Grand Trunk Western 4070: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
→History: Corrected dates and added more information and sources |
||
Line 71: | Line 71: | ||
No. 4070 was subsequently stored in Durand, and a nonprofit organization in [[Middleville, Michigan]]—called the National Museum of Steam Propulsion—began raising funds to acquire the locomotive, with funds being obtained from GTW excursions behind [[4-8-4]] [[Grand Trunk Western 6323|No. 6323]].<ref name=":12">{{Cite magazine |date=December 1961 |title=Steam! News Photos |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/magazine/archive-access/trains-december-1961/ |url-access=limited |access-date=February 8, 2024 |magazine=Trains |publisher=Kalmbach Publishing |page=10 |volume=22 |issue=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 16, 1961 |title=Steam Engine Will Be Used On Rail Excursion |work=Lansing State Journal |page=26 |volume=170}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite news |date=April 16, 1961 |title=Steam Train Lovers Plan Benefit |work=Detroit Free Press |page=12 |volume=130 |issue=347}}</ref> The Museum scheduled for No. 4070 to pull their own excursion trains throughout Michigan, beginning with a July 29, 1961 excursion on the [[New York Central Railroad|New York Central]] (NYC) mainline between [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]] and [[Jackson, Michigan|Jackson]].<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":13" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Millhone |first=John |date=April 24, 1961 |title=Old 6323 Rolls |work=Detroit Free Press |page=29 |volume=130 |issue=355}}</ref> For unknown reasons, all their plans with the locomotive had fallen through, and the organization quickly dissolved. |
No. 4070 was subsequently stored in Durand, and a nonprofit organization in [[Middleville, Michigan]]—called the National Museum of Steam Propulsion—began raising funds to acquire the locomotive, with funds being obtained from GTW excursions behind [[4-8-4]] [[Grand Trunk Western 6323|No. 6323]].<ref name=":12">{{Cite magazine |date=December 1961 |title=Steam! News Photos |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/magazine/archive-access/trains-december-1961/ |url-access=limited |access-date=February 8, 2024 |magazine=Trains |publisher=Kalmbach Publishing |page=10 |volume=22 |issue=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 16, 1961 |title=Steam Engine Will Be Used On Rail Excursion |work=Lansing State Journal |page=26 |volume=170}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite news |date=April 16, 1961 |title=Steam Train Lovers Plan Benefit |work=Detroit Free Press |page=12 |volume=130 |issue=347}}</ref> The Museum scheduled for No. 4070 to pull their own excursion trains throughout Michigan, beginning with a July 29, 1961 excursion on the [[New York Central Railroad|New York Central]] (NYC) mainline between [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]] and [[Jackson, Michigan|Jackson]].<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":13" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Millhone |first=John |date=April 24, 1961 |title=Old 6323 Rolls |work=Detroit Free Press |page=29 |volume=130 |issue=355}}</ref> For unknown reasons, all their plans with the locomotive had fallen through, and the organization quickly dissolved. |
||
By the end of 1961, No. 4070 was purchased by Louis S. Keller, a member of the [[National Railway Historical Society]]'s (NRHS) Iowa Chapter.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Murphey |first=Frances B. |date=May 22, 1966 |title=Iron 'Baby' Arrives - Railroad Buffs Now Have Whole Train |pages=103 |work=Akron Beacon Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/153461748/?terms=Iron%20Baby%20Arrives&match=1 |access-date=March 27, 2022}}</ref> In May 1966, the Midwest Railway Historical Foundation (MRHF) of [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] reached an agreement with Keller to lease the locomotive for |
By the end of 1961, No. 4070 was purchased by Louis S. Keller, a member of the [[National Railway Historical Society]]'s (NRHS) Iowa Chapter.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Murphey |first=Frances B. |date=May 22, 1966 |title=Iron 'Baby' Arrives - Railroad Buffs Now Have Whole Train |pages=103 |work=Akron Beacon Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/153461748/?terms=Iron%20Baby%20Arrives&match=1 |access-date=March 27, 2022}}</ref> In May 1966, the Midwest Railway Historical Foundation (MRHF) of [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]] reached an agreement with Keller to lease the locomotive for five-years and restore it to operating condition, and No. 4070 was moved into storage under the Cleveland Union Terminal.<ref name=":0" /><ref>"Minutes of Meetings, Midwest Chapter-National Railway Historical Society," June 4, 1966</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite magazine |date=November 1968 |title=Steam News Photos |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/magazine/archive-access/trains-november-1968/ |url-access=limited |access-date=February 8, 2024 |magazine=Trains |page=13 |volume=29 |issue=1}}</ref> In December 1967, No. 4070 was moved again to the [[Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad|Chicago and Western Indiana]]'s (C&WI) 47th Street Roundhouse in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], where the MRHF contracted Richard “Dick” Jensen and his crew to help restore the locomotive.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite magazine |date=November–December 1991 |title=Obituaries: Richard Jensen |magazine=Locomotive & Railway Preservation |page=60}}</ref><ref name=":9" /><ref>"Minutes of Meetings, Midwest Chapter-National Railway Historical Society," December 2, 1967</ref> |
||
As part of the agreement, Jensen would use No. 4070 to pull two passenger excursions on the GTW mainline.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":9" /> On November 3, No. 4070 operated for the first time in over eight years, and it pulled an excursion between [[Dearborn Station]] in Chicago and [[South Bend, Indiana]], commemorating the 50th anniversary of the locomotive's 1918 construction date.<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 7, 1968 |title=Ernest Millers and Friends Take Anniversary Steam Excursion Trip Sunday |url= |access-date= |work=Marengo Republican-News |pages=22 |volume=103 |issue=29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=February 1969 |title=Steam News Photos |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/magazine/archive-access/trains-february-1969/ |url-access=limited |access-date=February 8, 2024 |magazine=Trains |publisher=Kalmbach Publishing |page=12 |volume=29 |issue=4}}</ref> On March 23, 1969, No. 4070 pulled a second GTW excursion between Chicago and South Bend, but the run was plagued with various problems; No. 4070 ran out of water while in motion, it broke down from poor quality coal, and when the excursion's conductors and brakemen refused to board after being left at [[Valparaiso, Indiana|Valparaiso]] by mistake while their legal working limits ran out, the train had to sit at Valparaiso to wait for a new crew to arrive.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite news |date=March 25, 1969 |title=Railfan Enthusiasts |work=The Vidette-Messenger |page=1 |volume=41 |issue=224}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Pratt |first=Steven |date=March 25, 1969 |title=Steam Train Buffs End Trip in Humiliation |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |department=Section 1A |page=3 |volume=122 |issue=84}}</ref> As a result, No. 4070 and its train had to be towed by a diesel-powered freight train, and it returned to Chicago over nine hours late at 5:00 am the following day.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":10" /><ref name=":8" /> |
As part of the agreement, Jensen would use No. 4070 to pull two passenger excursions on the GTW mainline.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":9" /> On November 3, No. 4070 operated for the first time in over eight years, and it pulled an excursion between [[Dearborn Station]] in Chicago and [[South Bend, Indiana]], commemorating the 50th anniversary of the locomotive's 1918 construction date.<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 7, 1968 |title=Ernest Millers and Friends Take Anniversary Steam Excursion Trip Sunday |url= |access-date= |work=Marengo Republican-News |pages=22 |volume=103 |issue=29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=February 1969 |title=Steam News Photos |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/magazine/archive-access/trains-february-1969/ |url-access=limited |access-date=February 8, 2024 |magazine=Trains |publisher=Kalmbach Publishing |page=12 |volume=29 |issue=4}}</ref> On March 23, 1969, No. 4070 pulled a second GTW excursion between Chicago and South Bend, but the run was plagued with various problems; No. 4070 ran out of water while in motion, it broke down from poor quality coal, and when the excursion's conductors and brakemen refused to board after being left at [[Valparaiso, Indiana|Valparaiso]] by mistake while their legal working limits ran out, the train had to sit at Valparaiso to wait for a new crew to arrive.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite news |date=March 25, 1969 |title=Railfan Enthusiasts |work=The Vidette-Messenger |page=1 |volume=41 |issue=224}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Pratt |first=Steven |date=March 25, 1969 |title=Steam Train Buffs End Trip in Humiliation |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |department=Section 1A |page=3 |volume=122 |issue=84}}</ref> As a result, No. 4070 and its train had to be towed by a diesel-powered freight train, and it returned to Chicago over nine hours late at 5:00 am the following day.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":10" /><ref name=":8" /> |
Revision as of 22:44, 24 March 2024
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2022) |
Grand Trunk Western 4070 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grand Trunk Western No. 4070 is an S-3-a class 2-8-2 USRA Light Mikado steam locomotive, and it was originally built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in December 1918 for the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) as No. 474. It was later re-numbered to 3734 by the Grand Trunk Western (GTW), after the GTR was absorbed into Canadian National (CN). In the late 1950s, the locomotive received a larger tender from an S-3-c class locomotive, and it was further re-numbered to 4070.
In 1960, No. 4070 was retired from revenue service, and it was subsequently sold to Lou Keller, who in turn sold it to the Midwest Railway Preservation Society (MRPS). The MRPS restored the locomotive to operating condition in 1968, and they used it to pull a number of excursions on the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad, and later the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR). In 1990, the locomotive was taken out of service for an overhaul. As of 2024, the locomotive is undergoing restoration to operating condition by the MRPS.
History
Revenue service
No. 4070—originally numbered 474—was built in December 1918 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Schenectady, New York, as part of the United States Railroad Administration's (USRA) order for twenty-five Light Mikado locomotives to be assigned to the Grand Trunk Railway.[1] The locomotive was primarily assigned in revenue service to pull freight and commuter trains out of Detroit, Michigan.[1] In 1925, following the GTR's reorganization as the Grand Trunk Western (GTW) under Canadian National (CN) ownership, No. 474 was renumbered to 3734, and it was rebuilt with an extended smokebox and an enclosed coffin feedwater heater.[1] In 1948, the No. 3734 was selected to serve as a backup locomotive for President Harry Truman’s re-election train, which ran through Michigan.[1]
During the 1950s, No. 3734 was primarily relegated to operate out of Durand, Michigan.[1] On June 9, 1955, No. 3734 fell into a turntable pit at Milwaukee Junction in Detroit, when the locomotive’s air pump failed.[2] No. 3734 was quickly repaired. In 1958, the locomotive was rebuilt at the GTW's Battle Creek, Michigan shops with a larger tender, and it was renumbered again to 4070, to avoid duplication with CN's new fleet of RS-18 locomotives.[1][3]
No. 4070 was last assigned by the GTW to pull gravel trains between Pontiac and Oxford, Michigan.[1][4] No. 4070 was retired from service on March 29, 1960, after it pulled its final revenue train from Pontiac to Durand, and the railroad discontinued commercial steam operations that same month.[4]
Excursion service
No. 4070 was subsequently stored in Durand, and a nonprofit organization in Middleville, Michigan—called the National Museum of Steam Propulsion—began raising funds to acquire the locomotive, with funds being obtained from GTW excursions behind 4-8-4 No. 6323.[5][6][7] The Museum scheduled for No. 4070 to pull their own excursion trains throughout Michigan, beginning with a July 29, 1961 excursion on the New York Central (NYC) mainline between Grand Rapids and Jackson.[5][7][8] For unknown reasons, all their plans with the locomotive had fallen through, and the organization quickly dissolved.
By the end of 1961, No. 4070 was purchased by Louis S. Keller, a member of the National Railway Historical Society's (NRHS) Iowa Chapter.[4][9] In May 1966, the Midwest Railway Historical Foundation (MRHF) of Cleveland, Ohio reached an agreement with Keller to lease the locomotive for five-years and restore it to operating condition, and No. 4070 was moved into storage under the Cleveland Union Terminal.[9][10][11] In December 1967, No. 4070 was moved again to the Chicago and Western Indiana's (C&WI) 47th Street Roundhouse in Chicago, Illinois, where the MRHF contracted Richard “Dick” Jensen and his crew to help restore the locomotive.[4][12][11][13]
As part of the agreement, Jensen would use No. 4070 to pull two passenger excursions on the GTW mainline.[4][11] On November 3, No. 4070 operated for the first time in over eight years, and it pulled an excursion between Dearborn Station in Chicago and South Bend, Indiana, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the locomotive's 1918 construction date.[11][14][15] On March 23, 1969, No. 4070 pulled a second GTW excursion between Chicago and South Bend, but the run was plagued with various problems; No. 4070 ran out of water while in motion, it broke down from poor quality coal, and when the excursion's conductors and brakemen refused to board after being left at Valparaiso by mistake while their legal working limits ran out, the train had to sit at Valparaiso to wait for a new crew to arrive.[4][16][17] As a result, No. 4070 and its train had to be towed by a diesel-powered freight train, and it returned to Chicago over nine hours late at 5:00 am the following day.[12][16][17]
On August 31, No. 4070 pulled its first official MRHF excursion from Erie to Greenville, Pennsylvania on the Bessemer and Lake Erie (B&LE) mainline.[4][18] In 1971, MRHF bought out their lease with Lou Keller, gaining full ownership of the No. 4070. From 1971 to 1973, the MRHF leased a 1-mile (1.6 km) spur from the B&LE at Conneaut Lake Park, and No. 4070 was used to pull summer weekend excursions on the line.[4][19] Unsatisfied with the length of the spur, the MRHF searched for a longer railroad to run excursions with No. 4070.[19]
The MRHF approached the Chessie System to operate regular steam excursion trains on their former Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Valley Division between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, and with local community leaders supporting the idea, it led to the formation of the Cuyahoga Valley Preservation and Scenic Railway Association (CVP&SRA).[1][19][20] Chessie System chairman Cyrus Eaton generously agreed to allow the foundation trackage rights.[19] No. 4070 was relocated to a leased stall at the former B&O Clark Avenue roundhouse in Cleveland.[19] On June 26, 1975, No. 4070 pulled the new Cuyahoga Valley Line's (CVL) inaugural train from Brookside Park outside the Cleveland Zoo to Hale Farm and Village.[19][20]
During the first operations seasons of the CVL, every excursion train was mandated to be assisted by a Chessie diesel locomotive for whenever No. 4070 suffered a mechanical problem, but as the MRHF proved the locomotive's reliability, the requirement was lifted in later years.[19] In September 1975, No. 4070 was moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it pulled three excursions for Steam Tours, Inc. on the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie (P&LE) mainline between Pittsburgh and Brownsville.[19] During the first excursion, the fireman was struggling to get the locomotive's Duplex stoker to work before he resorted to hand firing it for the remainder of the run.[19] In May 1977, No. 4070 pulled two more excursions for Steam Tours while doubleheading with Reading 2102 on the Conrail mainline between Pittsburgh and Altoona, Pennsylvania, and en route, the two locomotives travelled over the Horseshoe Curve.[19][21][22] During the return run of the first excursion, No. 4070 snapped its right eccentric rod at speed while climbing the curve, and the excursion had to be completed behind diesel locomotives.[19][22] The damaged eccentric rod was subsequently repaired, and No. 4070 completed the second doubleheader excursion without incident.[19][22]
On June 10, 1979, No. 4070 derailed as it was pulling a CVL train at a rail yard in Akron, and a Chessie diesel locomotive had to return the train to Cleveland, while two locomotives had to re-rail No. 4070.[23] In 1982, No. 4070 pulled an excursion train on the CVL while being fitted with a headboard that stated “The American Flyer”. In September 1983, No. 4070 was temporarily masqueraded as a Chicago, Burlington and Quincy locomotive, and it was ferried to the New York and Lake Erie Railroad in South Dayton, New York for filming of The Natural, a 1984 baseball film starring Robert Redford.[24]
In 1985, No. 4070 was removed from service, since Chessie successor CSX had obtained permission to abandon the Valley Division, undermining the CVL’s operations.[20][25] In 1987, the National Park Service (NPS) purchased the Valley Division with the intention of making the right-of-way an integral part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, and the CVL was able to resume operations with No. 4070 the following year.[20][25][26]
No. 4070 continued service on the CVL until 1990, when it suffered some major mechanical difficulties.[3] Upon inspection, the locomotive was found to be in need of a major rebuild. Since the cost of the rebuild proved to be expensive, No. 4070 was retired from excursion service, and the CVL went on to operate their own excursions without the MRHF's assistance.[20] Dissembly of No. 4070 began, and it continued at a slow pace during the 1990s. Financial difficulties within the MRHF at the time and a stall collapse of the Cleveland roundhouse dwindled work on No. 4070 before it stopped.
Disposition
In 2011, the process of restoring No. 4070 to operational condition began by members of the Midwest Railway Preservation Society (MRPS). The locomotive's boiler and tender both underwent ultrasonic testing. The locomotive's drypipe, and front and rear tube sheets were found to be in need of replacing. The smokebox, firebox, frame, running gear, tender and many assorted parts needed major work before No. 4070 was able to run again. No. 4070's restoration was estimated to cost $1,290,000 to complete. As of 2024, the MRPS has re-organized their portion of the roundhouse for more suitable space to work on No. 4070, and they have seamed the crack the locomotive's frame has had from its 1955 turntable incident.
See also
- Canadian National 3254
- Grand Canyon Railway 4960
- Grand Trunk Western 5629
- Grand Trunk Western 6325
- Nickel Plate Road 587
- Southern Railway 4501
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Johnson (1980), p. 50
- ^ Morgan, David P. (April 1981). "It's the pits". Trains. Vol. 41, no. 6. p. 24. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Ingles, J. David (Spring 2018). "America's Last Real Steam Show". Classic Trains. Vol. 19, no. 1. Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 23–27. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Johnson (1980), p. 51
- ^ a b "Steam! News Photos". Trains. Vol. 22, no. 2. Kalmbach Publishing. December 1961. p. 10. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "Steam Engine Will Be Used On Rail Excursion". Lansing State Journal. Vol. 170. July 16, 1961. p. 26.
- ^ a b "Steam Train Lovers Plan Benefit". Detroit Free Press. Vol. 130, no. 347. April 16, 1961. p. 12.
- ^ Millhone, John (April 24, 1961). "Old 6323 Rolls". Detroit Free Press. Vol. 130, no. 355. p. 29.
- ^ a b Murphey, Frances B. (May 22, 1966). "Iron 'Baby' Arrives - Railroad Buffs Now Have Whole Train". Akron Beacon Journal. p. 103. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
- ^ "Minutes of Meetings, Midwest Chapter-National Railway Historical Society," June 4, 1966
- ^ a b c d "Steam News Photos". Trains. Vol. 29, no. 1. November 1968. p. 13. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "Obituaries: Richard Jensen". Locomotive & Railway Preservation. November–December 1991. p. 60.
- ^ "Minutes of Meetings, Midwest Chapter-National Railway Historical Society," December 2, 1967
- ^ "Ernest Millers and Friends Take Anniversary Steam Excursion Trip Sunday". Marengo Republican-News. Vol. 103, no. 29. November 7, 1968. p. 22.
- ^ "Steam News Photos". Trains. Vol. 29, no. 4. Kalmbach Publishing. February 1969. p. 12. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "Railfan Enthusiasts". The Vidette-Messenger. Vol. 41, no. 224. March 25, 1969. p. 1.
- ^ a b Pratt, Steven (March 25, 1969). "Steam Train Buffs End Trip in Humiliation". Section 1A. Chicago Tribune. Vol. 122, no. 84. p. 3.
- ^ "Steam Railroad Excursion Reset". The News-Herald. August 21, 1969. p. 3. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Johnson (1980), p. 52
- ^ a b c d e Perri, Mark (June 2001). "An update from along the Crooked River". Railpace. Vol. 20, no. 6. Railpace Company, Inc. p. 28.
- ^ "Railroad News Photos". Trains. Vol. 37, no. 10. Kalmbach Publishing. August 1977. p. 18. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Railroad News Photos". Trains. Vol. 37, no. 12. Kalmbach Publishing. October 1977. p. 18. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ "Railroad News Photos". Trains. Vol. 39, no. 11. Kalmbach Publishing. September 1979. p. 17. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ "Railroad News Photos". Trains. Vol. 44, no. 2. Kalmbach Publishing. December 1983. p. 19. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Arrivals & Departures - Tourist Capers". Trains. Vol. 48, no. 3. Kalmbach Publishing. January 1988. p. 11. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Railroad News Photos". Trains. Vol. 49, no. 2. Kalmbach Publishing. December 1988. p. 17. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
"Evening Before The Diesel" by Charles R. Foss
Bibliography
- Johnson, Ronald (July 1980). "The Cuyahoga Valley Line". Railfan & Railroad. Vol. 3, no. 5. Carstens Publications. pp. 50–52.