Nickel Plate Road 759

Specifications
Specifications
Configuration:;
• Whyte	2-8-4
• UIC	1′D2′
Gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia.	36 in (0.914 m)
Driver dia.	69 in (1,753 mm)
Trailing dia.	43 in (1.092 m)
Length	100 ft 8+3⁄4 in (30.70 m)
Height	15 ft 8 in (4.78 m)
Adhesive weight	264,300 lb (119,884.46 kg)
Loco weight	440,800 lb (199,943.52 kg)
Total weight	802,500 lb (364,000 kg; 364.0 t)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	22 long tons (22 t)
Water cap.	22,000 imp gal (100,000 L; 26,000 US gal)
Boiler pressure	245 lbf/in2 (1.69 MPa)
Cylinders	Two, outside
Cylinder size	25 in × 34 in (635 mm × 864 mm)

Type and origin
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Lima Locomotive Works
Serial number	8667
Model	S-2
Build date	August 1944

Nickel Plate Road 759
Nickel Plate Road 759
	NKP No. 759 on static display at Steamtown National Historic Site in September 2015
Power type
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Builder	Lima Locomotive Works
Serial number	8667
Model	S-2
Build date	August 1944
Configuration:;
Specifications
Configuration:;
• Whyte	2-8-4
• UIC	1′D2′
Gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia.	36 in (0.914 m)
Driver dia.	69 in (1,753 mm)
Trailing dia.	43 in (1.092 m)
Length	100 ft 8+3⁄4 in (30.70 m)
Height	15 ft 8 in (4.78 m)
Adhesive weight	264,300 lb (119,884.46 kg)
Loco weight	440,800 lb (199,943.52 kg)
Total weight	802,500 lb (364,000 kg; 364.0 t)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	22 long tons (22 t)
Water cap.	22,000 imp gal (100,000 L; 26,000 US gal)
Boiler pressure	245 lbf/in2 (1.69 MPa)
Cylinders	Two, outside
Cylinder size	25 in × 34 in (635 mm × 864 mm)
Maximum speed
Performance figures
Maximum speed	70 mph
Tractive effort	64,100 lbf (285.13 kN)
Factor of adh.	4.12
Operators
Career
Operators	New York, Chicago & St. Louis ; Steamtown, U.S.A. ; High Iron Company
Class	NKP S-2
Numbers	NKP 759; N&W 759;
Locale	Midwest
Delivered	8/1944
Last run	1958 (revenue service); 1973 (excursion service)
Retired	1959 (revenue service); 1977 (excursion service)
Preserved	October 16, 1962
Restored	1967
Current owner	Steamtown National Historic Site
Disposition	On static display

Last updated September 03, 2024

Nickel Plate Road 759 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio as a member of the S-2 class for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road". Built as a fast freight locomotive, No. 759 served the Nickel Plate until being retired in 1959 and placed into storage. In 1965, No. 759 was purchased by F. Nelson Blount for display in his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection in North Walpole, New Hampshire. The locomotive was restored to operating condition in 1967 by New York commodity broker Ross Rowland for use in hauling his Golden Spike Centennial Limited, a special commemorative train that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1969. Afterwards, No. 759 pulled numerous excursions for Ross Rowland and Steamtown until being retired once more and placed back on display in 1977. As of 2023, the locomotive remains on static display at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and sibling engine No. 765 continues to operate in mainline excursion service.

History

Revenue service

No. 759 was built in August 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, better known as the "Nickel Plate Road". No. 759 was one of 80 2-8-4 Berkshire type steam locomotives built for the Nickel Plate between 1934 and 1949 for fast freight duties.^[1] The Nickel Plate had 4 sub-classes of 2-8-4s corresponding to which order the locomotive was in, these were designated S through S-3, No. 759, is a member of the third order of 2-8-4s, classified S-2.^[1]

Much of No. 759's original career on the Nickel Plate is obscure at best, but it is known that in May 1958, No. 759 entered the Nickel Plate's Conneaut, Ohio shops for a complete overhaul which turned out to be the last overhaul of a steam locomotive on the Nickel Plate. After the overhaul was completed, No. 759 was never fired up and instead was put into storage.^[2]

Preservation

No. 759 was purchased by steam locomotive enthusiast, F. Nelson Blount on October 16, 1962 and subsequently moved to his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection in North Walpole, New Hampshire. It was later moved across the Connecticut River to Bellows Falls, Vermont.^[2]

Excursion service

In 1967, a commodities broker from New York named Ross E. Rowland made a deal that would return No. 759 to service for steam powered fan trips hosted by Rowland's High Iron Company (HICO). No. 759 was chosen for restoration, since Rowland had previously operated Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 locomotives 1238, 1286, and another one of Blount's locomotives, 1278, and they didn't meet enough expectations to pull his longer excursion trains, unassisted. No. 759 was taken to the Norfolk and Western Railroad's former Nickel Plate roundhouse in Conneaut, Ohio, the same place No. 759 was last serviced. After a short restoration and subsequent testing, No. 759 pulled its first excursion for the High Iron Company on August 30, 1968 when she pulled a 15 car excursion to Buffalo, New York.^[2]

In 1969, No. 759 was painted blue and gold for a special train celebrating the 100th anniversary of the driving of the golden spike. This train, dubbed the Golden Spike Centennial Limited, took No. 759 as far away as Omaha, Nebraska. After returning home from the Golden Spike Centennial Limited, No. 759 was returned to her Nickel Plate Road livery and ran two excursions for Steamtown, one of which was to Scranton, Pennsylvania, Steamtown's future home.^[2] In 1970, this engine pulled a "High Iron" excursion from Hoboken to Binghamton, over the Erie Lackawanna main line, stayed over night in Binghamton, and then it returned to Hoboken. In September of that year, No. 759 pulled an excursion on the Western Maryland (WM) mainline between Cumberland and Haegerstown, Maryland.^[3]

On May 1, 1971, the day Amtrak began operations, No. 759 was given the duty to haul the final run of the Norfolk and Western's (N&W) Pocahontas passenger train from Roanoke to Norfolk, Virginia.^[4]^[5] It was repainted in a shiny black paint with "NORFOLK AND WESTERN" letterings plastered on to its tender.^[5] Additionally, it wore a Hancock long-bell 3-chime whistle, which came from one of the streamlined N&W class J 4-8-4 steam locomotives.^[5]

After a few excursions over the Boston and Maine and Central Vermont in late 1973, No. 759 was placed into storage at the Delaware and Hudson's roundhouse in Rouses Point, New York for the winter. While it was in storage, D&H employees had neglected to completely drain the 759's boiler and left water in it which froze causing a considerable amount of damage to No. 759's boiler tubes. As a result, Steamtown sued the D&H for the damage it caused to the locomotive and won. As a settlement for the damage, the D&H had some repairs made to No. 759, and after some follow-up work back at Steamtown, No. 759 was test fired in 1975.^[2] In 1977 some more repairs were made to get No. 759 legally operational, but after a boiler flue failed during a hydrostatic test, it was decided that No. 759 would remain a static display piece.^[2]

No. 759 joined the rest of the Steamtown collection in 1984 when it was moved from Bellows Falls, Vermont to Scranton, Pennsylvania. After the move to Scranton, No. 759 was placed on display in the former Delaware, Lackawanna & Western rail yard with the rest of the collection. In 1988, Steamtown and most of its collection became part of the newly formed Steamtown National Historic Site.

Disposition

Nickel Plate Road 759 is now a static display at Steamtown, more often than not being on display inside the refurbished DL&W roundhouse. No. 759 is easily seen from the walkway Steamtown put inside the roundhouse to allow visitors to see the work going on. It is also the largest locomotive in the roundhouse with only a foot or two of clearance at either end making it notoriously difficult if not impossible to get a photo of the whole locomotive.

No. 759 was one of the two American built steam locomotives considered by Steamtown to be restored to operating condition, the other being Boston and Maine 3713, which was ultimately chosen over 759, most likely due to clearance issues on the turntable (in order for 759 to fit, all of the safety railings that surround the turntable pit in the areas open to visitors have to be removed).

In 2010, No. 759 was among the several steam locomotives in Steamtown's collection to undergo removal of its asbestos insulation. Asbestos was used by railroads and locomotive manufacturers as boiler insulation. In addition to having the asbestos removed, 759 had all new jacketing (cladding in UK terminology) applied as well as its bell, which had been in storage re-installed.

While it is possible to restore No. 759 to operational condition, Steamtown has stated that they have little interest in restoring 759, citing that it is too large for their use and that another Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4, No. 765, is already operational; the latter has briefly visited Steamtown for Railfest 2015 to pose side by side with 759.^[6] For now, No. 759 sits safely on display out of the elements in Steamtown's roundhouse, being one of the three largest non-articulated steam locomotives to be homed at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the other two being Reading 4-8-4 No. 2124 and Grand Trunk Western 4-8-2 No. 6039.

Related Research Articles

Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on 62.48 acres (25.3 ha) in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is built around a working turntable and a roundhouse that are largely replications of the original DL&W facilities; the roundhouse, for example, was reconstructed from remnants of a 1932 structure. The site also features several original outbuildings dated between 1899 and 1902. All the buildings on the site are listed with the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site.

The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in Northeastern Pennsylvania, especially the Scranton area.

Nickel Plate Road 765 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road". In 1963, No. 765, renumbered as 767, was donated to the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, where it sat on display at the Lawton Park, while the real No. 767 was scrapped at Chicago in 1964.

Canadian Pacific 2816, also known as the "Empress", is a preserved class "H1b" 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in December 1930 for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). It is the only non-streamlined H1 Hudson to be preserved.

Nickel Plate Road 587 is a 2-8-2 type USRA Light Mikado steam locomotive built in September 1918 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Lake Erie and Western Railroad as its No. 5541. In 1923, the LE&W was merged into the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", and allocated 587 as its new number in 1924. In 2003, the locomotive was being restored by the Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville, Indiana. However since then the Indiana Transportation Museum has been dissolved and the locomotive has been sold into private ownership. It awaits an unknown date and funding for restoration.

Steamtown, U.S.A., was a steam locomotive museum that ran steam excursions out of North Walpole, New Hampshire, and Bellows Falls, Vermont, from the 1960s to 1983. The museum was founded by millionaire seafood industrialist F. Nelson Blount. The non-profit Steamtown Foundation took over operations following his death in 1967. Because of Vermont's air quality regulations restricting steam excursions, declining visitor attendance, and disputes over the use of track, some pieces of the collection were relocated to Scranton, Pennsylvania in the mid-1980s and the rest were auctioned off. After the move, Steamtown continued to operate in Scranton but failed to attract the expected 200,000–400,000 visitors. Within two years the tourist attraction was facing bankruptcy, and more pieces of the collection were sold to pay off debt.

Canadian Pacific 1293 is a class "G5d" 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built in June 1948 by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Built for passenger service, No. 1293 served an eight-year career until being replaced by diesel locomotives where it was then retired in 1959. Purchased in 1964 by F. Nelson Blount for use at his Steamtown site in Bellows Falls, Vermont, No. 1293 was easily restored to operation for hauling fan trips for the general public. 1293 was later sold to the Ohio Central Railroad in 1996 for tourist train service. Today, the locomotive is out on display at the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

Canadian Pacific 1278 is a class "G5d" 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian Pacific Railway. After being retired from revenue service, the locomotive was purchased in 1965 by F. Nelson Blount for excursion trains at his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection. The locomotive was sold to Gettysburg Railroad in 1987, and it pulled excursion trains between Gettysburg and Biglerville, but it was subject to shoddy maintenance by inexperienced crews. The locomotive was retired from excursion service in 1995, after suffering a firebox explosion in June. As of 2024, the locomotive is on static display at the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

Canadian Pacific 1246 is a preserved G5c class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1946. In 1965, it became one of three G5 locomotives to be purchased by Steamtown, U.S.A. for excursion service. After operating in Scranton for a few years in the 1980s, No. 1246 was sold at an October 1988 auction to the Railroad Museum of New England with plans to restore and operate it, and it was initially put on static display. As of 2023, No. 1246 is stored at the Railroad Museum of New England.

Illinois Central No. 790 is a preserved 2-8-0 “Consolidation” steam locomotive, built by ALCO’s Cooke Works in 1903. In 1959, No. 790 was saved from scrap and purchased by Lou Keller, and he used it to pull excursion trains in Iowa. In 1965, the locomotive was sold to a New York businessman, who, in turn, sold it the following year to F. Nelson Blount, the founder of Steamtown, U.S.A.. As of 2024, No. 790 is on static display at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad 425 is a 4-6-2 light "Pacific" type steam locomotive originally built in 1928 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad. After the GM&N was consolidated into the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio in 1940, the locomotive was renumbered No. 580 and served in passenger service before being retired in 1950. The locomotive is currently owned and operated by the Reading & Northern, based out of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania in excursion service. At the end of 2022, No. 425 was taken out of service for its mandatory Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 1,472-day inspection and overhaul.

The 21st Century Steam program was conducted by the Norfolk Southern Railway from 2011 to 2015, featuring four classic steam locomotives pulling passenger excursions along Norfolk Southern rails in the eastern United States. The last train was to be Southern 4501's Piedmont Limited excursion trip from Atlanta, Georgia, to Toccoa, Georgia, but cancelled on October 1 due to Hurricane Joaquin.

The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) is a non-profit group in New Haven, Indiana that is dedicated to the restoration and operation of the ex-Nickel Plate Railroad's steam locomotive no. 765 and other vintage railroad equipment. Since restoration, the 765 was added to the National Register of Historic Places as no. 96001010 on September 12, 1996 and has operated excursion trains across the Eastern United States. In 2012, the FWRHS's steam locomotive no. 765 was added to the Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston and Maine 3713</span> Preserved B&M class P-4a locomotive

Boston and Maine 3713, also known as the "Constitution", is the sole survivor of the "P-4a" class 4-6-2 "Heavy Pacific" type steam locomotives. It was built in December 1934 by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M), hauling passenger trains around the New England region. In 1956, No. 3713 was given the duty to haul B&M's Farewell to Steam excursion between Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine, marking the end of steam operations on the B&M.

Canadian Pacific 2317 is a class "G-3c" 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The Reading T-1 was a class of 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotives owned by the Reading Company. They were rebuilt from thirty "I-10sa" class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotives between 1945 and 1947. Out of the thirty rebuilt, four survive in preservation today, those being numbers 2100, 2101, 2102, and 2124.

Nickel Plate Road No. 763 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive. It was built in August 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio, as the ninth engine of its class. It is a high powered fast freight locomotive that carried perishables between Chicago and Buffalo, New York.

Baldwin Locomotive Works 26 is an 0-6-0 "Switcher" type steam locomotive, currently a part of the operating fleet at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania for use on excursion trains.

Grand Trunk Western No. 6039 is a preserved class "U-1-c" 4-8-2 "Mountain type" steam locomotive built in June 1925 by Baldwin. It served the Grand Trunk Western Railroad by pulling fast passenger and freight trains throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, until the railroad decided to dieselize their locomotive fleet. During that time, it was leased to the Central Vermont Railway for freight service, only to become one of the very last steam locomotives to regularly operate in the state of Vermont. After being retired in the late 1950s, No. 6039 became one of the first steam locomotives to be owned by F. Nelson Blount, and it subsequently became part of his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection for static display. In 1984, the locomotive was moved along with every other locomotive in the Steamtown collection from Bellows Falls to Scranton, Pennsylvania, where the name would late be changed to Steamtown National Historic Site under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. As of 2023, No. 6039 remains on static display at Scranton with very meticulous cosmetic care.

Nickel Plate Road 757 is a 2-8-4 Berkshire type steam locomotive built by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the Nickel Plate Road in 1944.

References

1 2 Barris, Wes. "Steamlocomotive.com". Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "Steamtown NHS: Special History Study". Archived from the original on 2007-05-10. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
↑ Paulus (2017)
↑ "The Last N&W Passenger Train Leaving Roanoke Was Steam-Powered". The Roanoke Star News. April 14, 2021. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
1 2 3 Warden & Miller (2000) , p. 44.
↑ "RailPictures.Net Photo: NKP 765 Nickel Plate Road Steam 2-8-4 at Scranton, Pennsylvania by Christopher Gore". www.railpictures.net. Retrieved 2021-07-14.

Bibliography

Paulus, Brian (2017). The Western Maryland Railway: Baltimore to Cumberland & the New Line. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-5246-5118-3.
Warden, William E.; Miller, Kenneth L. (2000). Norfolk and Western Passenger Service: 1946–1971 (2nd ed.). TLC Publishing. ISBN 1-883089-50-6.

External links

Nickel Plate Road Class S-2

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[Barrie-1] 1 2 Barris, Wes. "Steamlocomotive.com". Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2013-01-21.

[NPS-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Steamtown NHS: Special History Study". Archived from the original on 2007-05-10. Retrieved 2013-01-21.

[3] Paulus (2017)

[4] "The Last N&W Passenger Train Leaving Roanoke Was Steam-Powered". The Roanoke Star News. April 14, 2021. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.

[Warden&Miller2000p44-5] 1 2 3 Warden & Miller (2000) , p. 44.

[6] "RailPictures.Net Photo: NKP 765 Nickel Plate Road Steam 2-8-4 at Scranton, Pennsylvania by Christopher Gore". www.railpictures.net. Retrieved 2021-07-14.

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