Atlantic Coast Line 1504
A black steam locomotive with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement (four leading wheels, six driving wheels, and two trailing wheels) and its tender
Atlantic Coast Line No. 1504 on static display in Jacksonville, Florida, in March 2016
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderALCO's Richmond Works
Serial number59314
Build dateMarch 1919
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-6-2
 • UIC2′C2′ h1
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.73 in (1,854 mm)
WheelbaseLoco & tender: 70.79 ft (21.58 m)
Length80 ft 9.5 in (24.63 m)
Axle load59,333 lb (26,913 kilograms; 26.913 metric tons)
Adhesive weight178,000 lb (81,000 kilograms; 81 metric tons)
Loco weight278,000 lb (126,000 kilograms; 126 metric tons)
Tender weight193,000 lb (88,000 kilograms; 88 metric tons)
Total weight471,000 lb (214,000 kilograms; 214 metric tons)
Tender typeUSRA
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity16 t (16 long tons; 18 short tons)
Water cap.10,000 US gal (38,000 L; 8,300 imp gal)
Firebox:​
 • Grate area66.70 sq ft (6.197 m2)
Boiler pressure200 psi (1.38 MPa)
Heating surface:​
 • Firebox242 sq ft (22.5 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • Heating area794 sq ft (73.8 m2)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size25 in × 28 in (635 mm × 711 mm)
Valve gearBaker
Performance figures
Maximum speed70 mph (110 km/h)
Tractive effort40,750 lbf (181.27 kN)
Factor of adh.4.12
Career
OperatorsAtlantic Coast Line
ClassP-5-A
Number in class5th of 70
NumbersACL 1504 (originally 497)
Delivered1920
RetiredDecember 31, 1952 (revenue service)
Current ownerU.S. Sugar Corporation
DispositionUndergoing restoration to operating condition
References:[1]: 13 [2][3]
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Locomotive No. 1504
Location901 S Holtzclaw Ave Chattanooga, Tennessee
Built1919
Built byAmerican Locomotive Company
NRHP reference No.100001388
Added to NRHPJanuary 23, 2018

Atlantic Coast Line 1504 is a 4-6-2 steam locomotive built in March 1919 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia, for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) as a member of the P-5-A class under the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) standard. No. 1504 was assigned to pull ACL's premier main line passenger trains during the 1920s to early 40s and even main line freight trains in the late 1940s until it was retired from revenue service at the end of 1952.

In 1960, No. 1504 was subsequently donated to the city of Jacksonville, Florida, where it sat on static display as the only original USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive to be preserved. In 1990, it was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). No. 1504 was cosmetically restored three times in 1989, 1998, and 2015.

As of 2023, the No. 1504 locomotive is currently being restored to operating condition for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express shortline railroad in Clewiston, Florida as part of U.S. Sugar's (USSC) heritage tourist passenger train named the Sugar Express, where it will eventually run alongside ex-Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) No. 148.

History

Design and abilities

A commemorative plaque mounted on a stone
No. 1504's ASME plaque in 2016

No. 1504 was the fifth member of 70 United States Railroad Administration (USRA) Light Pacifics built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1919 and 1920 as the standard main line passenger steam locomotives for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL).[1]: 7 [3][4] Originally classified as a P-5 and numbered 497, it was reclassified as a P-5-A and renumbered to 1504 in 1920.[2][3][4] Designed with 25 in × 28 in (635 mm × 711 mm) cylinders and 73 in (1,854 mm) driving wheels, these arrangements made No. 1504 and the P-5-As produce 47,535 lbf (211.45 kN) of tractive effort, which allowed them to haul 10-12 passenger cars at more than 70 mph (113 km/h) on the ACL main line between Richmond, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida.[1]: 7 [3]

Their tender was equipped with a coal pusher, which was operated by steam to push the coal for the fireman shoveling it into the firebox.[3][5] Additionally, it holds 16 tonnes (35,000 lb) of coal and 10,000 US gallons (38,000 L) of water.[3] While some of the P-5-A locomotives were upgraded with Worthington feedwater heaters, disc driving wheels, and larger tenders to improve their performances, No. 1504 was one of the few that were not upgraded with these features.[3][6][7]

Revenue service

No. 1504 and the P-5-As were assigned to haul ACL's Champion, Dixie Flyer, Florida Special, Everglades Limited, Havana Special, Miamian, Palmetto Limited, Southland, and South Wind passenger trains.[1]: 7 [8] During the mid 1930s, the P-5-As were required to double head each other with ACL's passenger trains consist, which became longer and heavier with more than 12 passenger cars added due to the increased traffic of passengers traveled to Florida and ACL competing against the Seaboard Air Line (SAL) and Southern (SOU) railroads.[8][lower-alpha 1]

When the ACL railroad dieselized its passenger trains in the late 1940s, No. 1504 and the other P-5-As were used in main line freight service where they hauled 50-60 freight cars at maximum allowable speeds.[1]: 7 [9] No. 1504 hauled freight trains in the Tampa, Florida area until its retirement from revenue service on December 31, 1952.[1]: 7 [9]

Preservation and display

An old steam locomotive on static display with faded paint
No. 1504 on static display with faded black paint in 2009 prior to its cosmetic restoration in 2015

In 1953, ACL president Champion Davis ordered ACL mechanical department manager John W. Hawthorne to salvage No. 1504 from the scrap line for preservation.[1]: 8 [9][10] In June 1960, the No. 1504 locomotive was mechanically overhauled and put on display in front of ACL's new headquarter building in Jacksonville, Florida.[1]: 8 [9] Additionally, it was the only USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive to be preserved in original as-built condition, excluding its headlight, tender trucks, and pilot wheels.[1]: 7 [6]

In October 1986, ACL's successor, CSX donated the No. 1504 locomotive to the Jacksonville City Council, where they relocated it to its new display site in the parking lot of the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, located at the former Jacksonville Union Terminal.[9][11]: 6  On October 23, 1990, No. 1504 was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).[1]: 1  It was renovated two times in 1989 and 1998.[12][13]

In July 2013, the North Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) launched the Project Return to Glory group to fund the cosmetic restoration of the No. 1504 locomotive, which had been sitting on display with faded paint due to its exposure to the elements.[12] When No. 1504 was being inspected, it was discovered to be in fair condition, excluding its tender.[12][14]

In late October 2013, the North Florida Chapter NRHS received $10,000 from Trains Magazine and an additional $10,000 from CSX Corporation with a total of $20,000.[12][15] The cosmetic restoration work would include adding new cab windows and doors, and renovating the headlamp.[14] In July 2015, the Project Return to Glory group volunteers finished cosmetically restoring the No. 1504 locomotive with new paint.[13] On January 23, 2018, No. 1504 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11]: 1 

Return to operating service

In June 2021, the Jacksonville City Council donated the No. 1504 locomotive to the North Florida Chapter NRHS, who would eventually sell the locomotive for $50,000 to U.S. Sugar Corporation (USSC) for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express shortline railroad in Clewiston, Florida as part of USSC's Sugar Express tourist passenger train.[16][17] In late August 2021, No. 1504 was disassembled from static display and moved to the former Lucey Boiler Company building in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the same place where Southern Railway 4501 was originally restored in the mid 1960s.[18][19] No. 1504 is currently undergoing an extensive restoration and rebuild performed by FMW Solutions.[19][20]

During the restoration work, the locomotive's original tender body was in poor condition and had to be replaced by a new one with original specifications, but would carry recycled cooking oil fuel instead of coal.[10] No. 1504's driving wheels were sent to be repaired at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga.[10] Once it is fully restored to operating condition, No. 1504 will eventually run alongside another 4-6-2 steam locomotive, ex-Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) No. 148.[16][17]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ This would led the ACL order 12 stronger 4-8-4 R-1 class locomotives (Nos. 1800-1811) from the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "USRA Steam Locomotives: Atlantic Coast Line 1504 and Baltimore and Ohio 4500" (PDF). American Society of Mechanical Engineers. October 23, 1990. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 18, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Huddleston (2002), p. xii.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Prince (2000), pp. 136–137.
  4. 1 2 Huddleston (2002), p. 53.
  5. ↑ Instructions For Enginemen Governing The Care, Maintenance And Economical Operation Of The Locomotive (1st ed.). Harvard University. 1921. p. 137.
  6. 1 2 Bryant Jr. (1962), pp. 49–50.
  7. ↑ Huddleston (2002), pp. 138–139.
  8. 1 2 3 Tillotson Jr. (2000), pp. 89–90.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Huddleston (2002), p. 54.
  10. 1 2 3 "Steam Locomotive Restoration Making Tracks". FMW Solutions. March 14, 2023. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  11. 1 2 McEachin, Joel (April 3, 2017). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form – Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Locomotive No. 1504". National Park Service. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Scanlan, Dan (October 27, 2013). "No. 1504 steams toward restoration after $20,000 in grants". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "ACL 4-6-2 No. 1504 restoration complete". Trains. Kalmbach Media. July 21, 2015. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  14. 1 2 Scanlan, Dan (March 2, 2014). "Old No. 1504 passes inspection; restoration gains steam". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  15. ↑ "North Florida NRHS Chapter Awarded $20,000 to Save Engine No. 1504". National Railway Historical Society. February 2, 2014. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  16. 1 2 Marbut, Max (June 4, 2021). "City may transfer historic locomotive at Prime Osborn". Jacksonville Daily Record. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  17. 1 2 "U.S. Sugar interested in acquiring second steam locomotive". Trains. Kalmbach Media. June 7, 2021. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  18. ↑ Scanlan, Dan (August 24, 2021). "Jacksonville's ol' No. 1504 leaves the station en route to restoration". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  19. 1 2 "Former Lucey Boiler Company Site to Host Historic Steam Locomotive Restoration". FMW Solutions. August 31, 2021. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  20. ↑ Benton, Ben (September 18, 2021). "Restoration of century-old locomotive under way in downtown Chattanooga". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2022.

Bibliography

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