Draft:Norfolk and Western 2174

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


Norfolk and Western 2174
Type and origin
References:[1][2][3]
Power typeSteam
BuilderRoanoke 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
LocaleUnited States, South and Midwest
Retired1960
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's (N&W) own Roanoke Shops in 1948.

History[edit]

No. 2174 was among one of thirty examples of the N&W's Y6b class (Nos. 2171-2200).[4]

The Y6bs were used generally for freight service on the N&W, even on time freights (which is unusual work for a Mallet). They were eventually replaced by the EMD GP7s and GP9s through the late 1950s.

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 Class A locomotive No. 1240.[5] No. 1240 pulled the excursion from Roanoke, Virginia to Bluefield, West Virginia, where the train was transferred to No. 2174.[5][6] 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.[5][6] No. 2174 returned the excursion to Bluefield, and then No. 1240 returned the train to Roanoke.[5]

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.[7][8][9] The rest of the Y6b class was scrapped between 1958 and 1961.[10] The United Iron hadn’t prioritized the scrapping of the three mallets, since they had already scrapped multiple other locomotives.[9] By 1971, No. 2189 was scrapped, and No. 2174 and the tender-lacking No. 2143 remained in a corner of the company’s yard.[7][8][9]

During 1975, some local preservationists, including the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS), made an attempt to acquire No. 2174.[11] 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.[11] 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.[11] No. 2143 was scrapped in January 1976, and the following month, on February 11, the scrapping process on No. 2174 began.[11] This decision stirred controversy among local railfans, including retired N&W employees who used to operate mallets in revenue service.[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dixon, Parker & Huddleston (2009), p. 85
  2. ^ Dixon, Parker & Huddleston (2009), p. 108
  3. ^ Dixon, Parker & Huddleston (2009), p. 116
  4. ^ "Norfolk & Western 2-8-8-2 "Chesapeake" Locomotives in the USA". www.steamlocomotive.com. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b "Steam! News Photos". Trains. Vol. 20, no. 2. Kalmbach Publishing. December 1959. p. 10. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Steam! News Photos". Trains. Vol. 25, no. 10. Kalmbach Publishing. August 1965. p. 16. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Steam News Photos". Trains. Vol. 33, no. 4. Kalmbach Publishing. February 1972. p. 17. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Horner (1968), p. 392
  11. ^ 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[edit]

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