PRR 460
Encyclopedia
PRR 460, nicknamed the "Lindbergh Engine", is a Pennsylvania Railroad
E6s
steam locomotive
now located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
, outside of Strasburg
, Pennsylvania
in the United States
. It was built in 1914 and became famous after racing an aircraft to New York City
carrying newsreel
s of Charles Lindbergh
's return to the United States
after his transatlantic flight in 1927. In the late 1930s, No. 460 was operated by the Long Island Rail Road
, and the Pennsylvania–Reading Seashore Lines in the early 1950s, before being retired in 1953. No. 460 is the only surviving locomotive of its class and was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
in 1979. Since mid-2010, 460 has been undergoing restoration at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
was developed in 1910 and, after two other "sample" locomotives and four years of tests, it was found that the 4-4-2
Atlantic's speed equaled that of the larger 4-6-2
Pacific's. An additional 80 E6 locomotives were ordered with superheater
s and classified as the E6s.
and Washington, D.C.
After being replaced by the K4s
model, the E6s locomotives were relegated to charter services because of their high speed.
After returning from Europe and his transatlantic flight on June 11, 1927, Charles Lindbergh
was promoted to colonel and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
by President Calvin Coolidge
. Two rival newsreel
companies, who were each vying to be the first to have their films of the ceremony shown in New York theaters, chartered a train and an aircraft, respectively, from Washington to New York City. No. 460 headed up the charter train, pulling only its tender, a baggage car
and a passenger car. The train departed Washington at 1:14 PM and arrived at the Manhattan Transfer
, outside of New York City, 2 hours and 56 minutes later. The final leg, through the tunnels underneath the Hudson River
, was completed by an electric DD1
. No. 460 averaged 82.7 miles per hour (133.1 km/h) and attained a maximum speed of 115 miles per hour (185.1 km/h). Even though the aircraft arrived in New York first, the film brought by No. 460 was in theaters hours before the other, thanks to a film processing
lab on board the baggage car.
After the race, No. 460 went back to its normal duties until March 1937, when it was loaned to the Long Island Rail Road
. In January 1939, No. 460 was returned to the Pennsylvania, but was still occasionally used on Long Island
as a "short term 'loaner'". Starting in 1942, it hauled trains between Camden
and Bay Head, New Jersey
. In 1951, parts where taken of other E6s locomotives that were going to be scrapped: the drivers on the engineer's (right) side are from PRR 1565, the air reservoir on the fireman's (left) side was from PRR 690 and the reservoir on the engineer's side was from PRR 782. 460's tender was replaced in 1952 with one from 1565; the original tender had been transferred to maintenance-of-way service. 460 was leased to the Pennsylvania–Reading Seashore Lines in 1953 before being retired in 1955 and added to the Pennsylvania's collection of historic locomotives in Northumberland, Pennsylvania
.
in Strasburg. Although a part of the museum, it was not owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
until it was officially donated to the museum in December 1979, by the Penn Central Transportation
Company, which received ownership when the Pennsylvania was merged with the New York Central Railroad
. No. 460 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on December 17, 1979. From 1982 to 1984, volunteers at the museum cleaned the locomotive, replaced wooden window frames and doors, applied rust inhibitor
primer
and repainted the metal. The locomotive's "asbestos
lagging" was removed in 2008. A $400,000 restoration, lasting 3 to 4 years, is planned and is expected to start once an unrelated project at the museum is completed in the summer of 2011. 460 was moved into the museum restoration shops on March 17, 2010 after raising $50,000 and receiving an additional $50,000 donation. From July to August 2010, 460 was "blasted
" to remove the several layers of lead paint
from the locomotive. The blasting uncovered original timing mark
s and stamped numbers showing that the origins of some of the parts on 460 were cannibalized from other E6s locomotives.
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
E6s
PRR E6
Class E6 on the Pennsylvania Railroad was the final type of 4-4-2 "Atlantic" locomotive built by the railroad, and second only to the Milwaukee Road's streamlined class A in size, speed and power. Although quickly ceding the crack trains to the larger K4s Pacifics, the E6 remained a popular...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
now located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is a railroad museum in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741...
, outside of Strasburg
Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Strasburg is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It developed as a linear village along the Great Conestoga Road, stretching about two miles along path later known as the Strasburg Road...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was built in 1914 and became famous after racing an aircraft to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
carrying newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
s of Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
's return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after his transatlantic flight in 1927. In the late 1930s, No. 460 was operated by the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
, and the Pennsylvania–Reading Seashore Lines in the early 1950s, before being retired in 1953. No. 460 is the only surviving locomotive of its class and was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979. Since mid-2010, 460 has been undergoing restoration at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
Background
An experimental Model E6PRR E6
Class E6 on the Pennsylvania Railroad was the final type of 4-4-2 "Atlantic" locomotive built by the railroad, and second only to the Milwaukee Road's streamlined class A in size, speed and power. Although quickly ceding the crack trains to the larger K4s Pacifics, the E6 remained a popular...
was developed in 1910 and, after two other "sample" locomotives and four years of tests, it was found that the 4-4-2
4-4-2 (locomotive)
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
Atlantic's speed equaled that of the larger 4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
Pacific's. An additional 80 E6 locomotives were ordered with superheater
Superheater
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam used for power generation or processes. There are three types of superheaters namely: radiant, convection, and separately fired...
s and classified as the E6s.
History
No. 460 was the last of the E6s model to be built, out of a total of 80 locomotives. From their construction in 1914 until 1920, the E6s ran mostly on the corridor between New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
After being replaced by the K4s
PRR K4s
The Pennsylvania Railroad's K4s 4-6-2 "Pacific" was their premier passenger-hauling steam locomotive from 1914 through the end of steam on the PRR in 1957....
model, the E6s locomotives were relegated to charter services because of their high speed.
After returning from Europe and his transatlantic flight on June 11, 1927, Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
was promoted to colonel and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
by President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
. Two rival newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
companies, who were each vying to be the first to have their films of the ceremony shown in New York theaters, chartered a train and an aircraft, respectively, from Washington to New York City. No. 460 headed up the charter train, pulling only its tender, a baggage car
Baggage car
A baggage car or luggage van is a type of railway vehicle often forming part of the composition of passenger trains and used to carry passengers' checked baggage, as well as parcels . Being typically coupled at the front of the train behind the locomotive, this type of car is sometimes described...
and a passenger car. The train departed Washington at 1:14 PM and arrived at the Manhattan Transfer
Manhattan Transfer (PRR station)
Manhattan Transfer was a passenger station in Harrison, New Jersey, east of Newark, 8.8 miles west of New York Penn Station on the Pennsylvania Railroad main line, now Amtrak's Northeast Corridor...
, outside of New York City, 2 hours and 56 minutes later. The final leg, through the tunnels underneath the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
, was completed by an electric DD1
PRR DD1
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class DD1 were semi-permanently coupled pairs of third rail direct current electric locomotives built for the railroad's initial New York-area electrification. They operated between Manhattan Transfer and Pennsylvania Station in New York City, and from there to the...
. No. 460 averaged 82.7 miles per hour (133.1 km/h) and attained a maximum speed of 115 miles per hour (185.1 km/h). Even though the aircraft arrived in New York first, the film brought by No. 460 was in theaters hours before the other, thanks to a film processing
Photographic processing
Photographic processing is the chemical means by which photographic film and paper is treated after photographic exposure to produce a negative or positive image...
lab on board the baggage car.
After the race, No. 460 went back to its normal duties until March 1937, when it was loaned to the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
. In January 1939, No. 460 was returned to the Pennsylvania, but was still occasionally used on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
as a "short term 'loaner'". Starting in 1942, it hauled trains between Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
and Bay Head, New Jersey
Bay Head, New Jersey
Bay Head is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 968. Bay Head is situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean...
. In 1951, parts where taken of other E6s locomotives that were going to be scrapped: the drivers on the engineer's (right) side are from PRR 1565, the air reservoir on the fireman's (left) side was from PRR 690 and the reservoir on the engineer's side was from PRR 782. 460's tender was replaced in 1952 with one from 1565; the original tender had been transferred to maintenance-of-way service. 460 was leased to the Pennsylvania–Reading Seashore Lines in 1953 before being retired in 1955 and added to the Pennsylvania's collection of historic locomotives in Northumberland, Pennsylvania
Northumberland, Pennsylvania
Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,714 at the 2000 census.-History:Northumberland was founded in 1772. The land that became Northumberland was purchased from the Iroquois in the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, and the...
.
Preservation
No. 460 was moved from Northumberland in October 1969 to the Railroad Museum of PennsylvaniaRailroad Museum of Pennsylvania
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is a railroad museum in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741...
in Strasburg. Although a part of the museum, it was not owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage...
until it was officially donated to the museum in December 1979, by the Penn Central Transportation
Penn Central Transportation
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American railroad company that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the merger on February 1, 1968, of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad...
Company, which received ownership when the Pennsylvania was merged with the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
. No. 460 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 17, 1979. From 1982 to 1984, volunteers at the museum cleaned the locomotive, replaced wooden window frames and doors, applied rust inhibitor
Corrosion inhibitor
A corrosion inhibitor is a chemical compound that, when added to a liquid or gas, decreases the corrosion rate of a material, typically a metal or an alloy. The effectiveness of a corrosion inhibitor depends on fluid composition, quantity of water, and flow regime...
primer
Primer (paint)
A primer is a preparatory coating put on materials before painting. Priming ensures better adhesion of paint to the surface, increases paint durability, and provides additional protection for the material being painted.-When primers are used:...
and repainted the metal. The locomotive's "asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
lagging" was removed in 2008. A $400,000 restoration, lasting 3 to 4 years, is planned and is expected to start once an unrelated project at the museum is completed in the summer of 2011. 460 was moved into the museum restoration shops on March 17, 2010 after raising $50,000 and receiving an additional $50,000 donation. From July to August 2010, 460 was "blasted
Abrasive blasting
Abrasive blasting is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface, or remove surface contaminants. A pressurized fluid, typically air, or a centrifugal wheel is used to...
" to remove the several layers of lead paint
Lead paint
Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead, a heavy metal, that is used as pigment, with lead chromate and lead carbonate being the most common. Lead is also added to paint to speed drying, increase durability, retain a fresh appearance, and resist moisture that causes corrosion...
from the locomotive. The blasting uncovered original timing mark
Timing mark
A timing mark is an indicator used for setting the timing of the ignition system of an engine, typically found on the crankshaft pulley or the flywheel, being the largest radius rotating at crankshaft speed and therefore the place where marks at one degree intervals will be farthest apart.On older...
s and stamped numbers showing that the origins of some of the parts on 460 were cannibalized from other E6s locomotives.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
External links
- Restoration of PRR 460, Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania