Grand Trunk Western No. 4070 is a class "S-3-a"

2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wheel ...

type

USRA Light Mikado The USRA Light Mikado was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I. This was the standard light fr ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

originally built by the

American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

(ALCO) in December 1918 for the Grand Trunk as No. 474, later re-numbered by

Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company is an American subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad has been under CN's subsidiary holding ...

, after the GT was absorbed into Canadian National as GTW No. 3734. In the late 1950s the locomotive was given a larger tender, from an S-3-c, and re-numbered 4070. The locomotive has pulled passenger excursions in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania over the years.

History

Revenue service

Grand Trunk Western 4070 was built in December 1918 by the

(ALCO) in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

and assigned to Grand Trunk, which numbered it originally as 474. Sometime in the 1930s a Coffin feedwater heater was installed, and with other improvements, the number was changed by the GTW to 3734. This steam locomotive's road career consisted of pulling freight and passenger services in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. After falling into a

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

in June 1955, the locomotive was shopped and given a larger tender, and the locomotive's number was changed to 4070. The 4070 continued to pull regular duty until March 29, 1960, when it pulled its final revenue freight, from Pontiac to Durand, MI and then was retired. In 1961, Lou Keller, a member of the National Railway Historical Society's Iowa chapter purchased 4070. In 1966 the Midwest Railway Historical Foundation (now MRPS) acquired the locomotive on a five-year lease and was moved into storage under the Cleveland Union Terminal. It was then moved to Chicago in 1967, where it was restored to operating condition by Richard Jensen and his crew, who also worked on fellow GTW USRA locomotive No. 5629.

Life after the Grand Trunk

4070 operated for the first time again on November 3, 1968, by pulling a passenger excursion from Dearborn Station, Chicago to South Bend, Ind. commemorating the 50th anniversary of her build date in 1918. An additional excursion was also made from these two points on March 23, 1969. On August 31, 1969, 4070 pulled a passenger fan trip from Erie to Greenville,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

on the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad. The 4070 was also used at

Conneaut Lake Park Conneaut Lake Park is a summer resort and event venue located in Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania, United States. It has long served as a regional tourist destination, and was noted by roller coaster enthusiasts for its classic Blue Streak coaster, ...

in PA. In 1971, MRHF bought out the lease. In 1975 it was selected to be used on the newly created Cuyahoga Valley Line - now known as the

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is a Class III railroad operating diesel-electric and steam-powered excursion trips through Peninsula, Ohio in the Cuyahoga Valley, primarily through the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park. History Based on a t ...

. In 1977, the 4070 performed a doubleheader along the famed

Horseshoe Curve A horseshoe curve is a class of climbing curve in a roadbed which reverses turn direction (inflection) twice on either side of a single tight curve that varies through an angle of about 180 degrees or more. Such curves are more commonly found ...

with

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

T-1

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type w ...

"Northern" 2102. However, that trip was plagued with mechanical issues; while on the curve, the 4070 threw an eccentric rod, and the busy

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...

line where their train sat had to be shut down for several hours. After the incident, Conrail banned steam operations for the next several years. The 4070 had its rods repaired and was brought back to pull passenger trains on the Cuyahoga Valley Line. Additionally, in 1983, the locomotive was painted as

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

4070, and run to South Dayton, NY, for filming in the movie ''The Natural'', starring

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the List of awards and nominations received by Robert Redford, recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award from four nomi ...

, and released in 1984. After the movie, it continued service on the CVL until encountering mechanical difficulties in 1990. Upon inspection, 4070 was found to be in need of repairs. Seeing that the cost of the repairs would be prohibitive, 4070 was once again retired from service.

Second restoration

In 2011 the process started of restoring the locomotive to operational condition at the Midwest Railway Preservation Society in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. The locomotive boiler and tender have both been tested using ultrasound. The locomotive must have its drypipe, and front and rear tube sheets replaced. In addition, the smokebox, firebox, frame, running gear, driving boxes, tender and many assorted parts all need major work before 4070 can be operational. The estimated cost of 4070's restoration is $1,290,000. As of 2022, the MRPS has re-organized their portion of the roundhouse for more suitable space to work on No. 4070, and they have seamed the crack the locomotive's frame has had from its 1955 incident. It will likely be a few more years before the locomotive would be ready to steam up again.

In popular culture

The engine made a special "guest appearance" in the 1984 movie ''

The Natural ''The Natural'' is a 1952 novel about baseball by Bernard Malamud, and is his debut novel. The story follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked after being shot by a woman whose motivation remains mysterious. The story mos ...

'', starring

. The movie portion was filmed on the NY&LE railroad, in

South Dayton, New York South Dayton is a village in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 564 at the 2020 census. The village lies within the town of Dayton by the southwest corner of the town and less than a mile from the border of Chautauqua ...

Other preserved 2-8-2s

Canadian National 3254 Canadian National 3254 is a class "S-1-b" 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. History Revenue service Ca ...

Nickel Plate Road 587 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 ...

Grand Canyon Railway 4960 Grand Canyon Railway 4960 is a class "O-1a" 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1923 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. Its primary use was freight service until 19 ...

Southern Railway 4501 Southern Railway 4501 is a preserved Ms class 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built in October 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the first of its wheel arrangement type for the Southern Railway (SOU). In 19 ...

Soo Line 1003 Soo Line 1003 is a class "L-1" 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in March 1913 as a member of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad ("Soo Line") L-1 class. It was retired from ...

References

{{Reflist "Evening Before The Diesel" by Charles R. Foss

External links

Railroad Picture Archive: GTW 4070
2-8-2 locomotives ALCO locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1918 Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Preserved steam locomotives of Ohio 4070

Steamlocomotive.com