Southern Railway 1401 is a 4-6-2 ''Heavy Pacific''
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 ...
built in July 1926 by the
American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
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for the
Southern Railway (SOU) as a member of the
Ps-4 class, which was based on the
USRA Heavy Pacific design with some minor differences. It was assigned to haul the SOU's
Crescent Limited passenger train
A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...
between
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. 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
crosshead
In mechanical engineering, a crosshead is a mechanical joint used as part of the slider-crank linkages of long reciprocating engines (either internal combustion or steam) and reciprocating compressors to eliminate sideways force on the piston. ...
s, 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
A funeral train carries a coffin or coffins (caskets) to a place of interment by train, railway. Funeral trains today are often reserved for leaders, national heroes, or government officials, as part of a state funeral, but in the past were som ...
of
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
. Retired from revenue service by the SOU in 1952, No. 1401 was donated to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., around 1961, where it currently remains on permanent static display as the sole survivor of the Southern Railway Ps-4 class.
History
Design and appearances
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.
[.] 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
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 were originally painted black with gold linings and lettering.
[.] The Ps-4s were based on the USRA Heavy Pacific design, differing in that they lacked the smaller 73 in (1,778 mm) driving wheels, and included a slightly shorter boiler, an additional firebox combustion chamber, and a Worthington 3-B type feedwater heater.
[.] These arrangements made the Ps-4s produce of tractive effort, which allowed them to pull fourteen
passenger cars
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 t ...
at on the Southern Railway's hilly terrain.
![Southern RR Locomotive LOC npcc 32807](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Southern_RR_Locomotive_LOC_npcc_32807.jpg)
During 1925, SOU president
Fairfax Harrison
Fairfax Harrison (March 13, 1869 – February 2, 1938) was an American lawyer, businessman, and writer. The son of the secretary to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Harrison studied law at Yale University and Columbia University befor ...
traveled to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
where he admired the country's
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...
'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.
[.] 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 each ().
[.] Additionally, they were equipped with an Elesco feedwater heater as opposed to the Worthington type.
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.
In 1928, the last batch of five Ps-4s (Nos. 1405–1409) were built by the
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...
(BLW) in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, at a cost of $57,000 each ().
While the 1923–1926 batches were equipped with Baker valve gear, the 1928 locomotives were built with
Walschaerts valve gear
The Walschaerts valve gear is a type of valve gear used to regulate the flow of steam to the pistons in steam locomotives, invented by Belgium, Belgian railway mechanical engineering, engineer Egide Walschaerts in 1844.
The gear is sometimes name ...
s.
No. 1409 was experimentally equipped with a Coffin feedwater heater, which was later removed in the 1940s in favor of the Worthington SA type.
Nos. 1366–1404 were eventually re-equipped with Walschaerts valve gears in the mid-late 1930s.
[.] Additionally, all of the Ps-4s were re-equipped with multiple-bearing crossheads as opposed to their original alligator crossheads.
In the 1940s, Nos. 1366–1409 were all rebuilt with the higher and straighter front
running board
A running board or footboard is a narrow step fitted under the side doors of a tram ( cable car, trolley, or streetcar in North America), car, or truck. It aids entry, especially into high vehicles, and is typical of vintage trams and cars, w ...
to allow more room around their cylinders and
running gear
In railway terminology the term running gear refers to those components of a railway vehicle that run passively on the rails, unlike those of the driving gear. Traditionally these are the wheels, axles, axle boxes, springs and vehicle frame of a ...
for the crew to maintain the mechanical
lubricating
Lubrication is the process or technique of using a lubricant to reduce friction and wear and tear in a contact between two surfaces. The study of lubrication is a discipline in the field of tribology.
Lubrication mechanisms such as fluid-lubrica ...
system.
Revenue service and retirement
![Steam Locomotive, Southern Railway 1401](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Steam_Locomotive%2C_Southern_Railway_1401.JPG)
No. 1401 was the forty-sixth member of the Ps-4 class and was one of the second batches built in 1926.
It was assigned to pull the SOU's ''Crescent Limited'' passenger train, mostly on the SOU's
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
Division between
Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...
, and Atlanta.
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.
[.][.] No. 1401's last heavy repairs took place at SOU's
Spencer Shops
Southern Railway's Spencer Shops was once a major steam locomotive repair facility between Atlanta and Washington, D.C. in Spencer, North Carolina. in
Spencer, North Carolina
Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,267.
History
The town was named for Samuel Spencer, first president of the Southern Railway, who is credi ...
, on May 21, 1951.
[.]
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
Monroe is an unincorporated community in Amherst County, Virginia, United States. Monroe is located along U.S. Route 29 north of Lynchburg.
Speed the Plough, a farm located in Monroe, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 ...
.
It had traveled nearly during its revenue service.
During that time,
railfan
A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff or trainspotter (Australian/British English), or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally interested in trains and rail transport systems.
Rail ...
Walter H. Thrall and SOU board member
W. Graham Claytor Jr. convinced SOU president
Harry A. DeButts to spare one of the Ps-4 locomotives from the scrap line and donate it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
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
The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0.914 ...
to await the Smithsonian's decision.
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.
In 1961, the No. 1401 locomotive was cosmetically restored and transported via
flatbed truck
A flatbed truck (or flatbed lorry in British English) is a type of truck which can be either articulated or rigid. As the name suggests, its bodywork is just an entirely flat, level 'bed' with no sides or roof. This allows for quick and easy load ...
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.
The No. 1401 locomotive currently remains on permanent static display at the Smithsonian as the sole survivor of the Southern Railway Ps-4 class.
[.][.]
See also
Other preserved Pacific-type locomotives
*
Atlanta and West Point 290
Atlanta and West Point 290 is a P-74 steam locomotive built in March 1926 by the Lima Locomotive Works (LLW) in Lima, Ohio for the Atlanta and West Point Railroad. It is a 4-6-2 heavy "Pacific" type steam locomotive, which was remarkably similar t ...
*
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
Boston and Maine 3713, also known as the "Constitution", is the sole survivor of the "P-4a" class 4-6-2 "Heavy Pacific" type steam locomotives. It was built by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Boston and Maine Railroad in December 1934. As of 202 ...
*
Florida East Coast 153
Florida East Coast 153 is a historic Florida East Coast Railway 4-6-2 ALCO steam locomotive located in Miami, Florida, USA.
History
The locomotive served on the Florida East Coast Railway from 1922 to 1938 and pulled a train carrying President ...
*
London and North Eastern Railway 4472 ''Flying Scotsman''
*
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
*
Savannah and Atlanta 750
Savannah and Atlanta 750, formerly Florida East Coast 80, is a 4-6-2 “ Light Pacific” steam locomotive built in January 1910 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York, originally for the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC ...
*
Southern Pacific 2467
Southern Pacific Railroad 2467 is a preserved 4-6-2 “Pacific” type steam locomotive. Built by Baldwin in 1921, No. 2467 was used by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, Southern Pacific Railroad to pull Passenger train, passenger trai ...
*
Southern Pacific 2472
Southern Pacific 2472 is a P-8 Class 4-6-2 heavy "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in 1921. SP No. 2472 is one of three surviving Southern Pacific P-8 class 4-6-2 Pacific l ...
*
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 locomotiv ...
*
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 ...
Other preserved Southern Railway locomotives
*
Southern Railway 107
Southern Railway 107 is a steam locomotive built in November 1887 by Baldwin Locomotive Works for Southern Railway. It is a 2-8-0 consolidation of Southern's G class.
History
It first worked on the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad as ...
*
Southern Railway 154
*
Southern Railway 385
Southern Railway 385 is a preserved steam locomotive built in November 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for Southern Railway in the United States. It is a 2-8-0 " Consolidation" type of Southern's "H-4" class. She is also a sister locomo ...
*
Southern Railway 630
Southern Railway 630 is a 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in February 1904 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia for the Southern Railway as a member of the Ks-1 class. It is currently owned and operat ...
*
Southern Railway 722
Southern Railway 722 is a class "Ks-1" 2-8-0 " Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in September 1904 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Southern Railway (SOU)..
History Revenue service
The No. 722 locomotive was assigned to work on th ...
*
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 ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
Steam Locomotive, Southern Railway 1401- Smithsonian Institution
{{Steam Locomotives of the Southern Railway
4-6-2 locomotives
ALCO locomotives
Artifacts in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Individual locomotives of the United States
Preserved steam locomotives of Washington, D.C.
Railway locomotives introduced in 1926
Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
Steam locomotives of Southern Railway (U.S.)