan lumbering operations. The company began harvesting softwoods, but as the supply decreased, it was forced to turn to hardwood logging. In 1901, the Bay De Noquet Lumber Company began construction of a railroad system, the Nahma and Northern, leading from Nahma into the surrounding forest and various lumber camps. The railway eventually had 75 miles of track, The Nahma and Northern had seven locomotives, one caboose, and over 100 Russell Cars for hauling timber. |
The railroad was abandoned in 1948. In 1951, the town of Nahma was sold to the American Playground Device Co. for development into a resort. The planned resort, however, never got off the ground. |
This locomotive is a 2-6-2 coal-burning locomotive, built by the Baldwin Company of Philadelphia in 1912. |
Gov. Stanford is a 4-4-0 steam locomotive originally built in 1862 by Norris Locomotive Works. Following construction, it was disassembled and hauled by the ship "Herald of the Morning" around Cape Horn to California, then up the rivers aboard the schooner "Artful Dodger", arriving in Sacramento on October 6, 1863. With a dedication ceremony that included artillery discharge, it entered service on November 9, 1863, and it was used in the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad in North America by Central Pacific Railroad bearing road number 1. It was Central Pacific's first locomotive and it is named in honor of the road's first president and ex-California governor, Leland Stanford. |
Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) 2579 is a heavy 2-8-0 type steam locomotives built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1906, a typical example of over 350 locomotives called "Consolidations". 2579 was retired from service in 1956 and is currently in display in the Veterans Memorial Park in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Last used in revenue service in November 1956, 2579 was donated to the City of Klamath Falls on September 1957. |
Locomotive #2579 is a typical example of steam locomotives called "consolidations" that were used by the Southern Pacific Railroad. It worked on many different duties for the Southern Pacific system from the early 20th century well into 1956, even handling passenger trains on rare occasions. At nearly 400,000 pounds and at 71 feet in length, #2579 was utilized for freight on the SP's Portland, Sacramento, Shasta, and Western Divisions. It was retired from steam freight operations in November 1956 and vacated from the active roster of locomotives in May 1957. |
Southern Pacific Locomotive #2579 was donated to the City of Klamath Falls on September 8, 1957. Since then, SP2579 has been on display in Veterans Memorial Park along the shores of Lake Ewauna, near the junction of Main Street and US97. |
C. P. Huntington is a 4-2-4T steam locomotive on static display at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California, USA. It is the first locomotive purchased by the Southern Pacific Railroad, carrying that railroad's number 1. The locomotive is named in honor of Collis P. Huntington, the third president of the Southern Pacific Company (parent company of Southern Pacific Railroad). |
"C. P. Huntington" was originally purchased by Central Pacific Railroad (CP) in 1863 as that railroad's number 3, along with its sister engine "T. D. Judah" (CP no. 4). It was CP's third locomotive after "Gov. Stanford" (number 1, built by Norris Locomotive Works) and "Pacific" (number 2, built by Mason Machine Works). CP used the locomotive beginning on April 15, 1864, during construction of the western portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in North America. |
Southern Pacific (SP) purchased "C. P. Huntington" from CP on February 5, 1871, gave it their number 1, and used it in light service in northern California. It was rebuilt twice, first in 1873 with new valves and again in 1888 with a new boiler built by CP's Sacramento shops. In 1888 the locomotive was also put on public display for the first time in Sacramento. |
In SP's 1891 renumbering plan, "C. P. Huntington" was assigned road number 1001. The locomotive was placed in storage for some time until it was rebuilt for use as a lineside weed burner in 1901. Its use as a weed burner proved unsatisfactory and the locomotive was again removed from active service. In 1910, "C. P. Huntington" was again rebuilt and it was then kept at SP's machine shops where it remained for a few years. The locomotive was nearly scrapped in 1914; it was spared this fate by SP management so that it could be displayed at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in 1915 after a cosmetic restoration. |
On May 3, 1939, "C. P. Huntington" participated in the grand opening ceremonies for the Los Angeles Union Station. Operating under her own steam, the "Huntington" was paraded past large, cheering crowds to the newly completed passenger terminal, along with several other engines, including the famous 4-4-0, Virginia & Truckee 22, the "Inyo" (still painted in Union Pacific livery, from the filming of Cecil B. DeMille's 1939 movie of the same name, which premiered two days later), and Southern Pacific 4120, a massive AC-5 class 4-8-8-2 cab forward. The moment was captured on film by Disney animator and lifelong train enthusiast, Ward Kimball, and may be some of the only known footage of the engine under steam. |
Southern Pacific donated the engine to the State of California in 1964. The locomotive was placed on display at the old state fairgrounds on Stockton Boulevard, in Sacramento, where it remained until a 1970 refurbishing at Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops, when it was placed in the Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station in Old Sacramento in 1979. In 1981 it was moved into the newly opened California State Railroad Museum, where it now remains on static display. |
The first "C. P. Huntington" locomotive was delivered to the now-defunct Joyland Amusement Park in Wichita, Kansas. This replaced the original miniature train that has operated since 1933. As the first locomotive, it carries the serial number 1 from the factory. |
There are three "C.P. Huntington" replicas operating the perimeter track at the Santa Barbara Zoo. |
Story Land in Glen, NH operates four "C.P. Huntington" locomotives. |
Pullen Park, a park run since 1887 in Raleigh, NC, has a CP Huntington train with millions of riders to ride on it since 1950. |
The Baton Rouge Zoo also runs a "C.P. Huntington" locomotive around the perimeter of its zoo. It was donated by the local Coca-Cola plant. |
Landa Park in New Braunfels, TX operates a gas powered version through the park surrounding the springs and headwaters of the Comal River. |
The Downtown Aquarium in Houston became the first operator of an electric version of the locomotive. |
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