Atlantic Coast Line 1504

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Atlantic Coast Line 1504
Atlantic Coast Line Locomotive No.1504.jpeg
Atlantic Coast Line No. 1504 on static display in Jacksonville, Florida, in March 2016
Type and origin
References:[1]: 13 
Power typeSteam
BuilderAmerican Locomotive Company (ALCO)
Serial number59314
Build dateMarch 1919
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-6-2
 • UIC2′C2′ h1
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.73 in (1,854 mm)
WheelbaseLoco & tender: 70.79 ft (21.58 m)
Length80 ft 9.5 in (24.63 m)
Axle load59,333 lb (26,913 kilograms; 26.913 metric tons)
Adhesive weight178,000 lb (81,000 kilograms; 81 metric tons)
Loco weight278,000 lb (126,000 kilograms; 126 metric tons)
Tender weight193,000 lb (88,000 kilograms; 88 metric tons)
Total weight471,000 lb (214,000 kilograms; 214 metric tons)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity16 t (16 long tons; 18 short tons)
Water cap.10,000 US gal (38,000 l; 8,300 imp gal)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		66.70 sq ft (6.197 m2)
Boiler pressure200 psi (1.38 MPa)
Heating surface:
 • Firebox		242 sq ft (22.5 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • Heating area794 sq ft (73.8 m2)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size25 in × 28 in (635 mm × 711 mm)
Valve gearBaker
Performance figures
Maximum speed80 mph (130 km/h)
Tractive effort40,750 lbf (181.27 kN)
Factor of adh.4.12
Career
OperatorsAtlantic Coast Line
ClassP-5-A
Number in class5th of 70
NumbersACL 1504 (originally 497)
Delivered1920
RetiredDecember 31, 1952 (revenue service)
Current ownerU.S. Sugar
DispositionUndergoing restoration to operating condition
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Locomotive No. 1504
LocationJacksonville, Florida
NRHP reference No.100001388
Added to NRHP2018

Atlantic Coast Line 1504 is a 4-6-2 USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive built in March 1919 by the American Locomotive Company's (ALCO) Richmond Works in Richmond, Virginia for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) as a member of the P-5-A class.

It used to pull ACL's mainline passenger trains until it was retired in 1952 and donated to the city of Jacksonville, Florida where it sat on static display as the only original USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive to be preserved. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

As of 2022, the locomotive is being restored to operating condition for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express shortline railroad in Clewiston, Florida as part of U.S. Sugar's heritage tourist passenger train named the Sugar Express.

History[]

Revenue service on the ACL (1919-1952)[]

No. 1504 was the fifth member of seventy USRA Light Pacifics built by ALCO between 1919 and 1920 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL).[1]: 8  Classified as a P-5-A Pacific, No. 1504 had the capability to haul a 10-12 passenger car train at 70–80 mph (113–129 km/h).[1]: 7  It was assigned to haul the ACL's premier passenger trains such as the Miamian, the Florida Special, the Palmetto Limited, the Southland, the South Wind and the Dixie Flyer.[1]: 7  By the late 1940s, when the ACL railroad dieselized its passenger trains, No. 1504 was reassigned to fast freight service in the Tampa, Florida area.[2] During that time, it hauled 50-60 freight cars at maximum allowable speeds until its retirement from revenue service on December 31, 1952.[2]

Preservation and display (1960-2021)[]

No. 1504's ASME plaque in 2016

No. 1504 was chosen for preservation by ACL president Champion Davis and the Head of ACL's Mechanical Department, John W. Hawthornethe.[1]: 7  In 1960, the locomotive was given a thorough mechanical overhaul and was put on static display in front of the ACL General Office Building in Jacksonville, Florida.[1]: 8  No. 1504 is the only surviving USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive in original as-built condition with the exception of its headlight, tender trucks, and pilot truck wheels.[1]: 7 

In 1986, ACL's successor, CSX donated the No. 1504 locomotive to the Jacksonville City Council, where they relocated it to its new static display site in the parking lot of the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, located at the former Jacksonville Union Terminal.[2] In 1990, the locomotive was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark and was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]: 8  In 2015, after being on display outside exposed to the elements, No. 1504 was cosmetically restored again by the North Florida Chapter NRHS at a cost of $20,000 received from both Trains Magazine and CSX Corporation.[3]

Restoration and excursion service with U.S. Sugar (2021-present)[]

In June 2021, the Jacksonville City Council announced that they would transfer ownership of the No. 1504 locomotive to U.S. Sugar Corporation, who will eventually restore it to operating condition for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express shortline railroad in Clewiston, Florida as part of the Sugar Express tourist passenger train.[4][5] Two months later, the No. 1504 locomotive was removed from static display and moved to the former Lucey Boiler Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the same place where Southern Railway 4501 was originally restored in the late 1960s.[6][7] The No. 1504 locomotive will undergo an extensive three-year restoration and rebuild performed by the FMW Solutions.[6][7]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "USRA Steam Locomotives: Atlantic Coast Line 1504 and Baltimore and Ohio 4500" (PDF). ASME. October 23, 1990. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 18, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Huddleston, Eugene L. (2002). Uncle Sam's Locomotives: The USRA and the Nation's Railroads (1st ed.). Indiana University Press. p. 54. ISBN 0-253-34086-1.
  3. ^ "ACL 4-6-2 No. 1504 restoration complete". Trains. Kalmbach Media. July 21, 2015. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  4. ^ Marbut, Max (June 4, 2021). "City may transfer historic locomotive at Prime Osborn". Jacksonville Daily Record. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  5. ^ "U.S. Sugar interested in acquiring second steam locomotive". Trains. Kalmbach Media. June 7, 2021. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Scanlan, Dan (August 24, 2021). "Jacksonville's ol' No. 1504 leaves the station en route to restoration". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Former Lucey Boiler Company Site to Host Historic Steam Locomotive Restoration". FMW Solutions LLC. August 31, 2021. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.

Further reading[]

  • Prince, Richard E. (2000). Atlantic Coast Line Railroad: Steam Locomotives, Ships, and History (2nd ed.). Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33694-5.

External links[]

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