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Draft:Norfolk and Western 2174

  • Comment: No improvements in secondary sourcing since previous decline. Trainsandotherthings (talk) 12:59, 22 October 2023 (UTC)



Norfolk and Western 2174
N&W No. 2174 pulling a Farewell to Steam excursion on the N&W's Dry Fork Branch, on July 11, 1959
Type and origin
References:[1][2][3]
Power typeSteam
BuilderRoanoke Shops (East End Shops)
Serial number366
Build dateJuly 1948
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-8-8-2
 • UIC(1′D)D1′ hv4
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia.30 in (762 mm)
Driver dia.58 in (1,473 mm)
Trailing dia.30 in (762 mm)
Tender wheels33 in (838 mm)
Wheelbase103 ft 8+1⁄4 in (31.60 m) ​
 • Engine58 ft 0 in (17.68 m)
 • Drivers42 ft 4 in (12.90 m)
Length:
​
 • Over couplers114 ft 10+1⁄2 in (35.01 m)
Height15 ft 8+9⁄16 in (4.79 m)
Axle load:​
 • Leading34,640 lb (15.7 tonnes)
 • Trailing28,300 lb (12.8 tonnes)
Adhesive weight548,500 lb (248.8 tonnes)
Loco weight611,520 lb (277.4 tonnes)
Total weight900,120 lb (408.3 tonnes)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity30 t (30 long tons; 33 short tons)
Water cap.22,000 US gal (83,000 L; 18,000 imp gal)
Firebox:​
 • Grate area106.2 sq ft (9.87 m2)
Boiler:
​
 • ModelRadial Stay
 • Diameter102+1⁄2 in (2,604 mm)
 • Small tubes2+1⁄4 in (57 mm)
 • Large tubes5+1⁄2 in (140 mm)
Boiler pressure300 psi (2.07 MPa)
Feedwater heaterWorthington SA
Heating surface:​
 • Firebox371 sq ft (34.5 m2)
 • Arch tubes59 sq ft (5.5 m2)
 • Flues5,226 sq ft (485.5 m2)
 • Total surface7,431 sq ft (690.4 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • TypeType A
 • Heating area1,478 sq ft (137.3 m2)
CylindersFour: two low-pressure (front), two high-pressure (rear)
High-pressure cylinder25 in × 32 in (635 mm × 813 mm)
Low-pressure cylinder39 in × 32 in (991 mm × 813 mm)
Valve gearBaker
Performance figures
Maximum speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Power output5,600 hp (4,200 kW) (as built 4,400 hp (3,300 kW))
Tractive effort(Simple: 166,000 lbf (738.4 kN))
(Compound: 126,838 lbf (564.2 kN))
Factor of adh.3.30
Career
OperatorsNorfolk and Western Railway
ClassY6b
Number in class4 of 30
Numbers
  • N&W 2174
RetiredApril 1960
ScrappedFebruary 1976
DispositionScrapped

Norfolk and Western 2174 was a Y6b class 2-8-8-2 compound Mallet steam locomotive, built by the Norfolk and Western Railway's (N&W) own Roanoke Shops, in 1948. No. 2174 and the other Y6bs were notably some of the most powerful steam locomotives ever built, being able to pull heavy freight and coal trains, unassisted. They were also some of the last steam locomotives ever built in the United States.

In July 1959, No. 2174 was tasked to pull an excursion train alongside N&W A class No. 1240. The following year, No. 2174 was retired from the N&W, and it was quickly sold to a scrap dealer, the United Iron & Metal Company, who stored the locomotive in their scrapyard for the next several years. In 1975, United Iron was bought out by a British corporation, and the following year, in 1976, No. 2174 was dismantled for scrap. Some local preservationists tried and failed to purchase the locomotive to preserve it.

Construction and design

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Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) was looking into adding stronger steam locomotives to their roster, since the coal industry was booming, and they wanted to operate longer coal trains out of the Blue Ridge Mountains.[4][5] The Railway's mechanical engineering team was working to refine the company's Y series 2-8-8-2 compound mallets, despite the concept having been phased out on other railroads, in favor of simple articulated designs.[5][6]

History

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Tonnage ratings and revenue service

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No. 2174 was the fourth Y6b locomotive, having rolled out of the East End Shops, in July 1948.

The Y6bs were used generally for freight service on the N&W, even on time freight runs. They were eventually replaced by EMD GP9s, throughout the late 1950s.

Excursion run and scrapping

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On July 11, 1959, No. 2174 was tasked to haul an eighteen-car Farewell to Steam excursion on the N&W mainline alongside 2-6-6-4 A class locomotive No. 1240.[7] No. 1240 pulled the excursion from Roanoke, Virginia to Bluefield, West Virginia, where the train was transferred to No. 2174.[7][8] The Y6b pulled it through the N&W's Pocahontas Division to Iaeger, and then it traveled over the Dry Fork Branch to Cedar Bluff.[7][8] No. 2174 returned the excursion to Bluefield, and then No. 1240 returned the train to Roanoke.[7]

Following the excursion, No. 2174 was sold to the United Iron & Metal Company, and the locomotive was stored in their scrapyard in Roanoke along with fellow Y6b No. 2189 and Y6 No. 2143.[9][10][11] The rest of the Y6b class was scrapped, between 1958 and 1961.[12] The United Iron hadn’t prioritized the scrapping of the three mallets, since they had already scrapped multiple other locomotives.[11] By 1971, No. 2189 was scrapped, and No. 2174 and the tender-lacking No. 2143 remained in a corner of the company’s yard.[9][10][11]

During 1975, some local preservationists, including the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS), made an attempt to acquire No. 2174.[13] The Roanoke Chapter made a commitment to raise $1,000 to cosmetically restore or purchase the Y6b, but they did not have enough time to raise $50,000—the locomotive’s scrap value.[13] Also in 1975, United Iron was purchased by the British-based Bird International Company, and due to a slump in the steel industry at the time, the company ordered for Nos. 2143 and 2174 to be dismantled.[13] No. 2143 was scrapped, in January 1976, and the following month, on February 11, the scrapping process on No. 2174 began.[13] This decision stirred controversy among local railfans, including retired N&W employees who had operated mallets in revenue service.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Dixon, Parker & Huddleston (2009), p. 85
  2. ^ Dixon, Parker & Huddleston (2009), p. 108
  3. ^ Dixon, Parker & Huddleston (2009), p. 116
  4. ^ Dixon, Parker & Huddleston (2009), p. 25
  5. ^ a b Dixon, Parker & Huddleston (2009), p. 67
  6. ^ Dixon, Parker & Huddleston (2009), p. 79
  7. ^ a b c d Sears, Robert (July 12, 1959). "Smoke-Blackened Rail Buffs End 'Safari in Steam'". The Roanoke Times. Vol. 146, no. 12. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b "Steam! News Photos". Trains. Vol. 20, no. 2. Kalmbach Publishing. December 1959. p. 10. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Steam! News Photos". Trains. Vol. 25, no. 10. Kalmbach Publishing. August 1965. p. 16. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Steam News Photos". Trains. Vol. 33, no. 4. Kalmbach Publishing. February 1972. p. 17. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Kegley, George (January 19, 1975). "Engine and Engineer Recall Another Day". The Roanoke Times. Vol. 177, no. 18. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Horner (1968), p. 392
  13. ^ a b c d e Kennedy, Joe (February 20, 1976). "Time Runs Out for Mallet Engine". The Roanoke Times. Vol. 179, no. 50. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading

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