Norfolk and Western 1240

Norfolk and Western 1240
Norfolk and Western No. 1240 at Norfolk, Virginia c. 1956.
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderN&W's Roanoke Shops (East End Shops)
Serial number385[1]
Build dateMay 1950
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-6-6-4
Driver70 in (1,778 mm)
Gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Leading dia.33 in (838 mm)
Driver dia.70 in (1.778 m)
Trailing dia.42 in (1.067 m)
Axle load72,000 lb (33 t)
Adhesive weight432,350 lb (196.11 t)[2]
Loco weight573,000 lb (260 t)
Tender weight378,600 lb (171.7 t)
Total weight951,600 lb (431.6 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity30 short tons (60,000 lb)
Water cap.22,000 US gal (83,000 L)
Fuel consumption7 t (6.9 long tons; 7.7 short tons) of coal per hour 13,906 US gal (52,640 L; 11,579 imp gal) of water per hour
Firebox:​
 • Grate area122 sq ft (11.3 m2)
Boiler106 in (2,692 mm)
Boiler pressure300 lbf/in2 (2.07 MPa)
Heating surface:​
 • Firebox587 sq ft (54.5 m2)
 • Tubes and flues6,052 sq ft (562.2 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • TypeType E
 • Heating area2,703 sq ft (251.1 m2)
CylindersFour, simple articulated
Cylinder size24 in × 30 in (610 mm × 760 mm)
Valve gearBaker
Valve typePiston valves
Performance figures
Tractive effort114,000 lbf (507.10 kN)
Factor of adh.3.8
Career
OperatorsNorfolk and Western Railway
Retired1959
Scrapped1959
DispositionScrapped
References:[3]

Norfolk and Western 1240 was a four-cylinder simple articulated 2-6-6-4 steam locomotive, built in May 1950 by the Norfolk and Western's (N&W) East End Shops in Roanoke, Virginia as part of the N&W's class "A" fleet of fast freight locomotives.

History

Construction and performances

Norfolk and Western (N&W) No. 1240 was manufactured in May 1950 by the Norfolk and Western Railway at their own Roanoke Shops. It was the third member of the final batch of five N&W class A 2-6-6-4 locomotives, Nos. 1238-1242, built with Timken roller bearings and lightweight reciprocating parts.[4][5] These arrangements reduces roundhouse maintenance costs, reduction in hammer blow on the rails, and making the locomotives run longer without lubrication services.[4]

Excursion run and scrapping

No. 1240 was retired from active service on the Norfolk and Western Railway when they began replacing steam locomotives with diesel locomotives.

No. 1240 would be fired up again on July 11, 1959 and used on the N&W's Farewell to Steam excursion train along with class Y6b No. 2174.[6] No. 1240 pulled the excursion from Roanoke, Virginia to Bluefield, West Virginia, where the train was transferred to No. 2174. The 2174 pulled it through the N&W's Pocahontas Division to Iaeger, and then it travelled over the Dry Fork Branch to Cedar Bluff. No. 2174 returned the excursion to Bluefield, and then No. 1240 returned the train to Roanoke.[7]

When the Farewell to Steam excursion had ended that same year in 1959, No. 1240 was sold for scrap.

See also

References

  1. ^ King (1989), p. 173
  2. ^ Gerbracht, Thomas R. (1989). The Making of A Legend – The Niagara Story Part 2 (PDF). New York Central System Historical Society. p. 17.
  3. ^ Jeffries (1980), p. 324.
  4. ^ a b Jeffries (1980), p. 197.
  5. ^ Le Massena, Robert A. (November 1991). N&W's Secret Weapons. Trains Magazine. pp. 64–69.
  6. ^ Solomon (2015), p. 127
  7. ^ 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.

Bibliography

  • King, Ed (1989). The A: Norfolk & Western's Mercedes of Steam. Trans-Anglo Books. ISBN 978-0-87046-096-8.
  • Carleton, Paul (1994). Memories of Norfolk and Western Power (1st ed.). D. Carleton Railbooks.
  • Jeffries, Lewis (1980). N&W: Giant of Steam (1st ed.). Pruett Publishing. ISBN 0-87108-547-X.
  • Solomon, Brian (2015). The Majesty of Big Steam. Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4892-5.

Further reading

  • Carleton, Paul (1994). Memories of Norfolk and Western Power (1st ed.). D. Carleton Railbooks.
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