Reading 2100

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Reading 2100
Reading No. 2100 pulling one of the last excursion trains of the Iron Horse Rambles in September 1964
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number58330
Build dateMay 1923 (As Class I10sa 2-8-0 Consolidation #2045)
RebuilderReading Company
Rebuild dateSeptember 1945 (Rebuilt as : T1 4-8-4 Northern 2100)
Number rebuilt2100
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • WhyteNew: 2-8-0,
Rebuilt: 4-8-4
 • UICNew: 1'D
Rebuilt: 2'D'2
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.70 in (1,778 mm)
Length110 ft 6 in (33.68 m)
Axle load69,550 lb (31,550 kilograms; 31.55 metric tons)
Adhesive weight278,200 lb (126,200 kilograms; 126.2 metric tons)
Loco weight441,300 lb (200,200 kilograms; 200.2 metric tons)
Total weight809,000 lb (367,000 kilograms; 367 metric tons)
Fuel typeAnthracite coal (1925–1999)
Oil (1999–2007)
Recycled vegetable oil (Post-current restoration)
Fuel capacity52,000 lb (24,000 kilograms; 24 metric tons)
Water cap.19,000 US gallons (72,000 L; 16,000 imp gal)
Firebox:​
 • Grate area94.5 sq ft (8.78 m2)
Boiler pressure240 lbf/in2 (1.65 MPa)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size27 in × 32 in (686 mm × 813 mm)
Performance figures
Power output5,500 hp (4,100 kW)
Tractive effortLoco: 68,000 lbf (302.5 kN),
Booster 11,100 lbf (49.4 kN),
Factor of adh.4.09
Career
OperatorsReading Company
2100 Corporation
RailLink, Ltd.
Golden Pacific Railroad
ClassNew: I-10sa
Rebuilt: T-1
NumbersRDG 2045
RDG 2100
TPHX 2100
AFT 250 (upon completion of current restoration)
Retired1956 (revenue service)
1964 (1st excursion service)
2007 (2nd excursion service)
Restored1959 (1st restoration)
1989 (2nd restoration)
Current ownerAmerican Steam Railroad Preservation Association
DispositionUndergoing restoration to operating condition

Reading 2100 is the prototype of the T-1 class 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotives constructed in September 1945 for use by the Reading Company (RDG). Constructed from an earlier 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive built in May 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, No. 2100 pulled heavy freight and coal trains for the Reading until being retired from revenue service in 1956. Between 1961 and 1964, No. 2100 was used to pull the RDG's Iron Horse Rambles excursions alongside fellow T-1's Nos. 2124 and 2102. After the rambles ended, No. 2100 was sold along with No. 2101 in 1967 to a scrapyard in Baltimore, Maryland.

No. 2100 subsequently went through multiple ownership changes and spent more time in storage or being moved than it did operating under its own power. In 1998, it was sold to Thomas Payne, who moved it to St. Thomas, Ontario in Canada and modified it to burn oil. It eventually made its way to the Golden Pacific Railroad in Tacoma, Washington to pull tourist trains for one year, before it sat idle in Richland. In 2015, the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association (ASRPA) acquired No. 2100 and moved it to the Ex-Baltimore and Ohio roundhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The ASRPA is restoring No. 2100 back to operating condition, as of 2024.

History[edit]

Construction and revenue service[edit]

No. 2100—originally numbered 2045—was constructed by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in May 1923 as an I-10sa class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive. The Reading Company (RDG) initially assigned No. 2045 to pull heavy freight trains. Beginning in 1945, the RDG moved thirty of their I-10sa's to their shops in Reading, and with assistance from the Baldwin Locomotive Works, they converted and rebuilt the 2-8-0's into T-1 class 4-8-4 "Northerns" to aid the railroad's growing freight traffic.[1][2]

No. 2045 was the first of the I-10sa's to be rebuilt, and it emerged from the shops as T-1 No. 2100.[1] No. 2100 was assigned to pull heavy freight and coal trains across the RDG's mainline and some of its branch lines in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. By 1954, the RDG had removed nearly all their steam locomotives from revenue service, including all thirty of their T-1's.[1][3] A traffic surge in 1956 encouraged the railroad to return some of the T-1's to service, but they were withdrawn again the following year.[3]

First excursion service[edit]

Beginning in October 1959, the RDG hosted their own steam excursion program, dubbed the "Iron Horse Rambles", and T-1 No. 2124 was used to pull the first trains.[4][5] During the 1961 operating season, when the Rambles peaked at fourteen excursions for the year, No. 2100 was removed from storage and began pulling the trains alongside No. 2124, and later, No. 2102.[4][5][6] The majority of the Rambles would travel to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, while destinations the other trains traveled to included Philadelphia, West Milton, Tamaqua, Shamokin, and Wilmington, Delaware.[5][6]

On August 15–16, 1964, No. 2100—coupled to a small fleet of RDG passenger cars—traveled outside the RDG and was used to pull a small series of round trip excursions between Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's (B&O) "Iron Horse Days" program.[6] Since 1960, the RDG had begun to experience financial troubles, and due to rising maintenance costs to operate the T-1's and with their trackage deteriorating, they had to discontinue the Iron Horse Rambles.[7] The fifty-first and final Rambles train would take place on October 17, 1964, between Philadelphia and Tamaqua.[7]

Ownership and location changes[edit]

In September 1967, No. 2100 was sold along with another T-1, No. 2101, to Streigel Equipment and Supply, and both locomotives were put into storage at the company's scrapyard in Baltimore.[8] In 1975, Nos. 2100 and 2101 were purchased for $25,000 by Ross Rowland, who was developing the American Freedom Train (AFT) tour.[8][9] No. 2101 was restored to operating condition, since its boiler was in better condition, while No. 2100 was used to provide spare parts.[8][9] After No. 2101 was damaged in a roundhouse fire in 1979, Nos. 2101 and 2100 swapped tenders. and it was moved to the former Western Maryland roundhouse in Hagerstown, Maryland. Rowland decided to operate No. 2100 in excursion service alongside No. 2101's replacement locomotive, Chesapeake and Ohio 614.[10]

A non-profit group called the 2100 Corporation—led by Rowland, Gary Bensman, Bill Benson, and owner and CEO of Lionel trains Richard Kughn—worked to have No. 2100 restored to operating condition, and some parts from No. 2101 were used for the restoration.[9][11][12] On October 10, 1987, No. 2100 underwent a stationary test fire.[10][13] In late 1988, at a cost of $900,000, restoration work was completed, and on March 25, 1989, No. 2100 performed a test run on the Winchester and Western Railroad.[9][13][14] Prior to the test run, CSX had sold the Hagerstown roundhouse for redevelopment, and after negotiations to purchase the roundhouse had failed, Rowland had to remove Nos. 2100 and 614 from the building.[11][12][15] No. 2100 had to be relocated to nearby Bedington, West Virginia.[14]

In November 1991, No. 2100 moved under its power to the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (W&LE) shops in Brewster, Ohio for storage, and plans were made to operate the T-1 on the W&LE mainline, but they never came to fruition.[9][16][17][a] Rowland and his 2100 Corp. partners then decided to donate No. 2100 to the Portage Ohio Regional Transportation Authority (PORTA), who agreed to allow Bill Bensen to use the locomotive to pull excursions on their trackage around Cleveland, Ohio, but no arrangements were made.[9] Sometime later, the W&LE asked for No. 2100 to be removed from their shops, and the Ohio Central Railroad (OC) agreed to store the locomotive in Coshocton, Ohio while PORTA put it up for sale.[9]

In September 1997, No. 2100 was displayed during the OC's Steam Fest '97 event alongside the railroad's own steam locomotives, including Southern Wood Processing Company No. 3, Buffalo Creek and Gauley 13, Canadian National 1551, and Canadian Pacific 1293, but the T-1 was the only locomotive to not be fired up for the weekend occasion.[9][21] An auction to sell No. 2100 was held on January 16, 1998, with eight bidders attending the event, including Ohio Central owner Jerry Joe Jacobson, but the winner was Thomas Payne, the chairman of RailLink, Ltd. of Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.[9] In June, No. 2100 moved under its power to Cleveland, and then Payne had it towed to the Elgin County Railway Museum's (ECRM) former New York Central shop complex in St. Thomas, Ontario for repairs.[22][23][24]

At the ECRM, No. 2100 received some cosmetic changes, including the addition of three ditch lights and striped running boards, and it was relettered as Ferroequus (Latin for "Iron Horse").[23][24][25] It was also converted from coal to oil firing, and the process proved to be unsuccessful.[26][27] On November 23, 1999, No. 2100 performed its first test run with Payne's modifications.[24] On August 26-27, 2000, No. 2100 was fired up and displayed outside the ECRM during the Museum's Iron Horse Festival.[25] Payne made plans to use the locomotive to pull excursions on RailLink-owned regional and short line railways in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.[9][22] Those plans fell through, and the T-1 was left in storage for a few more years.[26] In late 2005, No. 2100 was moved to Tacoma, Washington, where it began pulling sightseeing trains for Payne's Golden Pacific tourist railroad, using Tacoma Rail's former Milwaukee Road line.[26] By 2007, the Golden Pacific Railroad closed down from low ridership, and No. 2100 was subsequently placed into outdoor storage in Richland, Washington.[27] Sometime later, ownership of the locomotive was transferred to an undisclosed individual.[27]

American Steam Railroad stewardship[edit]

No. 2100 undergoing restoration inside the Clark Avenue roundhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 9, 2017

In the spring of 2015, the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association (ASR) announced that they had signed a long-term loan on No. 2100, and they made plans to restore the locomotive and revert it as a coal burner.[27][28] They launched their own fundraising campaign, called Fire Up 2100, and they estimated that the restoration would cost $700,000 to complete.[27] In April, No. 2100 and its tender were loaded onto two separate heavy-duty flatcars, and they were shipped via BNSF, Norfolk Southern, and CSX to Cleveland over a two-month period.[27] Upon arrival, No. 2100 was moved inside the Midwest Railway Preservation Society's (MRPS) Ex-B&O roundhouse next to the MRPS's own locomotive, Grand Trunk Western 4070, and the ASR began work to restore the T-1.[27][29]

In August 2023, the ASR announced that they and FMW Solutions would modify No. 2100's firebox to burn recycled vegetable oil fuel instead of coal.[28][30] In November, the ASR announced that once No. 2100 is restored, they will paint it in American Freedom Train (AFT) colors similar to that on No. 2101 for North America’s 250 Celebrations in 2026.[31] In March 2024, the boiler passed its FRA-mandated hydrostatic test.[32]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ In the fall of 1991, No. 2100 was one of five mainline steam locomotives slated to be filmed around the Chicago area for Paramount Pictures in an action historical movie called Night Ride Down, and it would have been set around a 1930s Labor Union Strike and a black union leader called A. Philip Randolp—played by Harrison Ford.[18][19][20] The other four locomotives planned for filming were Nickel Plate Road 765, 587, Canadian Pacific 1238, and 1286, and while many other steam locomotives were also considered, No. 2100 was planned to be the main feature locomotive, being used for most of the mainline work.[18] Paramount executives cancelled production, due to the early 1990s recession, and when Harrison Ford left the project over script changes.[19][20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Reading Company No. 2124". United States National Park Service. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011.
  2. ^ Zimmermann (2018), p. 22
  3. ^ a b Zimmermann (2018), p. 23
  4. ^ a b Zimmermann (2018), p. 25
  5. ^ a b c Zimmermann (2018), p. 26
  6. ^ a b c Zimmermann (2018), p. 27
  7. ^ a b Zimmermann (2018), p. 28
  8. ^ a b c "Life after the Rambles". Classic Trains. Vol. 19, no. 3. Kalmbach Publishing. Fall 2018. p. 27.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Del Vecchio, Mike (April 1998). "Preservation Points - Reading 4-8-4 2100 rambles to Canada". Trains. Vol. 58, no. 4. Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 85–86. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Railroad News Photos". Trains. Vol. 48, no. 3. Kalmbach Publishing. January 1988. p. 17. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Hagerstown Roundhouse". Railfan & Railroad. Vol. 6, no. 11. Carstens Publications. September 1987. p. 30.
  12. ^ a b "What's in the roundhouse for 1988?". Trains. Vol. 48, no. 7. Kalmbach Publishing. May 1988. p. 18. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Keefe, Kevin P. (May 1988). "What's in the roundhouse for 1988?". Trains. Vol. 48, no. 7. Kalmbach Publishing. p. 18. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Railroad News Photos". Trains. Vol. 49, no. 8. Kalmbach Publishing. June 1989. p. 12. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  15. ^ Del Vecchio, Mike (March 1997). "New Hope for C&O 614". Railfan & Railroad. Vol. 16, no. 3. Carstens Publications. p. 29.
  16. ^ "Railroad News Photos". Trains. Vol. 52, no. 5. Kalmbach Publishing. May 1992. p. 15. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  17. ^ "Reading 4-8-4 2100". Railfan & Railroad. Vol. 11, no. 2. Carstens Publications. February 1992. p. 41.
  18. ^ a b "Movie steam in Chicago". Railfan & Railroad. Vol. 10, no. 10. Carstens Publications. October 1991. p. 47.
  19. ^ a b "Chicago Movie Dropped". Railfan & Railroad. Vol. 10, no. 11. Carstens Publications. November 1991. p. 52.
  20. ^ a b Frook, John Evan. "Studio Talk of Production Cost Cuts Turns into Action". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  21. ^ "Railroad News Photos - Steam Spectacular in Ohio". Trains. Vol. 57, no. 12. Kalmbach Publishing. December 1997. p. 41. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Railroad News Photos - Emigrating to Canada". Trains. Vol. 57, no. 10. Kalmbach Publishing. October 1998. p. 36. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Railroad News Photos - Strangers Meet in St. Thomas". Trains. Vol. 58, no. 12. Kalmbach Publishing. December 1998. p. 38. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c "Preservation Points - Reading 2100 shows her new face". Trains. Vol. 60, no. 4. Kalmbach Publishing. April 2000. p. 85. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Preservation Points - Canadian steam, electric, and diesel". Trains. Vol. 60, no. 12. Kalmbach Publishing. December 2000. p. 108. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  26. ^ a b c "News & Photos - An oil-fired T-1 stretches her legs in Tacoma". Trains. Vol. 66, no. 3. Kalmbach Publishing. March 2006. p. 10. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g Laepple, Wayne (July 2015). "Preservation - No. 2100 comes back East". Trains. Vol. 75, no. 7. Kalmbach Publishing. p. 60. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Franz, Justin (August 7, 2023). "Group Restoring Reading 2100 to Says Locomotive Will Burn Oil". Railfan & Railroad. White River Productions. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  29. ^ "Welding work advances Reading No. 2100 project". Trains. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  30. ^ Berger, Eric (October 25, 2023). "American Steam Railroad to Honor Steve Wickersham". Railfan & Railroad. White River Productions. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  31. ^ "Reading 2100 to Appear in Freedom Train Colors When Restored - Railfan & Railroad Magazine". 2023-11-01. Archived from the original on 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  32. ^ "FRA hydrostatic test 'satisfactory' for Reading No. 2100". Trains.com. Kalmbach Media. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Zimmermann, Karl (Fall 2018). "Rambling on the Reading". Classic Trains. Vol. 19, no. 3. Kalmbach Media. pp. 22–28. Retrieved January 14, 2024.

External links[edit]

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