St. Louis–San Francisco 1352 is 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 wh ...

"Mikado" type

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, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

, it was built in April 1912 as a

2-8-0 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 no trailing wheels. ...

Consolidation-type by the

American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, for the

St. Louis–San Francisco Railway The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway , commonly known as the "Frisco", was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central United States from 1876 to November 21, 1980. At the end of 1970, it operated of road on of track, not includ ...

(SLSF or "Frisco"), the engine was later rebuilt into a

Mikado-type to keep up with the traffic demands from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After being retired from the Frisco, the locomotive was moved to many locations under several owners, until it ended up in a small engine house in

Rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The locomotive was disassembled by a group with the intent to restore it to operation. Later, the American Steam Railroad ("ASR") was founded, and they purchased the No. 1352 locomotive in 2008 with the hopes of restoring it to operating condition. However, it was left partially disassembled in Taylorville, Illinois, due to the ASR being busy working on restoring another steam locomotive Reading 2100. In November 2023, the No. 1352 locomotive was purchased by the Valley Railroad located in Essex, Connecticut.

History

The locomotive was built in April 1912 as engine No. 1321, a

"Consolidation" type, by the

at the former

Schenectady Locomotive Works The Schenectady Locomotive Works was a factory in Schenectady, New York, that railroad locomotives from its founding in 1848 through its merger into American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1901. After the 1901 merger, ALCO made the Schenectady pla ...

. Due to the demands of

the Frisco railroad needed more heavy power to keep up with the demands in traffic. The War Production Board at that time would not allow new locomotive designs, but would allow existing locomotive designs to be built or existing locomotives to be rebuilt, so the Frisco took the task of rebuilding 6 of their existing 2-8-0s into

"Mikados". In June 1944 No. 1321 was rebuilt into a 2-8-2 and renumbered 1352. The locomotive went through a major overhaul/modernization including adding of Nicholson Thermic Syphons, Superheaters and a Coffin feedwater heater system, the locomotive continued in regular service until it was retired in 1956, and it was subsequently donated to

Swope Park Swope Park is a city park in Kansas City, Missouri. At , it is the 51st-largest municipal park in the United States, and the largest park in Kansas City. It is named in honor of Colonel Thomas H. Swope, a philanthropist who donated the land to ...

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

, Missouri, for static display. In 2008, No. 1352 was purchased by the American Steam Railroad with the hopes of restoring it to operating condition. However, it was left partially disassembled in Taylorville, Illinois, due to the ASR being busy working on restoring another steam locomotive, Reading 2100. In November 2023, it was announced that the Valley Railroad, located in Essex, Connecticut, purchased the No. 1352 locomotive from the American Steam Railroad, where it will eventually be shipped east to Essex, Connecticut for operational restoration work.

References

External links

American Steam Railroad
official website

1352 {{DEFAULTSORT:St. Louis-San Francisco 1352 St. Louis–San Francisco Railway locomotives, 1352 ALCO locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States 2-8-2 locomotives Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Preserved steam locomotives of Illinois

History

References

Further reading

External links