PRR K4s
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Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
(PRR) K4 4-6-2 "
Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
" (425 built 1914–1928, PRR Altoona, Baldwin) was its premier passenger-hauling
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 ...
from 1914 through the end of steam on the PRR in 1957. Attempts were made to replace the K4s, including the K5 and the T1
duplex locomotive A duplex locomotive is a steam locomotive that divides the driving force on its wheels by using two pairs of cylinders rigidly mounted to a single locomotive frame; it is not an articulated locomotive. The concept was first used in France in 1 ...
, but neither was very successful. The K4s hauled the vast majority of express passenger trains until they were replaced by
diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving whee ...
s. The K4s were not powerful enough for the heavier trains they often pulled from the mid-1930s onward, so they were often double- or even triple-headed, sometimes with
atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...
locomotives. This was effective, but expensive, and several crews were needed. The PRR did have the extra locomotives, many having been displaced by
electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histor ...
east of Harrisburg. The two preserved K4s Nos. 1361 and 3750 were designated as Pennsylvania's official state steam locomotives on December 18, 1987, when Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey signed into law House Bill No. 1211.


Development

The K4s was designed under the supervision of PRR Chief of Motive Power J.T. Wallis, assisted by Chief Mechanical Engineer Alfred W. Gibbs and Mechanical Engineer
Axel Vogt Axel S. Vogt (January 19, 1849 – November 11, 1921) was the Pennsylvania Railroad's Chief Mechanical Engineer between March 1, 1887, and February 1, 1919. He was succeeded by William Frederic Kiesel, Jr. After retiring from the PRR, Vogt contin ...
, as one of a pair of classes with the L1s
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 ...
"Mikado", sharing a boiler and other features. Some inspiration came from the large experimental K29s Pacific built in 1911 by the American Locomotive Company. Also influential was Gibbs' design for the successful E6 4-4-2 "Atlantics", from which the K4s inherited its heat-treated, lightweight machinery, its cast-steel KW
trailing truck On a steam locomotive, a trailing wheel or trailing axle is generally an unpowered wheel or axle ( wheelset) located behind the driving wheels. The axle of the trailing wheels is usually located in a trailing truck. On some large locomotives, ...
and much of its appearance. The K4s design increased
grate area Grate firing is a type of industrial combustion system used for solid fuels. It now is used mainly for burning waste and biomass, but also for smaller coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock st ...
from previous classes' . The boiler barrel was fatter than previous classes, and the increase in heating surface and boiler size gave the class good steam-generating capability. Equipment on the prototype, built in 1914, was conservative and included a screw reverse (
power reverse On a steam locomotive, the reversing gear is used to control the direction of travel of the locomotive. It also adjusts the cutoff of the steam locomotive. Reversing lever This is the most common form of reverser. It consists of a long lever moun ...
would soon be added); a small 70-P-70 tender holding only of water and 12½ tons of coal, set up for hand-firing; a wooden cowcatcher
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
; a square-cased, old-fashioned headlight and piston tailrods (soon to go). The K4s design was successful enough that it influenced other locomotive designs, and not only those of other PRR locomotives.
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 ...
Chief Mechanical Engineer
Nigel Gresley Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley (19 June 1876 – 5 April 1941) was a British railway engineer. He was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Rai ...
incorporated much of the boiler design (including the tapered shape) into his famous Class A1 Pacific. A
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
-era prototype had distinctive "chicken coop" slat pilots, while the postwar versions had modern pilots.


Production

Three years elapsed until production examples were built. Partly, this was due to extensive testing, but wartime necessitated priority in construction to the L1s Mikado type for freight. In 1917, Altoona's
Juniata Shops Altoona Works (also known as Altoona Terminal) is a large railroad industrial complex in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It was built between 1850 and 1925 by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), to supply the railroad with locomotives, railroad cars and re ...
started producing K4s in numbers. The first 168 carried widely scattered road numbers, traditional for the PRR, but subsequent locomotives produced after 1920 were numbered in consecutive blocks. Numbers 5400–5474 were built by Baldwin, while all others were constructed at the PRR's Juniata Shops.


Modifications

The PRR experimented extensively with its K4s fleet, trying out streamlining, poppet valves, smoke deflectors, driving wheel types and others.


Streamlining

A number of K4 locomotives had streamlining applied over the years, to varying degrees. All were later removed, restoring the locomotives to their original appearance.


No. 3768

Locomotive #3768 was clad in a shroud designed by famed
industrial designer Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advance of the manufactur ...
Raymond Loewy in February 1936. This was a very concealing, enveloping streamlined casing which hid most of the functionality of the steam locomotive, leading to its nickname of "The Torpedo" by train crews. Clay models of Loewy's design streamlined K4s and conventional K4s were tested in a wind tunnel for smoke-lifting ability by Alexander Klemin of the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics of New York University (CMP). Of 24 variations, 4 were chosen for wind tunnel tests to determine the final design. At first, the locomotive was not painted in standard Dark Green Locomotive Enamel (DGLE) but instead in a bronze color. It was later refinished in DGLE. A matching tender ran on unusual six-wheel trucks. Like most streamlined steam locomotives, the shrouds impeded maintenance and the covers over the wheels were later removed. For a time, the locomotive was the preferred engine for the
Broadway Limited The ''Broadway Limited'' was a passenger train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) between New York City and Chicago. It operated from 1912 to 1995. It was the Pennsylvania's premier train, competing directly with the New York Central ...
. The 3768 can be seen in action in the 1945 film, '' The Great Flamarion''. The 3768 renumbered as 3763 can be seen in the film ''
Broadway Limited The ''Broadway Limited'' was a passenger train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) between New York City and Chicago. It operated from 1912 to 1995. It was the Pennsylvania's premier train, competing directly with the New York Central ...
''.


Nos. 1120, 2665, 3678, and 5338

These four locomotives were streamlined in 1940 and 1941 with simpler, closer-fitting casings that hid less of the steam locomotives' workings, In that sense, they were similar to
Henry Dreyfuss Henry Dreyfuss (March 2, 1904 – October 5, 1972) was an American industrial design pioneer. Dreyfuss is known for designing some of the most iconic devices found in American homes and offices throughout the twentieth century, including the We ...
's casings for
NYC Hudson A New York Central Hudson was a popular 4-6-4 " Hudson" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and the Lima Locomotive Works in three series from 1927 to 1938 for the New York Central Railroad. Named after the H ...
s. According to an interview of John W. Epstein, Special Projects Manager and vice president, Raymond Loewy & Assoc., these four streamlined K4s were designed by Raymond Loewy but, due to WWII, there was no publicity about it. PRR #1120 and #2665 were streamlined in 1940 for the
South Wind A south wind is a wind that originates in the south and blows in a northward direction. Words used in English to describe the south wind are auster, buster (a violent south gale), föhn/foehn (alps), ghibli (Libya with various spellings), friage ...
, a named passenger train equipped and operated jointly by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (later Seaboard Coast Line) and the Florida East Coast Railway. The
South Wind A south wind is a wind that originates in the south and blows in a northward direction. Words used in English to describe the south wind are auster, buster (a violent south gale), föhn/foehn (alps), ghibli (Libya with various spellings), friage ...
began operations in December 1940, providing streamliner service between Chicago, Illinois and Miami, Florida. PRR No. 3678 and No. 5338 were streamlined in 1941 for The Jeffersonian, one of the PRR's premier, all-coach trains between New York and St. Louis. They were also seen hauling
the Broadway Limited The ''Broadway Limited'' was a passenger train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) between New York City and Chicago. It operated from 1912 to 1995. It was the Pennsylvania's premier train, competing directly with the New York Central Ra ...
(New York to Chicago), Liberty Limited (Washington to Chicago), and the Trail Blazer (New York to Chicago) occasionally. During World War II, these four locomotives formed a streamlined steam engine fleet within the PRR system, with another five locomotives that were also designed by noted industrial designer Raymond Loewy; they were the
PRR S1 The PRR S1 class steam locomotive (nicknamed "The Big Engine") was a single experimental duplex locomotive of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It was designed to demonstrate the advantages of duplex drives espoused by Baldwin Chief Engineer Ralph P. ...
#6100, PRR Q1#6130, T1's #6110 and #6111; and K4s #3768. Streamlined shrouding of these four K4s Pacific locomotives was removed after 1950, together with PRR K4s #3678.


No. 1188

K4s #1188 was given a boiler-top streamlined "skyline" casing, but no other streamlining, and was nicknamed "The Skyline". The bell was preserved as well.


Other Modifications


Cross-Counterbalanced Disc Drivers

K4s 5484 was refitted with cross-counterbalanced disc drivers.


"Elephant Ear" Smoke Deflectors

K4s 5038 was given "elephant ear" smoke deflectors and a shroud for the smokestack, the use of which were uncommon for the PRR system.


Boosters

K4s numbers 3676, 5399, and 5436 were fitted with
booster engine A booster engine for steam locomotives is a small two-cylinder steam engine back-gear-connected to the trailing truck axle on the locomotive or the lead truck on the tender. A rocking idler gear permits it to be put into operation by the drive ...
s on the trailing trucks in 1941.


Roller Bearings

K4s numbers 20 and 5371 were fitted with roller bearings.


Poppet Valves

K4s 5399 was rebuilt by Lima in 1939, with, among other improvements,
poppet valves A poppet valve (also called mushroom valve) is a valve typically used to control the timing and quantity of gas or vapor flow into an engine. It consists of a hole or open-ended chamber, usually round or oval in cross-section, and a plug, usual ...
actuated by Franklin oscillating cams. K4s 5436 was fitted with stem-actuated valves in 1940. They were designed by Lloyd Jones, Engineer of Tests at the Altoona Works. In 1945, K4s 3847 was given a front-end throttle and Franklin rotary-actuated poppet valves. All performed well, but were difficult to maintain.


K4sa

K4s numbers 612, 1985, 5405, 5481 and 5484 were converted with 15" piston valves, higher steam domes and circulators, and front-end throttles, and were re-classed as K4sa.


Preservation

There are only two surviving K4s class locomotives: No. 3750 sits on outdoor static display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside Strasburg, Pennsylvania. The museum's volunteer group plans to have No. 3750 cosmetically restored prior to it being placed in the newly proposed roundhouse exhibit. No. 1361 was being restored to operating condition by the
Railroaders Memorial Museum The Railroaders Memorial Museum (RMM) is a railroad museum in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The museum focuses on the history of railroad workers and railroad communities in central Pennsylvania, particularly Altoona, the Altoona Works, and the greater ...
in Altoona in 1987, but persistent bearing problems ended its operation the following year. The locomotive was moved to the Steamtown National Historic Site and the boiler moved to the
East Broad Top 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. The disassembled locomotive lay in pieces for 22 years before the project was officially abandoned in 2010. The Museum cited changes in
FRA A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...
safety standards and new limits to mainline railway access that would make operation impractical. In May 2018, a group of preservationists, engineers and financial backers initiated a new restoration study. The work would include a detailed assessment of the engineering needs and a sustainable operating plan. The group plans to replicate a 1940s Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train. It would work with the state's educators to give rides at tourist railroads within the state to school children on field trips, thus educating them on the history of how the Pennsylvania Railroad shaped their state. On June 25, 2021, the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona announced that it would launch a complete $2.6 million restoration of #1361. The Museum Chairman is Charles "Wick" Moorman, retired Chairman and CEO of
Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
, and its Board includes
Henry Posner III Henry Posner III is transport executive and investor working in the field of rail transport. Posner received a bachelor degree in Civil engineering from Princeton University in 1977, and received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Financ ...
, President of
Railroad Development Corporation The Railroad Development Corporation is an American railroad holding company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It operates several short line railroads outside the United States and acts as an investor, with management and institutional inves ...
of Pittsburgh, head of the Posner Foundation and well-known venture capitalist. On November 23, 2021, the Museum announced that #1361 would receive a new firebox, with the top steam-locomotive restoration firm FMW Solutions in charge of the entire restoration.


In fiction

*The
Thomas and Friends ''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...
character
Hank Hank is a male given name. It may have been inspired by the Dutch name Henk,The Origins of 10 Nicknam ...
is based on the K4 locomotive.


References


Further reading

*


External links


The Pennsylvania Railroad Pacifics
at SteamLocomotive.com.

- Class K.
K4s - All of them!
by Gary Mittner.
PRR K4s Pacific
By Bill Klene & Steve Lerro {{PRR locomotives
K4s The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) K4 4-6-2 "Pacific" (425 built 1914–1928, PRR Altoona, Baldwin) was its premier passenger-hauling steam locomotive from 1914 through the end of steam on the PRR in 1957. Attempts were made to replace the ...
Baldwin locomotives 4-6-2 locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1914 Steam locomotives of the United States Streamlined steam locomotives Passenger locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States