USRA 4-6-2 Pacifics : Circumstance Foreshadowing Fate

[@ApartmentRR]

ACL 1504 has been removed from static displayed and is currently being restored to operation for the sugar express in Clewiston Florida.

[@Steamer96]

Three other railroads owned post-USRA copies of the light Pacific. The Grand Trunk Western had a total of eight (you have a picture of the infamous 5629 at 4:26 one of the GTW USRAs ). The Mobile and Ohio Railroad had ten of them, and finally, the Rutland Railroad had a total of six, with three in each class.

[@Stooltoad5017]

I’ve seen 1401 in person. Very well kept in the museum.

[@AndrewTheRocketCityRailfan4014]

Same

[@cmdrflake]

There were additional issues with the Pacifics. They were openly discouraged by the USRA itself. PRR delayed K4 production to build L1s’swhich used the same boiler. I1s decapods were being designed for heavy service on branch lines, some of which had limited axle loadings. Had the war been prolonged, the L1s and I1s were to be built, with K4s production postponed until two years after the lifting of the embargo on new passenger power.

[@gwaithwyr]

Over here in UK, where loads were lighter, the Pacific remained useful longer. New Pacifics were still being built in the 1950s, and could be seen on express passenger duties until the mid/late 60s. A new-build light Pacific of the "Clan" class is on the way! And, of course, the new-build A1 "Tornado" has been running for a good many years (at speeds up to 100 mph).

[@ericemmons3040]

The 4-6-0 and 4-6-2 types do seem to be ubiquitous in the UK. . .

[@gwaithwyr]

Yes, we had thousands of 4-6-0s and hundreds of Pacifics. Many 4-6-0s and a few Pacifics are preserved and active. And one or rwo are being built from scratch.

[@ericemmons3040]

@@gwaithwyr My favorite wheel arrangement is the 2-8-2; it seems to me that relatively few of those were built in the UK.

[@gwaithwyr]

2-8-2s were indeed few in number in UK. About 15, I think, all designed by Sir Nigel Gresley. He produced the P1 freight loco, and the P2 for heavy passenger work in Scotland. All were scrapped or rebuilt as Pacifics. However, a new P2 is now being built.

[@ericemmons3040]

@@gwaithwyr I've heard a little bit about the P2; good to hear. If I understand correctly, there were never any 4-8-2s or 4-8-4s built in the UK. One would think the heavier passenger trains might have merited something bigger than a 4-6-2, but maybe not. . .

[@whispofwords2590]

Love these videos so much. Can't wait to see one on the 4-8-2s.

[@KatyPacific382]

I was not aware the Missouri Kansas Texas railroad's H-3a pacifics were similar or even based on the usra light pacifics.

[@remylopez4821]

I have a question I hope someone can answer for me but what is the difference between Adheasion Factor vs Tractive Effort? Thank you for the videos

[@americansteamlegacy-yh9dr]

Hi remylopez4821. The Adhesion Factor is a measure of how well a locomotive can grip the rails when pulling a train. An adhesion factor greater than 4 means the locomotive will have less of a tendency to spin its drivers when starting or pulling a train, an adhesion factor less than 4 means a greater tendency to lose traction. Tractive Effort is the force a locomotive is mechanically capable of developing to move a train, since it is a function of boiler pressure, cylinder diameter, drive wheel diameter, etc. I hope this answers your question. Thanks for watching!!!