Great Northern 2507

Great Northern 2507
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 57184 Model Baldwin 14-52-1⁄4-E, (#8) Build date October 1923
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-2  • UIC 2′D2′ h1 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Leading dia. 33 in (838 mm) Driver dia. 73 in (1,854 mm) Trailing dia. 45 in (1,143 mm) Tender wheels 33 in (838 mm) Wheelbase 83.04 ft (25,311 mm) Axle load 66,250 lb (30,050 kilograms; 30.05 metric tons) Adhesive weight 265,000 lb (120,000 kilograms; 120 metric tons) Loco weight 388,700 lb (176,300 kilograms; 176.3 metric tons) Tender weight 305,950 lb (138,780 kilograms; 138.78 metric tons) Total weight 694,650 lb (315,090 kilograms; 315.09 metric tons) Tender type Vanderbilt Fuel type Fuel oil Fuel capacity 5,800 US gal (22,000 L; 4,800 imp gal) oil Water cap. 15,000 US gal (57,000 L; 12,000 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 88 sq ft (8.2 m2) Boiler 84 in (2,100 mm) Boiler pressure 210 lbf/in2 (1.45 MPa) (as built 200 lbf/in2 (1.38 MPa)) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 400 sq ft (37 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 29 in × 28 in (737 mm × 711 mm) Valve gear Walschaert
Performance figures Maximum speed 50 mph (80 km/h) (limited) Tractive effort 57,580 lbf (256.13 kN) (as built 54,838 lbf (243.9 kN)) Factor of adh. 4.13 (as built 4.34)
Career Operators Great Northern Class P-2 Number in class 8th of 28 Numbers GN 2507 Retired December 1957 Disposition On display at the Wishram depot in Wishram, Washington

Great Northern 2507 is a 4-8-2 "Mountain" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in October 1923 for the Great Northern Railway (GN) as a member of the P-2 class.

Built for passenger service, the locomotive was assigned to pull the Great Northern's mainline passenger trains such as the Empire Builder and Oriental Limited until being retired in December 1957 and sold the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway. The locomotive is now on display at the Wishram depot in Wishram, Washington.

Service history

With the intention of passenger service, 2507 was used to pull the Empire Builder and Oriental Limited and has also pulled fast mail trains and other passenger trains, but as the main passenger trains were dieselized by 1949, it was reassigned to secondary passenger trains and freight service.

Accident

No. 2507, while pulling train #27, the Fast Mail, hit a landslide near Picnic Point, south of Mukilteo, Washington in the pre-dawn hours of February 18, 1948. The engineer and fireman survived, but were both injured when the slide rolled the engine, tender and a baggage car off the track and went over the rock sea wall into Puget Sound. The locomotive was eventually repaired and returned to service.

Preservation

2507 was retired in December 1957 and sold to the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, as it promised a steam locomotive to the county of Klickitat, Washington steamer to display at Maryhill State Park, overlooking the Columbia River eight miles east of the SP&S division point of Wishram. It was then moved to Pasco, Washington for restoration, but it didn't go through and on July 7, 2003, it was pulled by BNSF to its current home in Wishram, Washington and is displayed near the station.