Pennsylvania Railroad 1361 is a 4-6-2 K4 "Pacific" type
steam locomotive built in May 1918 by the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) Juniata Shops in
Altoona, Pennsylvania
Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. T ...
. It hauled
mainline passenger and
mail trains in
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, ...
, including
commuter train
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are cons ...
s in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
on the PRR until its retirement from revenue service in 1956. Restored to operating condition for
excursion service
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
in 1987, No. 1361 along with its other surviving sister locomotive,
No. 3750, were designated as the official
state steam locomotives by the
Pennsylvania General Assembly. In 1988, it was sidelined due to mechanical problems and was currently owned by the Railroaders Memorial Museum (RMM) in Altoona, Pennsylvania, who were currently attempting to return No. 1361 back to operating condition.
History
Revenue service and retirement as a static display
![PRR-K4s-Drawing](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/PRR-K4s-Drawing.jpg)
No. 1361 was one of 425 K4 class locomotives built between 1914 and 1928 for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) as their premier passenger locomotive.
Built by PRR's Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania, No. 1361 was put into revenue service on May 18, 1918, where it joined the other K4s to haul PRR's fast passenger and mail trains between
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, via the
PRR Main Line.
Additionally, the No. 1361 locomotive was equipped with a 130P75 type
tender, which holds of water and of coal.
When the PRR's Eastern Region line between New York and
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was electrified in the 1930s, No. 1361 was relocated to the Central Division, running between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
In the early 1950s, some of the K4s, including No. 1361, were reassigned to haul commuter trains between
Perth Amboy
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...
and
Bay Head, New Jersey on the
New York and Long Branch line as their main line duties were taken over by the
diesel locomotives.
[.] In 1956, after traveling over , No. 1361 was retired from revenue service.
It was cosmetically refurbished and put on display next to the PRR's famous Horseshoe Curve on June 8, 1957.
[.] For three decades, No. 1361 sat on display outside exposed to the elements, so the members of the Horseshoe Curve Chapter,
National Railway Historical Society
The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for the historical development of railroads. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsyl ...
(NRHS) were volunteered to repaint and maintain the locomotive.
[.]
Short excursion service
On September 5, 1985, PRR's successor
Conrail and Assemblyman
Richard Geist
Richard A. "Rick" Geist (November 21, 1944 – August 29, 2019) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 79th District, first elected in 1978.
Career
Prior to his election ...
removed No. 1361 from its display site and moved it to the Railroaders Memorial Museum (RMM) in Altoona for its fifth anniversary on September 16.
[.] There were originally plans to have the No. 1361 locomotive cosmetically restored again, but the RMM have seek interest in restoring it to operating condition for excursion service.
On April 15, 1986, the restoration work of No. 1361 began at Conrail's ex-PRR Altoona Car Shop.
No. 1361's former display location at the Horseshoe Curve was taken over by an
EMD GP9 diesel locomotive No. 7048, painted in PRR livery.
[.][.]
On April 12, 1987, the No. 1361 locomotive moved under its own power for the first time in 31 years and made its first excursion run from Altoona to
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte is a borough in, and the county seat of, Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is approximately twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The bor ...
.
It also ran some excursion trains on the
Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad
The Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad is a short line railroad that operates of track in Blair, Centre, and Clinton counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of the North Shore Railroad System.
The line runs generally northea ...
and
Northern Central Railway
The Northern Central Railway (NCRY) was a Class I Railroad connecting Baltimore, Maryland with Sunbury, Pennsylvania, along the Susquehanna River. Completed in 1858, the line came under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1861, whe ...
.
On December 18, 1987, the Pennsylvania General Assembly designated Nos. 1361 and 3750 as the official state steam locomotives; the same bill designated the
GG1 4859 as the state
electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or g ...
. In 1988, the No. 1361 locomotive suffered a
main bearing
Main may refer to:
Geography
* Main River (disambiguation)
**Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany
* Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province
*"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries
...
and
drive axle
An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearin ...
catastrophic failure, resulting in it being sidelined from excursion service indefinitely for a complete rebuild.
Second attempt restoration
![Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum - panoramio (28)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Altoona_Railroaders_Memorial_Museum_-_panoramio_%2828%29.jpg)
In 1996, the No. 1361 locomotive was disassembled and moved to the
Steamtown National Historic Site in
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...
. It was originally going to be restored through a partnership between Steamtown, the
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took t ...
, and the RMM in Altoona.
After an initial
grant
Grant or Grants may refer to:
Places
*Grant County (disambiguation)
Australia
* Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia
United Kingdom
* Castle Grant
United States
* Grant, Alabama
* Grant, Inyo County, ...
of $420,000,
Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. ...
released an additional $600,000 in March 2000.
But the restoration work progressed slowly, as "every broken pin and bolt had to be replaced with handmade duplicates."
Scheduled completion dates were repeatedly pushed back, and after thirteen years, the restoration had cost $1.7 million.
The plans to rebuild No. 1361 at the Steamtown facilities were cancelled due to the RMM stopped paying out the funds and made the decision to return the remains of the locomotive and its parts back to their location.
In 2010, most of No. 1361's parts have returned back to the RMM.
However, only the
cab,
driving wheels,
frame
A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent.
Frame and FRAME may also refer to:
Physical objects
In building construction
*Framing (con ...
, tender, and other various small parts were stored in Altoona, while the
boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centr ...
was stored at the
East Broad Top Railroad
The East Broad Top Railroad (EBT) is a narrow gauge historic and heritage railroad headquartered in Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania.
Operating from 1871 to 1956, it is one of the nation's oldest and best-preserved narrow-gauge railroads ...
shops in
Orbisonia, Pennsylvania.
In February 2015, the museum had completed the construction of the newly constructed ''Harry Bennett Memorial
Roundhouse'' and stored No. 1361's tender, frame, and other components inside.
In late July 2015, No. 1361's boiler was moved back to Altoona and placed inside the roundhouse with the remainder of the locomotive.
Third restoration
In May 2018, restoration hopes were renewed when former
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
commissioner Bennett Levin and former
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
CEO
Wick Moorman announced the creation of a private restoration fund.
The restoration cost was estimated at least $1,000,000 as No. 1361 needs a newly
welded
Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as braz ...
boiler.
Additionally, the locomotive's driving axles would eventually be upgraded with
rolling bearings.
Levin and Moorman also announced that once the No. 1361 locomotive was fully restored, it will eventually pull several ex-PRR P70
passenger car
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded as ...
s and B60
baggage cars to be used for a statewide demonstration train.
In February 2019, the group has planned to design a new boiler that would meet FRA and mechanical engineering standards. In October 2019, No. 1361's tender was fully repaired and upgraded with roller bearing trucks, and its water scoop was restored for demonstration purposes. On June 24, 2021, the museum announced that they hired the contracting firm FMW Solutions to rebuild No. 1361's boiler with a new firebox.
The total cost of the restoration work are estimated to be $2.6 million.
On November 23, 2021, the old firebox was completely removed from No. 1361's boiler as part of FMW Solutions' total renovation.
In late June 2022, the construction of No. 1361's new firebox was commenced.
At the same time, the
Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society (PRRTHS) is a railroad historical society founded in 1974 and organized as a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation and recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization by the United States In ...
(PRRTHS) donated $100,512.33 to the RRM for the construction.
On October 14, 2022, the RMM went into partnership with the
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad
The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR) is a heritage railroad based in Cumberland, Maryland, that operates passenger excursion trains and occasional freight trains using both steam and diesel locomotives over ex-Western Maryland Railway (W ...
(WMSR) in
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland. It is the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,076. Located on the Potomac River, ...
to run an evening fundraiser excursion being pulled by WSMR's
No. 1309 steam locomotive with more than $13,000 raised to benefit No. 1361's restoration.
Additionally, the latter's PRR 3 chime whistle was fitted on the former.
By December 2022, the new firebox is starting to take shape.
See also
*
Atlanta and West Point 290
*
Atlantic Coast Line 1504
Atlantic Coast Line 1504 is a 4-6-2 steam locomotive built in March 1919 by the American Locomotive Company, American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia, for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) as a member of the P-5-A class under ...
*
Boston and Maine 3713
*
Maine Central 470
*
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis 576
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis 576 is a 4-8-4 "Dixie" (Northern) type steam locomotive built in August 1942 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York, for the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL) as ...
*
Norfolk and Western 578
Norfolk and Western 578 is a preserved 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive. Built by ALCO's Richmond Works in 1910, No. 578 was assigned to pull premiere passenger trains for the Norfolk and Western Railway before it was downgraded to secondary ...
*
Reading and Northern 425
*
Santa Fe 1316
*
Santa Fe 3415
*
Savannah and Atlanta 750
*
Soo Line 2719
Soo Line 2719 is a 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for use on passenger trains operated by the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway (" Soo Line"). No. 2719 was used to haul th ...
*
Southern Pacific 2467
*
Southern Pacific 2472
*
Southern Pacific 2479
Southern Pacific 2479 is one of six 4-6-2 heavy "Pacific" type steam locomotives built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1923 for the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), designated the P-10 class. No. 2479 was retired from service in 1956. The locomot ...
*
Southern Railway 1401
*
U.S. Sugar 148
U.S. Sugar 148, formerly Florida East Coast 148, is a 4-6-2 ''Light Pacific'' steam locomotive built in April 1920 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia, originally for the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC). It hauled pass ...
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
*
External links
Pennsylvania Railroad K4 1361- The Railroaders Memorial Museum
*
{{Authority control
4-6-2 locomotives
Individual locomotives of the United States
1361
Year 1361 ( MCCCLXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* March 17 – An-Nasir Hasan, Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, is killed by one of his own m ...
Railway locomotives introduced in 1918
Symbols of Pennsylvania
Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
Preserved steam locomotives of Pennsylvania