Reading 2101

Last updated
Reading 2101
American Freedom Train at Notre Dame, July 1975.jpg
Reading No. 2101 in its American Freedom Train Livery with the consist as No. 1 at Notre Dame, Indiana on July 13, 1975
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number58278
Build dateMarch 1923 (As Class I10sa 2-8-0 Consolidation #2037)
Rebuilder Reading Company
Rebuild dateSeptember 1945 (Rebuilt as : T1 4-8-4 Northern 2101)
Specifications
Configuration:
   Whyte New: 2-8-0
Rebuilt: 4-8-4
Gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.70 in (1,778 mm)
Length110 ft 6 in (33.68 m)
Adhesive weight 278,200 lb (126,200 kilograms; 126.2 metric tons)
Loco weight441,300 lb (200,200 kilograms; 200.2 metric tons)
Total weight809,000 lb (367,000 kilograms; 367 metric tons)
Fuel type Anthracite coal
Fuel capacity52,000 lb (24,000 kilograms; 24 metric tons)
Water cap.19,000 US gallons (72,000 L; 16,000 imp gal)
Firebox:
  Grate area94.5 sq ft (8.78 m2)
Boiler pressure240 lbf/in2 (1.65 MPa)
Cylinders Two, outside
Cylinder size 27 in × 32 in (686 mm × 813 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort Loco: 68,000 lbf (302.5 kN),
Booster 11,100 lbf (49.4 kN)
Factor of adh. 4.09
Career
Operators Reading Company
Class New: I-10sa
Rebuilt: T-1
Number in class2 out of 30
Numbers
  • RDG 2037
  • RDG 2101
  • AFT 1
  • CHES-C 2101
Nicknames American Freedom Train #1 George S. Cashman
Retired1956 (revenue service)
March 6, 1979 (excursion service)
RestoredMarch 28, 1975
Current owner B&O Railroad Museum
DispositionUndergoing cosmetic restoration
References: [1] [2] [3] [4]

Reading 2101 is a preserved T-1 class 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive constructed in September 1945 for use by the Reading Company. Constructed from an earlier "I10SA" 2-8-0 "Consolidation"-type locomotive, 2101 was originally built in March 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the 2101 handled heavy coal train traffic for the Reading until being retired from revenue service in 1959. Withheld from scrapping, the 2101 served as emergency backup power for the three other T1 locomotives serving the Reading's "Iron Horse Rambles" excursions until being sold for scrap in 1964.

Contents

In 1975, the locomotive was restored to operation from scrapyard condition in an emergency 30-day overhaul after being selected to pull the first eastern portion of the American Freedom Train. On March 6, 1979, while being stored one winter in a Chessie System roundhouse in Silver Grove, KY, 2101 was severely damaged in a fire. Also damaged in that fire was a NYC Mohawk tender, which is now located at the National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart, Indiana. 2101 was cosmetically restored and placed in the B&O Railroad Museum on Labor Day, 1979, in exchange for Chesapeake and Ohio 614. Today the locomotive remains on display in its American Freedom Train No. 1 paint scheme, and is currently undergoing another cosmetic restoration.

History

Construction and revenue service

In 1945, while World War II was nearing its end, the Reading Company (RDG) was looking into ordering large steam locomotives for use in heavy freight trains, but due to restrictions from the War Production Board, the company was only allowed to rebuild and modify their existing locomotives. [1] Beginning in 1945, the RDG moved thirty of its I-10sa class 2-8-0 locomotives to their shops in Reading, and with assistance from the Baldwin Locomotive Works, they rebuilt them into new 4-8-4 locomotives that were numbered 2100-2129 and classified as T-1's. [1] No. 2101 was originally built by the Baldwin in March 1923 as I-10a 2-8-0 No. 2037 and was converted to Reading No. 2101 in September 1945. [2]

In revenue service, No. 2101 pulled many freight and coal trains, until 1954, when nearly all steam locomotives on the RDG were removed from service. [3] Most of the T-1's were briefly returned to service on the RDG to remedy a traffic surge in 1956, before they were withdrawn again. [3] Beginning in 1959, the RDG launched the "Iron Horse Rambles", where a few T-1 locomotives would be used to pull excursion fantrips across the railroad's system. [4] Nos. 2100, 2102, and 2124 were used for the Rambles, while No. 2101 was kept inside the RDG's roundhouse in Reading to serve as back-up power, but it never ran. [4] [5]

Despite its popularity, rising operating costs and deteriorating trackage forced the end of the Rambles, and the final train took place on October 17, 1964. [6] The RDG subsequently sold off all its remaining T-1's, and No. 2101 was sold along with No. 2100 in September 1967 to Streigel Equipment and Supply, and they were both moved to their scrapyard in Baltimore, Maryland for storage. [7]

Excursion service

In 1975, the United States was preparing for its Bicentennial celebrations, and plans were underway to operate the American Freedom Train, which would travel across the country and stop at major cities. Led by Ross Rowland, a nationwide search was carried out to search for locomotives to restore and use to pull the train. Southern Pacific 4449 had been selected as the primary locomotive for the train, but clearances prohibited it from travelling within the northeastern portion of the U.S. [7] Ross Rowland subsequently purchased Nos. 2101 and 2100 to pull the train in the northeast, and No. 2101 was selected to be restored, while No. 2100 was used for spare parts. [7] No. 2101 was restored to operating condition in only thirty days by March 28, 1975, and it was repainted as American Freedom Train No. 1.

No. 2101 in the course of its Chessie Steam Special in Plymouth, Michigan, 1977 Plymouth, MI C&O Jul 1977 10-34.jpg
No. 2101 in the course of its Chessie Steam Special in Plymouth, Michigan, 1977

No. 2101 pulled the eastern section of the trip before giving it to No. 4449 in Chicago for the western section. On the return trip east, No. 2101 again took charge of the train at Birmingham, Alabama, and it pulled the train through New England, before it was transferred back to No. 4449 at Washington, D.C..

In 1977, following the end of the Bicentennial celebrations, No. 2101 was repainted into a bright yellow-and-orange livery and pulled many excursions arranged by Ross Rowland on the Chessie System as the "Chessie Steam Special" to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In 1979, No. 2101 was damaged in a roundhouse fire in Russell, Kentucky, which was caused by faulty electricity. While most of the damage was cosmetic, the T-1 was damaged to such an extent that it would require a complete overhaul before returning to service.

Disposition

Following the fire incident, Rowland traded No. 2101 to the B&O Railroad Museum, in exchange for Chesapeake and Ohio 614, which would pull the 1981 Chessie Safety Express between Baltimore to Hagerstown. Since then, No. 2101 had been cosmetically restored as American Freedom Train No. 1, and it has remained on static display. Upon restoration after the fire, its tender was swapped with that from No. 2100. When locomotive No. 2100 was restored to operating condition, No. 2101's old tender was also restored and modified with an oil tank. The No. 2100 locomotive and No. 2101 tender were stored together in Richland, Washington until April 2015 when they were shipped to Cleveland, Ohio to be restored again. Plans were later announced in August 2023 that No. 2100's firebox would be modified to burn recycled vegetable oil fuel. On October 21, 2023, No. 2101 was moved into the B&O Railroad Museum's workshop for a complete cosmetic restoration. [8] [9]

Accidents and incidents

See also

Related Research Articles

Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), the Western Maryland Railway (WM), and Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT). Trains operated under the Chessie name from 1973 to 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B&O Railroad Museum</span> United States historic place

The B&O Railroad Museum is a museum and historic railway station exhibiting historic railroad equipment in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) company originally opened the museum on July 4, 1953, with the name of the Baltimore & Ohio Transportation Museum. It has been called one of the most significant collections of railroad treasures in the world and has the largest collection of 19th-century locomotives in the U.S. The museum is located in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's old Mount Clare Station and adjacent roundhouse, and retains 40 acres of the B&O's sprawling Mount Clare Shops site, which is where, in 1829, the B&O began America's first railroad and is the oldest railroad manufacturing complex in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Pacific 4449</span> Preserved SP GS-4 class 4-8-4 locomotive in Portland, Oregon

Southern Pacific 4449, also known as the Daylight, is the only surviving example of Southern Pacific Railroad's GS-4 class of 4-8-4 Northern type steam locomotives and one of only two streamlined GS class locomotives preserved, the other being GS-6 No. 4460 at the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri. GS is an abbreviation of General Service or Golden State, the latter of which was a nickname for California, where the locomotive was used to operate in revenue service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake and Ohio 614</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive

Chesapeake and Ohio 614 is a class "J-3-A" 4-8-4 "Greenbrier" (Northern) type steam locomotive built in June 1948 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) as a member of the J-3-A class. As one of the last commercially built steam locomotives in the United States, the locomotive was built with the primary purpose of hauling long, heavy, high speed express passenger trains for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway such as the George Washington and the Fast Flying Virginian.

Ross E. Rowland, Jr. is a figure in United States railroad preservation. He has run public and demonstration excursions on existing railroads utilizing steam locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian National 3254</span> Preserved Canadian 2-8-2 locomotive (CN S-1-b class)

Canadian National 3254 is a S-1-b class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built by the Canadian Locomotive Company for the Canadian National Railway as the fifth member of the Canadian National class S-1-b.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 1278</span> Preserved CP G5d class 4-6-2 locomotive

Canadian Pacific 1278 is a G5d class 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickel Plate Road 759</span> Preserved NKP S-2 class 2-8-4 locomotive

Nickel Plate Road 759 is a S-2 class 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading 2124</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive (RDG class T-1)

Reading 2124 is a preserved T-1 class 4-8-4,"Northern" type steam locomotive that was built by the Reading Company (RDG) in January 1947, using parts from "I-10sa" class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive No. 2024, which was originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in December 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading T-1 Class</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Trunk Western 4070</span> Preserved GTW S-3-a class 2-8-2 locomotive

Grand Trunk Western No. 4070 is an S-3-a class 2-8-2 USRA Light Mikado steam locomotive, and it was originally built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in December 1918 for the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) as No. 474. It was later re-numbered to 3734 by the Grand Trunk Western (GTW), after the GTR was absorbed into Canadian National (CN). In the late 1950s, the locomotive received a larger tender from an S-3-c class locomotive, and it was further re-numbered to 4070.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Canyon Railway 4960</span> Preserved American CB&Q O-1a class 2-8-2 locomotive

Grand Canyon Railway 4960 is a preserved O-1A class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in August 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q) Railroad. It was used by the CB&Q to pull freight trains, until 1958, when the locomotive pulled its first excursion fantrip, as part of the railroad's steam excursion program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Blue Mountain and Northern 2102</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive (RDG class T-1)

Reading Blue Mountain and Northern 2102 is a preserved T-1 class 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive. Originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in March 1925 as an "I-10sa" 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive for the Reading Company, No. 2102 was rebuilt by the Reading's own locomotive Shops as a 4-8-4 "Northern" in September 1945, and it was used for pulling heavy coal trains for the railroad until being retired from revenue service in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading 2100</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive (RDG class T-1)

Reading 2100 is a T-1 class 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotives constructed in September 1945 for use by the Reading Company (RDG). Constructed from an earlier 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive, No. 2100 was originally built in May 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, No. 2100 pulled heavy freight and coal trains for the Reading until being retired from revenue service in 1956. Between 1961 and 1964, No. 2100 was used to pull the RDG's Iron Horse Rambles excursions alongside fellow T-1's Nos. 2124 and 2102. After the rambles ended, No. 2100 was sold along with No. 2101 in 1967 to a scrapyard in Baltimore, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading 1251</span> Preserved RDG B-4a class 0-6-0ST locomotive

Reading 1251 is a preserved B-4a class 0-6-0 "Switcher" type Steam locomotive built by the Reading Company's own locomotive shops in Reading in 1918 as the only tank locomotive to be rostered by the Reading after World War I. It served as a shop switcher to pull and push locomotives in and out of the Reading's shops, until it was taken off of the Reading's active list in early 1963. It subsequently spent the next eight years being sold to various owners until becoming fully owned by the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg for static display. As of 2024, the locomotive remains on indoor display inside the museum and is not likely to run again in the near future.

Baltimore and Ohio No. 5300, also known as President Washington, is the sole survivor of the P-7 class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotives. It was built by Baldwin in 1927, and it was used on mainline passenger trains across the Baltimore and Ohio system, particularly the Royal Blue train, until it was retired in 1957. After being stored for a few years, it was donated to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, where it has spent several years on static display. The locomotive is undergoing a cosmetic restoration, as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake and Ohio 490</span> Preserved American 4-6-4 locomotive

Chesapeake and Ohio No. 490 is the sole survivor of the L-1 class 4-6-4 "Hudson" type steam locomotives. It was built by Alco's Richmond works in 1926 as an F-19 class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type to be used to pull the Chesapeake and Ohio's secondary passenger trains. It was eventually rebuilt in 1946 to become a streamlined 4-6-4 for the C&O's Chessie streamliner. After the Chessie was cancelled, No. 490 remained in secondary passenger service, until it was retired in 1953. It spent several years in storage in Huntington, West Virginia, until 1968, when it was donated to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. It remains on static display at the museum, as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 1238</span> Preserved CP G5c class 4-6-2 locomotive

Canadian Pacific 1238 is a preserved G5c class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in June 1946. It was purchased by George Hart, who used it for excursion service in the 1960s. It was later sold to Jack Showalter, who operated it on his Allegany Central Railroad from the 1970s to the mid-1990s. In late December 2023, No. 1238 was purchased by the Waterloo Central Railway, and they have plans to restore the locomotive to operating condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 1286</span> Preserved CP G5d class 4-6-2 locomotive

Canadian Pacific 1286 is a preserved G5d class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built in 1948 by the Canadian Locomotive Company. It was sold to George Hart, who used it to pull excursion trains in the 1960s. It was eventually sold again to Jack Showalter, who operated it on his Allegany Central Railroad from the early 1970s to the late 1990s. As of 2023, No. 1286 is stored under private ownership at the Prairie Dog Central Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading 1187</span> Preserved RDG A-4b class 0-4-0 camelback locomotive

Reading 1187 is a camelback A4b class 0-4-0 "Switcher" type steam locomotive, built in 1903 by Baldwin for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. It was primarily used for yard switching services, until 1946, when it was sold to the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company's E&G Brooke Plant as No. 4. In 1962, it made its way to the Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg, Pennsylvania to be used in hauling tourist trains, but due to its small size, it was reassigned to switching passenger cars. After being removed from service in 1967, No. 1187 sat on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, before sitting idle at the Strasburg yard. In 2020, it was acquired by the Age of Steam Roundhouse, were it is on static display and awaiting a cosmetic restoration at their location in Sugarcreek, Ohio.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Zimmermann (2018) , p. 22
  2. 1 2 3 "Class T-1 4-8-4 Northern, Nos. 2100, 2101, 2102, 2124". Reading Company Technical & Historical Society.
  3. 1 2 3 Zimmermann (2018) , p. 23
  4. 1 2 3 Zimmermann (2018) , p. 25
  5. Zimmermann (2018) , p. 26
  6. Zimmermann (2018) , p. 28
  7. 1 2 3 "Life after the Rambles". Classic Trains. Vol. 19, no. 3. Kalmbach Publishing. Fall 2018. p. 27.
  8. "B&O Railroad Museum schedules move of American Freedom Train locomotive". Trains . Kalmbach Media. October 19, 2023. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 "B&O Railroad Museum to Cosmetically Restore American Freedom Train 4-8-4". Railfan & Railroad . White River Productions. October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  10. Haas, Ben. "Reading #2101, Rambling Memories at the B&O Museum". steamgiants.com.

Bibliography

Further reading