Southern Railway 1401

Southern Railway 1401
Southern Railway No. 1401 on static display at the National Museum of American History in 2013
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder ALCO's Richmond Works Serial number 66888 Build date July 1926
Specifications Configuration: ​  •  Whyte 4-6-2  •  UIC 2′C1′ h Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 33 in (838 mm) Driver dia. 73 in (1,854 mm) Trailing dia. 43 in (1,092 mm) Loco weight 304,000 lb (138,000 kg) Tender weight 261,600 lb (118,700 kg) Total weight 565,600 lb (256,600 kg) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 16 tonnes (35,000 lb) Water cap. 14,000 US gallons (53,000 L) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 70+1⁄2 sq ft (6.55 m2) Boiler pressure 200  psi (1.38  MPa) Feedwater heater Elesco Cylinders Two Cylinder size 27 in × 28 in (686 mm × 711 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts, (originally Baker)
Performance figures Maximum speed 60–80 mph (97–129 km/h) Power output 2,624 hp (2,660 PS; 1,957 kW) Tractive effort 47,535 lbf (211.45 kN) Factor of adh. 3.79
Career Operators Southern Railway Class Ps-4 Number in class 46 of 64 Locale Southeastern United States Retired November 1952 Restored 1961 (cosmetically) Current owner Smithsonian Institution Disposition On static display
References: [1] [2] [3] [4]

Southern Railway 1401 is a 4-6-2 steam locomotive built in July 1926 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia, for the Southern Railway (SOU) as a member of the Ps-4 class, which was based on the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) Heavy Pacific design with some minor differences. It was assigned to haul the SOU's Crescent Limited passenger train between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia.

Painted in a Virginian green and gold paint scheme, No. 1401 and the other Ps-4s were signified as the First Ladies of the Pacifics around the SOU system. Originally built with Baker valve gear and alligator crossheads, the Ps-4s were eventually re-equipped with Walschaerts valve gear and multiple-bearing crossheads in the mid-late 1930s.

During 1945, No. 1401 was assigned to haul the funeral train of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Retired from revenue service by the SOU in 1952, No. 1401 was donated to the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., around 1961, where it remains on permanent display as the sole survivor of the Southern Railway Ps-4 class.

History

Design and appearances

Sister locomotive No. 1396 at Alexandria, Virginia, in 1926

During the 1920s, the Southern Railway's (SOU) roster consisted of smaller P-1, Ps-2, Ps-3, and P-5 class 4-6-2 Light Pacifics that could not handle the longer and heavier mainline passenger trains between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia. ^{[3] [5]} Therefore, the SOU ordered the more powerful 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific Ps-4 class with a total of 27 locomotives (Nos. 1366–1392), built between 1923 and 1924 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York, and were originally painted black with gold linings and lettering. ^{[6] [lower-alpha 1]} The Ps-4s were based on the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) Heavy Pacific design, differing in that they lacked the smaller 73 in (1.854 m) driving wheels, and included a slightly shorter boiler, an additional firebox combustion chamber, and a Worthington 3-B type feedwater heater. ^{[3] [9]} These arrangements made the Ps-4s produce 47,535 lbf (211.45 kN) of tractive effort, which allowed them to pull fourteen passenger cars at 80 mph (129 km/h) on the SOU's hilly terrain. ^{[3] [9]}

During 1925, SOU president Fairfax Harrison traveled to the United Kingdom where he admired the country's London and North Eastern Railway's (LNER) apple-green Gresley A1-class locomotives, which inspired him to repaint the Ps-4s in a new Virginian green and gold paint scheme. ^{[10] [11]} This included the second batches of twelve locomotives (Nos. 1393–1404) built in the summer of 1926 by ALCO's Richmond Works in Richmond, Virginia, at a cost of US$56,419 each (equivalent to $777,717in 2023). ^[12] Additionally, they were equipped with an Elesco feedwater heater as opposed to the Worthington type. ^{[3] [lower-alpha 2]} Because of the Ps-4s' glamorous Virginian green and gold paint scheme, they were signified as the First Ladies of the Pacifics around the SOU system. ^{[14] [15] [lower-alpha 3]}

In 1928, the last batch of five Ps-4s (Nos. 1405–1409) were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at a cost of $57,000 each (equivalent to $804,779in 2023). ^[12] While the 1923–1926 batches were equipped with Baker valve gear, the 1928 locomotives were built with Walschaerts valve gears. ^{[3] [7]} No. 1409 was experimentally equipped with a Coffin feedwater heater, which was later removed in the 1940s in favor of the Worthington SA type. ^{[1] [17]}

Nos. 1366–1404 were eventually re-equipped with Walschaerts valve gears in the mid-late 1930s. ^[18] Additionally, all of the Ps-4s were re-equipped with multiple-bearing crossheads as opposed to their original alligator crossheads. ^{[1] [18]} In the 1940s, Nos. 1366–1409 were all rebuilt with the higher and straighter front running board to allow more room around their cylinders and running gear for the crew maintaining the mechanical lubricating system. ^[1]

Revenue service and retirement

A close-up of No. 1401's running gear in late 2008

No. 1401 was the forty-sixth member of the Ps-4 class and was one of the second batches built in 1926. ^[4] It was assigned to pull the SOU's Crescent Limited passenger train, mostly on the SOU's Charlotte Division between Salisbury, North Carolina, and Atlanta. ^{[4] [lower-alpha 4]} On the night of April 25, 1942, No. 1401 was double heading with sister locomotive No. 1403, pulling the Atlanta Special passenger train from Atlanta to Washington D.C., but crashed into a stalled truck at a railroad crossing in Norcross, Georgia, derailing both locomotives with the first four cars and injuring 12 or 13 people. ^[19] They were both repaired and put back into service. ^[19] In April 1945, No. 1401 became one of the eight Ps-4 locomotives to haul the funeral train of U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. ^{[20] [21]} No. 1401's last heavy repairs took place at SOU's Spencer Shops in Spencer, North Carolina, on May 21, 1951. ^[22]

In November 1952, the No. 1401 locomotive was retired after it finished its last revenue run on the SOU's Danville Division between Salisbury and Monroe, Virginia. ^[22] It had traveled nearly 2,000,000 miles (3,200,000 km) during its revenue service. ^[21] During that time, railfan Walter H. Thrall and Washington, D.C., lawyer W. Graham Claytor Jr. convinced SOU president Harry A. DeButts to salvage one of the Ps-4 locomotives and donate it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. ^{[22] [23]} In early 1953, the No. 1401 locomotive was chosen for preservation and was towed to Alexandria, Virginia, to be stored at the Henry Street Yard to await the Smithsonian's decision. ^{[22] [lower-alpha 5]} In 1955, the Smithsonian announced that they would put the No. 1401 locomotive on display inside their new Museum of History and Technology exhibition building. ^[22]

In November 1961, the No. 1401 locomotive was cosmetically restored and transported via flatbed truck to the Smithsonian's under construction Museum of History and Technology building, which opened in early 1964 and later renamed to National Museum of American History in 1980 to reflect its scope of American history. ^{[24] [25]} The No. 1401 locomotive currently remains on permanent static display at the Smithsonian as the sole survivor of the Southern Railway Ps-4 class. ^{[26] [27]}

See also

• Atlanta and West Point 290
• Atlantic Coast Line 1504
• London and North Eastern Railway 4472 Flying Scotsman
• Norfolk and Western 578
• Santa Cruz Railroad 3
• Southern Railway 722
• Southern Railway 4501

Notes

1. The five locomotives (Nos. 6471–6475) were built for the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (CNO&TP), while the other four locomotives (Nos. 6684–6687) were assigned to the Alabama Great Southern Railroad (AGS). ^{[7] [8]}
2. Seven additional locomotives (Nos. 6476–6482) were built for the CNO&TP, while the other four locomotives (Nos. 6688–6691) were assigned to the AGS. ^{[7] [13]}
3. The SOU engineers, firemen, and workshop employees decorated the Ps-4s with two brass flag holders on their headlight, a brass eagle ornament mounted in front of their smokebox door, and brass stars on their cylinder head caps. ^{[9] [16]}
4. No. 1401 is the only Ps-4 on the SOU's main division to have a CNO&TP style number plate. ^[9]
5. The SOU mechanical officers originally offered to donate the No. 1393 locomotive, but the Smithsonian turned it down in favor of No. 1401 since the latter was recognized as one of the locomotives involved in the Roosevelt funeral train. ^[22]

References

1. Bryant Jr. (1950), p. 26.
2. Fitt (1973), p. 2.
3. Prince (1970), pp. 114–115.
4. Tillotson Jr. (2004), pp. 60–61.
5. Tillotson Jr. (2004) , p. 1.
6. Tillotson Jr. (2004) , p. 23.
7. Bryant Jr. (1950), p. 23.
8. Ranks & Lowe (1966), p. 150.
9. Bryant Jr. (1950) , p. 22.
10. Bryant Jr. (1962) , p. 4.
11. Ranks & Lowe (1966) , p. 211.
12. Morgan (1978) , p. 28.
13. Ranks & Lowe (1966), pp. 151–152.
14. Bryant Jr. (1950) , pp. 20–21.
15. Ranks & Lowe (1966) , p. 212.
16. Ranks & Lowe (1966), pp. 205–206.
17. Ranks & Lowe (1966) , pp. 145–146.
18. Drury (2015) , p. 294.
19. "Downtown Train Wreck". Norcross, GA - official website. March 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
20. Bryant Jr. (1950) , p. 24.
21. Davis (1985) , p. 213.
22. Withuhn (2009) , p. 38.
23. Wrinn (2000) , p. 7.
24. "Moving the 1401 into the Museum". National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution. July 25, 2017. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
25. "National Museum of American History – Media Fact Sheet". National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
26. Davis (1985) , p. 145.
27. Withuhn (2009) , p. 39.

Bibliography

• Bryant Jr., H. Stafford (October 1950). "Ps-4" . Trains . Vol. 10, no. 12. Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 20–26.
• Bryant Jr., H. Stafford (1962). The Georgian Locomotive (1st ed.). Weathervane. ISBN   0-517-172666.
• Davis, Burke (1985). The Southern Railway: Roads of the Innovators (1st ed.). The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN   0-8078-1636-1.
• Drury, George H. (2015). Guide to North American Steam Locomotives (2nd ed.). Kalmbach Media. ISBN   978-1-62700-259-2.
• Fitt, William C. (1973). Southern Ps-4 Class Pacific Locomotive Drawings (1st ed.). Wildwood Publications. ISBN   0-914104-00-4.
• Morgan, David P. (December 1978). "A paean to the Ps-4" . Trains. Vol. 39, no. 2. Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 28–34.
• Prince, Richard E. (1970). Steam Locomotives and Boats: Southern Railway System (2nd ed.). Wheelwright Lithographing Company. ISBN   0-9600088-4-5.
• Ranks, Harold; Lowe, Shelby (1966). Southern Steam Power (1st ed.). Barnhart Press.
• Tillotson Jr., Curt (2004). Southern Railway Steam Trains Volume 1 – Passenger (1st ed.). TLC Publishing. ISBN   1-883089-94-8.
• Withuhn, Bill (Winter 2009). "Our National Locomotive" . Classic Trains. Vol. 10, no. 4. Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 37–39.
• Wrinn, Jim (2000). Steam's Camelot: Southern and Norfolk Southern Excursions in Color (1st ed.). TLC Publishing. ISBN   1-883089-56-5.

External links

• Steam Locomotive, Southern Railway 1401 - Smithsonian Institution