Norfolk and Western 1240

Norfolk and Western 1240
Norfolk and Western No. 1240 at Norfolk, Virginia c. 1956.
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder N&W's Roanoke Shops (East End Shops) Serial number 385 [1] Build date May 1950
Specifications Configuration: ​  •  Whyte 2-6-6-4 Driver 70 in (1,778 mm) Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Leading dia. 33 in (838 mm) Driver dia. 70 in (1.778 m) Trailing dia. 42 in (1.067 m) Axle load 72,000 lb (33 t) Adhesive weight 432,350 lb (196.11 t) [2] Loco weight 573,000 lb (260 t) Tender weight 378,600 lb (171.7 t) Total weight 951,600 lb (431.6 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 30 short tons (60,000 lb) Water cap. 22,000 US gal (83,000 L) Fuel consumption 7 t (6.9 long tons; 7.7 short tons) of coal per hour 13,906 US gal (52,640 L; 11,579 imp gal) of water per hour Firebox: ​  • Grate area 122 sq ft (11.3 m2) Boiler 106 in (2,692 mm) Boiler pressure 300 lbf/in2 (2.07 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 587 sq ft (54.5 m2)  • Tubes and flues 6,052 sq ft (562.2 m2) Superheater: ​  • Type Type E  • Heating area 2,703 sq ft (251.1 m2) Cylinders Four, simple articulated Cylinder size 24 in × 30 in (610 mm × 760 mm) Valve gear Baker Valve type Piston valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 114,000 lbf (507.10 kN) Factor of adh. 3.8
Career Operators Norfolk and Western Railway Retired 1959 Scrapped 1959 Disposition Scrapped
References: [3]

Norfolk and Western 1240 was a four-cylinder simple articulated 2-6-6-4 steam locomotive, built in May 1950 by the Norfolk and Western's (N&W) East End Shops in Roanoke, Virginia as part of the N&W's class "A" fleet of fast freight locomotives.

History

Construction and performances

Norfolk and Western (N&W) No. 1240 was manufactured in May 1950 by the Norfolk and Western Railway at their own Roanoke Shops. It was the third member of the final batch of five N&W class A 2-6-6-4 locomotives, Nos. 1238-1242, built with Timken roller bearings and lightweight reciprocating parts. ^{[4] [5]} These arrangements reduces roundhouse maintenance costs, reduction in hammer blow on the rails, and making the locomotives run longer without lubrication services. ^[4]

Excursion run and scrapping

No. 1240 was retired from active service on the Norfolk and Western Railway when they began replacing steam locomotives with diesel locomotives.

No. 1240 would be fired up again on July 11, 1959 and used on the N&W's Farewell to Steam excursion train along with class Y6b No. 2174. ^[6] No. 1240 pulled the excursion from Roanoke, Virginia to Bluefield, West Virginia, where the train was transferred to No. 2174. The 2174 pulled it through the N&W's Pocahontas Division to Iaeger, and then it travelled over the Dry Fork Branch to Cedar Bluff. No. 2174 returned the excursion to Bluefield, and then No. 1240 returned the train to Roanoke. ^[7]

When the Farewell to Steam excursion had ended that same year in 1959, No. 1240 was sold for scrap.

See also

• Norfolk and Western 611
• Norfolk and Western 1218

References

1. King (1989), p. 173
2. Gerbracht, Thomas R. (1989). The Making of A Legend – The Niagara Story Part 2 (PDF). New York Central System Historical Society. p. 17.
3. Jeffries (1980), p. 324.
4. Jeffries (1980) , p. 197.
5. Le Massena, Robert A. (November 1991). N&W's Secret Weapons. Trains Magazine. pp. 64–69.
6. Solomon (2015) , p. 127
7. Sears, Robert (July 12, 1959). "Smoke-Blackened Rail Buffs End 'Safari in Steam'". The Roanoke Times. Vol. 146, no. 12. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.

Bibliography

• King, Ed (1989). The A: Norfolk & Western's Mercedes of Steam. Trans-Anglo Books. ISBN   978-0-87046-096-8.
• Carleton, Paul (1994). Memories of Norfolk and Western Power (1st ed.). D. Carleton Railbooks.
• Jeffries, Lewis (1980). N&W: Giant of Steam (1st ed.). Pruett Publishing. ISBN   0-87108-547-X.
• Solomon, Brian (2015). The Majesty of Big Steam. Voyageur Press. ISBN   978-0-7603-4892-5.

Further reading

• Carleton, Paul (1994). Memories of Norfolk and Western Power (1st ed.). D. Carleton Railbooks.