Canadian Pacific 2317

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Canadian Pacific 2317
CPR No. 2317 at Steamtown National Historic Site in 1989
Type and origin References:[1][2] Power type Steam Builder Montreal Locomotive Works Serial number 64541 Build date June 1923 Rebuild date 1976–1978
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2  • UIC 2′C1′ h2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 75 in (1,905 mm) Adhesive weight 192,000 lb (87.1 tonnes) Loco weight 317,000 lb (143.8 tonnes) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 17 long tons (17 t) Water cap. 10,000 imp gal (45,000 l; 12,000 US gal) Boiler pressure 200 lbf/in2 (1.38 MPa) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 25 in × 30 in (635 mm × 762 mm) Loco brake 26L
Performance figures Tractive effort 46,600 lbf (207.29 kN)
Career Operators Canadian Pacific Railway, Steamtown, U.S.A., Steamtown National Historic Site Class Numbers CPR 2317 DLW 2317 Retired 1959 Preserved November 1965 Restored October 1, 1978 Current owner Steamtown National Historic Site Disposition Out of service, awaiting 1,472-day inspection and rebuild, based in Scranton, Pennsylvania

Canadian Pacific 2317 is a class "" 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works for the Canadian Pacific Railway.^[3]

History[]

After the end of World War I, the Canadian Pacific Railway began replacing their old wooden passenger cars with “heavyweight” six-axle steel passenger cars. In response to this, the CP's chief mechanical officer, William E. Woodhouse, designed a new class of 4-6-2 “Pacific” type steam locomotive that would be known as the G-3 class. The locomotive was built in June 1923 by the Montreal Locomotive Works as part of the G-3c subclass, and it was put into service, pulling mainline passenger trains for the CPR.^[4] It was known to be stationed in Winnipeg, Manitoba for a good portion of its revenue career.^[4] After serving the CPR for thirty-six years, the engine was retired from revenue service in 1959, and it was subsequently put into storage with an uncertain future.^[3]

In November 1965, seafood magnate and steam locomotive enthusiast F. Nelson Blount purchased the locomotive and moved it to Bellows Falls, Vermont to join the rest of his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection.^[2] Upon arrival, the engine received a cosmetic restoration and was put on static display with the other CPR locomotives, including 4-4-4 2929 and 4-6-4 2816.^[2] In 1976, 4-6-2 1278 was removed from the active roster due to its flue time expiring. Rather than repairing the latter, Steamtown chose to rebuild 2317 instead, since it was found to be in excellent condition at the time, it was a more powerful locomotive to pull Steamtown's longer trains, and they needed a locomotive to pull a bicentennial train known by the unwieldy title of Vermont Bicentennial Steam Expedition sponsored by the State of Vermont. However, due to weight restrictions on some wooden bridges the train meant to run on, Canadian Pacific 1293 was chosen to pull the train, instead.

The rebuilding process on the locomotive resumed in June 1978, with the hopes of bringing it back by the Annual Railfan's Weekend in October of that year. On October 1, 1978, the locomotive was fired up for the first time in nineteen years, and it joined Canadian Pacific 1293 and Canadian Pacific 1246 in Steamtown's operating fleet, painted in the Canadian Pacific gray-blue and Tuscan red livery, a livery it never wore in revenue service.^[4][3] Throughout the 1983 season, the engine, along with Canadian Pacific 1246 and Canadian Pacific 1293, were used to pull multiple excursion trips to bid farewell to Steamtown's home in Bellows Falls, before the entire collection would be moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania, the following year. The locomotive arrived in Scranton on January 31, 1984, and it was subsequently fired up four days later for the "Grand Entrance Ceremony" on February 4, 1984.

It was fired up once more on September 1, 1984, for the first Steamtown excursion in Scranton which ran on the former Delaware, Lackawanna and Western mainline between Scranton and Elmhurst, Pennsylvania.^[2] In 1986, it was painted up in the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's "Pocono Mountain Route" livery.^[3] It remained this way until after the National Park Service took over Steamtown in 1987. The locomotive was subsequently repainted into the livery it wore in active service with CPR.

The locomotive was present at the grand opening of Steamtown National Historic Site along with several other locomotives, including Baldwin Locomotive Works 26, Canadian National 3254, Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad 425, New York, Susquehanna and Western’s Ex-China Railways SY 142, and Milwaukee Road 261, and the locomotive ran several excursion trains on the former Lackawanna main line. The engine then settled down as Steamtown’s main workhorse, and it would often pull Steamtown's excursions in tandem with No. 3254 until 2004, when problems with its trailing truck, dry pipe and tires were found. Between 2004 and 2007, it only ran the "Scranton Limited" yard shuttle trains. After new tires were installed in 2007, the locomotive was allowed to pull a few of the longer excursions to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania and the Delaware Water Gap.

After the end of the 2009 operating season, it was used only sparingly as its flue-time was running short.^[3] The engine made its last run on September 5, 2010, during Steamtown's 2010 Lackawanna Railfest. After the event, the engine was placed into storage in the Steamtown Roundhouse where it is viewable to the public, waiting for Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) mandated 1,472-day inspection and repairs to operate again.^[3] As of 2022, the engine is still out of service awaiting for overhaul.^[3]

Accidents and incidents[]

On February 4, 1982, the Steamtown shop and storage building collapsed under the weight of three feet of heavy, wet snow caused some damage to some locomotives, including No. 2317. However, the damage was not serious enough to remove it from excursion service.^[5]

On July 10, 1995, No. 2317 was returning a nine-car excursion carrying 572 passengers from Moscow to Scranton at 20 miles per hour, when it struck and killed two young boys (Paul Paskert, aged 12 and Anthony Paskert, aged 16), who were trying to pry one of their jammed ATVs from the tracks. The engineers were not able to see the boys on the tracks, and did not apply emergency brakes to avoid causing passengers to be thrown from their seats and injured. This was the 26th excursion run since the grand opening of the new park less than a month prior, and this was the first fatality Steamtown experienced since July 4, 1985, when an intoxicated woman was struck by a private venture train.^[6]

On October 27, 2003, No. 2317 was pulling a train through the Poconos at about 10 miles an hour, when the tender and three of the nine passenger cars jumped the tracks. Fortunately, no one was injured, because the train was traveling at such a slow speed. The accident occurred one mile outside Delaware Water Gap in an area known as Point of Gap.^[7]

Gallery[]

• 

  No. 2317 at Steamtown NHS in October 2006.

• 

  No. 2317 when it was turned on a turntable, August 2009.

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Chappell, Gordon (1991). Steam Over Scranton:The Locomotives of Steamtown (PDF) (1st ed.). National Park Service.

External links[]

• Canadian Pacific 2317