Great Western 90
Great Western 90 at the East Strasburg station in May 2022
Type and origin
References:[1][2]
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number57812
Model12-42 F
Build dateJune 1924
Rebuild date1954
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-10-0
 • UIC1′E h
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.56 in (1,422 mm)[3]
Axle load38,000 lb (17,000 kg)[3]
Adhesive weight190,000 lb (86,000 kg)
Loco weight212,000 lb (96,000 kg)[3]
Fuel typeCoal
Firebox:​
 • Grate area54.3 sq ft (5.04 m2)[3]
Boiler pressure200 psi (1,400 kPa)[3]
Cylinder size24 in × 28 in (610 mm × 710 mm)[3]
Valve gearWalschaerts
Performance figures
Maximum speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Tractive effort48,960 lbf (217.8 kN)[3]
Factor of adh.3.88
Career
OperatorsGreat Western Railway
Strasburg Rail Road
Class12-42-F
Numbers
  • GW 90
  • SRC 90
RetiredApril 5, 1967
RestoredMay 13, 1967
Current ownerStrasburg Rail Road
DispositionUndergoing 1,472-day inspection and overhaul

Great Western 90 is a 2-10-0 "Decapod" type steam locomotive owned and operated by the Strasburg Rail Road (SRC) outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in June 1924, No. 90 originally pulled sugar beet trains for the Great Western Railway of Colorado.[1][2] In April 1967, No. 90 was sold to the Strasburg Rail Road where it now resides and operates today for use in pulling excursion trains.[2]

History

Revenue service

The No. 90 locomotive was built in June 1924 for the Great Western Railway of Colorado (GW) by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of Baldwin's 12-42-F class.[4][5] No. 90 was designed with 24-by-28-inch (610 mm × 711 mm) cylinders, 56-inch (1,422 mm) diameter driving wheels, and a boiler pressure of 200 psi (1,379 kPa), and it became the first locomotive on the GW's roster to be superheated.[5] It originally pulled the GW's sugar beet trains of about 40 to 50 cars in length to the company's towering mill in Loveland, Colorado. It was the GW's largest and most powerful road locomotive, and it saw extensive use on trains too large for the company's fleet of 2-8-0s.[2] During World War II, the GW modified all their locomotives, including No. 90, with extended smokeboxes, since they all used lignite coal as a fuel source during that time.[5]

Following the war, the locomotive was used primarily in the Autumn during the harvest season.[2] By the late 1950s, the No. 90 locomotive had been relegated to pull occasional campaign and excursion trains.[6] In 1963, No. 90 pulled some excursions during that year's National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) Convention, which was being held in Denver at the time.[7][8] The locomotive stopped in Longmont, Colorado, for a brief photo session alongside CB&Q 4-8-4 No. 5632.[7] On one such excursion, the Strasburg Rail Road's (SRC) Chief Mechanical Officer, Huber Leath, met with the GW's superintendent, a man who grew up in the vicinity of the Strasburg Rail Road.[2] A deal was subsequently made in which the Great Western would contact the Strasburg Rail Road as soon as the locomotive was removed from service and available for purchase.[2]

Excursion service

The Strasburg Rail Road purchased No. 90 from the GW on April 5, 1967, at a price of $23,000 (equal to $201,858 today), and the locomotive arrived on SRC's property one month later, on May 5.[1][2][6] Upon arrival, No. 90 would make its first run for the railroad on May 13.[9]

In the winter of 1968, Ross Rowland's High Iron Company planned to operate a series of mainline steam excursions between Jersey City, New Jersey and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Rowland had originally planned to lease two ex-Canadian Pacific G5-class 4-6-2s, No. 1238 and No. 1286, both owned by George M. Hart. However, those two locomotives were on emergency leases to the city of Reading, Pennsylvania to provide steam for the city after the boiler at the Reading Steam Heat and Power Co. became disabled.[10] Since tickets for the excursion had already been sold, and Rowland was unwilling to pull the trip with a diesel, he leased Steamtown's ex Canadian Pacific 127 (formerly 1278), a sister to the two locomotives he intended to use to pull the train. However, the No. 127 did not have enough power to pull the train over the grades on the CNJ near Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania on her own and Rowland leased the 90 to act as a helper engine for the trips, double-heading with the 127 between Bethlehem and Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. After the trips concluded, 90 was returned to Strasburg.

In October 2020, No. 90 was temporarily backdated to its late 1960s appearance with the original SRC "egg" logo, whitewall wheels, and gold pinstripings for the Steam Strikes Back photo charter, commemorating SRC's 60th anniversary.[11]

Accidents and incidents

  • On May 6, 1940, a major fire broke out at the GW's roundhouse in Loveland, with three steam locomotives still inside.[12] No. 90 happened to be under steam at the time, and quick-thinking crews used No. 90 to pull all the other locomotives out of the burning building.[12] The roundhouse fire cost the GW nearly $200,000 in damage, and the locomotives, including No. 90, sustained damage, but they were subsequently repaired.[12]
  • On November 7, 1944, No. 90 was broadsided by a truck at a grade crossing east of Loveland and knocked onto its fireman's side, with the truck being damaged beyond repair.[6] Both the fireman and the truck driver were killed in the accident, which was deemed the worst rail disaster in GW's history.[2][6] The GW sent 90 to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad's (CB&Q) shops in Denver, where repairs on the locomotive took several months to complete.[2][6]
  • In 1956, No. 90 was hit by another truck, twisting and damaging the locomotive's side gear.[6] The truck driver was killed, while No. 90's engineer and fireman were severely injured.[6] The locomotive subsequently had to undergo repairs again.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "No. 90". Archived from the original on 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bell, Kurt; Plant, Jeremy (2015). The Strasburg Rail Road In Color. Scotch Plains, NJ: Morning Sun Books. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-58248-479-2.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 King, E. W., Jr. in Drury p.351
  4. ↑ "2-10-0 "Decapod" Locomotives in the USA". Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Morgan (1975), p. 36
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Morgan (1975), p. 37
  7. 1 2 "Most years, 'summer' means 'NRHS' - Classic Trains Magazine - Railroad History, Vintage Train Videos, Steam Locomotives, Forums". cs.trains.com. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  8. ↑ Morgan (1975), p. 67
  9. ↑ "Equipment Roster" (PDF). July 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  10. ↑ "History Book: For a second time, Reading ran out of steam". Reading Eagle. February 25, 2015. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2021.(subscription required)
  11. ↑ Pollock, Christopher (December 18, 2020). "Steam Strikes Back! Strasburg Rail Road Celebrates 60 Years". Railpace Newsmagazine. White River Productions. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 Morgan (1975), p. 59

Bibliography

Further reading

  • King, E. W., Jr. in Drury, George H. (1993), Guide to North American Steam Locomotives, Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Company, p. 351, ISBN 0-89024-206-2, LCCN 93041472
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