File:Pennsylvania Railroad - 1187 steam locomotive (Consolidation-type 2-8-0 engine) 2 (27706433841).jpg
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Summary
| Description |
This is a coal-burning, Conslidation-class 2-8-0 steam locomotive that was built by Altoona Works in January 1888. It ran on the Pennsylvania Railroad and was retired from service in 1939. The unit is now on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in the town of Strasburg. From museum signage: "The Pennsylvania Railroad introduced the Class R (later H3) locomotive in 1885 as its primary mainline freight locomotive. The "Consolidation" , or 2-8-0 wheel arrangement, became widely popular for freight service on railroads all across the country, starting with its introduction on the Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1867. Over 825 of this class were built in the Pennsylvania Railroad's own shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania between 1885 and 1898. The H3 was the standard freight locomotive until the arrival of the F1 and H6 classes. This locomotive design was the first to introduce the Belpaire Firebox to the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Belpaire Firebox, identifiable by the squred-off boiler section ahead of the cab, became standard on the Pennsylvania Railroad until the end of the steam locomotive construction at Altoona in 1946. Named for its inventor Alfred Belpaire, this design provided greater strength than previous designs and allowed for more space for steam, as well as more area for combustion. The Pennsylvania Railroad completed Number 1887 at their Altoona Machine Shops in January of 1888, at a cost of $8,644. After 25 years of service, the engine was sold to the J.T. Dyer Quarry in Monocacy, Pennsylvania for use in hauling trains of stone from the quarry pits. After another 26 years of service, Number 1187 was reaquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1939 and fully restored for display at the New York World's Fair as the oldest Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive. Although Number 1887's fifty-one year longevity was exceptional, useful service lives of 20 to 30 years were common for steam locomotives. Asides from the shortened pilot, which was designed to accommodate an automatic front coupler, Number 1887 has been restored to its original 1888 appearance. At the end of the fair, the locomotive was stored at the Pennsylvania Railroad's East Trenton engine house and later at the Northumberland engine house, where it was set aside for preservation. Although not involved in the infamous disaster at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Number 1187 is often referred to as the Johnstown Flood engine. Number 1187 is typical of the locomotives in use at the time, and is the sole survivor from this era on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Three locomotives of the same class -- considered the heaviest and most powerful on the Pennsylvania Railroad at that time -- were swept away by the torrents of the first Johnstown Flood on May 31, 1889. An additional fourteen engines were toppled by the wall of water that killed 2,200 people within a half-hour period of time along the nine miles between South Fork and Johnstown." |
| Date | |
| Source | Pennsylvania Railroad # 1187 steam locomotive (Consolidation-type 2-8-0 engine) 2 |
| Author | James St. John |
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by James St. John at https://flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/27706433841 (archive). It was reviewed on 7 March 2020 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0. |
File history
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| current | 04:59, 7 March 2020 | | 3,571 × 2,484 (5.07 MB) | Ser Amantio di Nicolao | Transferred from Flickr via #flickr2commons |
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