Atlantic Coast Line 1504

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

Atlantic Coast Line 1504
Atlantic Coast Line No. 1504 on display in Jacksonville, Florida, in March 2016
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderAmerican Locomotive Company
Serial number59314
Build dateAugust 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)
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 weight188,000 lb (85,000 kilograms; 85 metric tons)
Total weight466,000 lb (211,000 kilograms; 211 metric tons)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity16 t (16 long tons; 18 short tons)
Water cap10,000 US gal (38,000 l; 8,300 imp gal)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		66.70 sq ft (6.197 m2)
Boiler pressure200 lbf/in2 (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 effort40,753 lbf (181.28 kN)
Factor of adh.4.12
Career
OperatorsAtlantic Coast Line
ClassP-5-A
Number in class5th of 70
NumbersACL 1504
Originally 497
Delivered1920
RetiredDecember 13, 1952
DispositionUndergoing restoration to operating condition

The locomotive was built for passenger service and was assigned to pull the ACL's mainline passenger trains until it was retired in 1952 and donated to the city of Jacksonville for display. As of 2021, it was being restored to operating condition for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express, Inc. in Clewiston, Florida as part of a heritage tourist passenger train named the Sugar Express.

History

Revenue service and retirement (1919-1952)

No. 1504 pulled passenger trains from Richmond, Virginia to Jacksonville, Florida, including the Miamian, the Florida Special, Palmetto Limited, the Southland, the South Wind and the Dixie Flyer.[1] By the late 1940s, the railroad had dieselized its passenger trains and the locomotive was assigned to fast freight service and spent its last years in the Tampa, Florida area before 1952, the year it was retired and put into storage.[1]

Preservation and display (1960-2021)

No. 1504 was chosen for preservation by ACL president Champion Davis and the Head of ACL's Mechanical Department, John W. Hawthornethe.[1] In 1960, after some years in storage, the locomotive was given a cosmetic restoration and was placed on display in front of the then new ACL General Office Building in Jacksonville.[1]

In 1986, ACL's successor, CSX donated the locomotive to the North Florida Chapter NRHS by having it relocated to the parking lot at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center to be on display again.[1] No. 1504 is the only surviving original USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive and is in almost original condition.[1] The locomotive was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1990 and was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2][3]: 8  In 2015, after being on display outside exposed to the elements, No. 1504 was cosmetically restored again by the NRHS at a cost of $20,000 received from both Trains Magazine and the CSX Corporation.[4]

Restoration and excursion service (2021-present)

In August 2021, No. 1504 was purchased by the U.S. Sugar Corporation to be restored to operating condition for excursion service on the South Central Florida Express, Inc. in Clewiston, Florida as part of the Sugar Express tourist passenger train.[5][6] It 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.[7][8] The No. 1504 locomotive will undergo an extensive three-year restoration and rebuild performed by the FMW Solutions.[8]

References
  1. "Atlantic Coast Line #1504". Metro Jacksonville. October 13, 2008. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  2. "Atlantic Coast Line Locomotive No. 1504, Jacksonville, Fla". National Railway Historical Society. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  3. "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.
  4. "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.
  5. 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.
  6. "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.
  7. 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.
  8. "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.
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