The First Quarter-Century of Steam Locomotives in North America: Remaining Relics and Operable Replicas with a Catalog of Locomotive Models in the U. S. National Museum. United States National Museum Bulletin 210 — John Shaqi
The First Quarter-Century of Steam Locomotives in North America: Remaining Relics and Operable Replicas with a Catalog of Locomotive Models in the U. S. National Museum. United States National Museum Bulletin 210Oliver, Smith Hempstone
History
The First Quarter-Century of Steam Locomotives in North America: Remaining Relics and Operable Replicas with a Catalog of Locomotive Models in the U. S. National Museum. United States National Museum Bulletin 210
Oliver, Smith Hempstone
Locomotives -- History
A nonoperable model (figure 79) in the Museum collection (USNM 313162),
gift of the New York Central System in 1947, represents _No. 5429_. The
model locomotive and tender are 2 feet long and are accompanied by a
train of six streamlined cars. The entire train is painted silver, with
black trimming on the locomotive and tender. Built to a scale of ¼ inch
to the foot, it was especially made for the Museum, the builder being
Edwin P. Alexander of Yardley, Pa.
[Illustration: Figure 79.—Model of American Locomotive Co.
Hudson-type locomotive, 1938.]
The original _No. 5429_, constructed in 1938, was streamlined in 1941 in
the West Albany shops of the New York Central, and in December of that
year was placed back in service on the Empire State Express with an
entirely new streamlined train of specially designed stainless-steel
cars. When the Empire State Express was ultimately dieselized in 1945,
_No. 5429_ was put to other uses, and the streamlining was removed in
1950. As of October 1955 it was still in service.
In streamlined condition, as represented by the model, the locomotive
and tender together weighed 681,900 pounds and their length was a few
inches over 97 feet. The diameter of the driving wheels was 79 inches,
the bore and stroke of the cylinders were 22½ and 29 inches,
respectively, and the total tractive force was 53,960 pounds. A steam
pressure of 265 pounds per square inch was used.
Baldwin-Westinghouse Geared Steam-Turbine Locomotive, 1944
A radical departure from the usual design for a coal-burning steam
locomotive, and the first of its type built in this country, was the
noncondensing geared steam-turbine locomotive built jointly by The
Baldwin Locomotive Works and the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing
Co. Constructed in 1944 at Baldwin’s Eddystone plant (Westinghouse
manufactured the turbines and gears), it was designated Pennsylvania
Railroad Co. class S-2 locomotive _No. 6200_.
This locomotive, combining the work of two pioneers in the railroad
equipment field, is represented in the Museum collection by a
nonoperable model (figure 80) made especially for the Museum (USNM
312935) and presented to it by The Baldwin Locomotive Works early in
1946. The locomotive and tender, together 30 inches long, were built to
a scale of ¼ inch to the foot by Minton Cronkhite of Pasadena, Calif.
Two steam turbines, similar to the type that drive the larger fighting
ships of the U.S. Navy, powered the original locomotive. The more
complex and powerful of the two, the forward-drive turbine, developed a
maximum of 7,250 horsepower and was at all times engaged with the
wheels. (Although 6,500 horsepower has usually been the quoted figure
for the forward-drive turbine, 7,250 was actually developed on October
22, 1946, at the Altoona Locomotive Testing Plant.) The simpler one, for
reverse only, developed 1,500 horsepower and was normally disengaged
from the driving wheels except while actually being used.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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