Louisville and Nashville 152

Louisville and Nashville 152
L&N No. 152 at the Kentucky Railway Museum
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Rogers Locomotive Works Serial number 6256 Build date 1905 Rebuild date 1913
Specifications Configuration: ​  •  Whyte 4-6-2  •  UIC 2′C1′ Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 69 in (1.753 m) Axle load 42,000 lb (19.1 t) Loco weight 187,800 lb (85.2 t) Tender weight 143,400 lb (65.0 t) Total weight 331,200 lb (150.2 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 15 t (14.8 long tons; 16.5 short tons) Water cap. 7,000 US gal (26,000 L; 5,800 imp gal) Boiler pressure 200 lbf/in2 (1.38 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 20 in × 28 in (508 mm × 711 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures Tractive effort 27,600 lbf (122.77 kN)
Career Operators Louisville and Nashville Railroad Seaboard System Kentucky Railway Museum Norfolk Southern (leased) CSX (leased) Class New: Now: K-2A Number in class 3rd of 25 Numbers L&N 152 Retired February 17, 1953 (revenue service) September 10, 2011 (1st excursion service) Restored September 1985 (1st excursion service) Current owner Kentucky Railway Museum Disposition Undergoing restoration to operating condition L & N Steam Locomotive No. 152 U.S. National Register of Historic Places Show map of Kentucky Show map of the United States Location Kentucky Railway Museum, US-31E, New Haven, Kentucky Coordinates 37°39′25″N85°35′33″W / 37.65694°N 85.59250°W / 37.65694; -85.59250 Built 1905 Architect Rogers Locomotive Works NRHP reference No. 74000883 [1] Added to NRHP December 30, 1974

Louisville and Nashville 152 is a preserved K-2a class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive, built in 1905 by the Rogers Locomotive Works. ^[2] It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and owned by the Kentucky Railway Museum at New Haven, Kentucky in southernmost Nelson County, Kentucky. ^[3] It is the oldest known remaining 4-6-2 "Pacific" type locomotive to exist. ^[4] It is also the "Official State Locomotive of Kentucky", designated as such on March 6, 2000. ^{[5] [6]} The locomotive is currently owned and being restored back to operating condition by the Kentucky Railway Museum. ^{[7] [2]}

History

No. 152 was built in 1905 at Paterson, New Jersey by the Rogers Locomotive Works, with 6256 as its Rogers Construction Number. ^{[4] [2]} The Louisville and Nashville Railroad purchased No. 152 and four identical Pacifics at the cost of $13,406 apiece. Pleased with their five Pacifics, the L&N purchased forty more, which the Rogers Locomotive Works (by now owned by the American Locomotive Company) sold to the L&N between 1906 and 1910. ^[4]

When more powerful locomotives were purchased by the L&N in the 1920s, the Pacifics were assigned to the Gulf Coast, a geographically flatter area. Railroad logs prove that No. 152 was one of the many "Pan American" passenger service. ^[8] The No. 152 also pulled the car holding Al Capone on his way to Alcatraz. ^[8] As time went on, No. 152 was used for less and less important routes. ^[8] On February 17, 1953, the No. 152, the last surviving "K" class Pacific, was retired by the L&N, with its fate uncertain. During this time it was stored at Mobile, Alabama. ^[8] L&N President John E. Tilford personally ordered the locomotive to not be cut up for scrap. ^[8]

No. 152 was donated to the Kentucky Railway Museum, then located at 1837 East River Road in Louisville, Kentucky; it was one of the museum's first pieces. ^[7] Restoration work on No. 152 officially began in 1972, after thirteen years of work, in September 1985, it was fired up for the first time in thirty-two years, thanks to funding by the National Park Service and the Brown Foundation. ^{[9] [7]} On April 26, 1986, the locomotive had entered excursion service, pulling seven railcars with a total of 365 passengers. ^[10] While being refurbished, it stayed at the River Road location when the rest of the museum moved to its new location at Ormsby Station. ^[6] No. 152 would resume and continued to run on mainline excursion trains until 1988 when No. 152 was moved back to Kentucky. ^[7] Since 1990, when the Kentucky Railway Museums move to New Haven, Kentucky, it has operated on the museum's 17-mile remnant on the former L&N Lebanon Branch. ^[7]

On September 10, 2011, No. 152 was withdrawn from service for the rest of the 2011 season due to boiler issues. ^[2] Its Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 1,472-day overhaul work began on July 1, 2015 at a slow pace, until restoration work on No. 152 officially began in April 2023. ^{[7] [2] [11]}

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. Justin Franz (April 21, 2023). "Restoration of Louisville & Nashville 152 Begins in Kentucky". Railfan & Railroad Magazine. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
3. Tagliarino 1974, p. 2.
4. Tagliarino 1974, p. 3.
5. "Louisville and Nashville Railroad". KY Historical Society. Archived from the original on August 4, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
6. Kleber 2001, p. 478.
7. Angela Cotey (April 9, 2015). "Work begins on L&N 4-6-2 No. 152 restoration". Trains.com. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
8. Tagliarino 1974, pp. 3, 6, 7.
9. "Kentucky Railway Museum - History". Kentucky Railway Museum. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
10. "1905 STEAM ENGINE TRAVELING LOUISVILLE, LEXINGTON ROUTE". Lexington Herald-Leader. May 8, 1986. pp. B2.
11. Trains Staff (April 14, 2023). "Overhaul begins to restore Kentucky Railway Museum 4-6-2 to operation". Trains.com. Retrieved November 21, 2025.

Sources

• Kleber, John E., ed. (2001). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN   0-8131-2100-0.
• Tagliarino, David (August 5, 1974). L & N Steam Locomotive No. 152 NRHP Nomination Form. National Railway Historical Society.
• Drury, George H. (1993). Guide to North American Steam Locomotives . Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Company. pp.  228–230. ISBN   0-89024-206-2.