Pennsylvania Railroad 4483

Pennsylvania Railroad 4483 is a member of the largest class of I1 2-10-0 "Decapod" type steam locomotives operated by the PRR, being among the 475 built by Baldwin and one of 598 built for the railroad. It hauled heavy coal trains until its retirement in 1957. It is the only surviving I1 Decapod.[1]

Pennsylvania Railroad 4483
PRR I1sa #4483 currently being cosmetically restored at Hamburg, New York.
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number56534
Build dateMay 1923
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-10-0
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.62 in (1,575 mm)
Axle load72,600 lb (32,900 kilograms; 32.9 metric tons)
Adhesive weight352,500 lb (159,900 kilograms; 159.9 metric tons)
Loco weight386,100 lb (175,100 kilograms; 175.1 metric tons)
Tender weight204,700 lb (92,900 kilograms; 92.9 metric tons)
Total weight590,800 lb (268,000 kilograms; 268.0 metric tons)
Fuel capacity18.7 t (18.4 long tons; 20.6 short tons)
Water cap10,300 US gal (39,000 l; 8,600 imp gal)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		69.9 sq ft (6.49 m2)
Boiler pressure250 psi (1.7 MPa)
Feedwater heaterWorthington BL
Cylinders2
Cylinder size30+1⁄2 in × 32 in (775 mm × 813 mm)
bore × stroke
Performance figures
Maximum speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Tractive effort93,625 lbf (416.46 kN) @78% cutoff
Factor of adh.3.77
Career
OperatorsPennsylvania Railroad
ClassI1sa
RetiredAugust 7, 1957
DispositionPRR 4483 on display, remainder scrapped

History

Revenue service

The locomotive was built in May 1923 and was assigned to drag freight service.[2] It was converted to an I1sa in February 1931, increasing its tractive effort and was assigned to the Eastern Region, Susquehanna Division and Northern Region. On November 1, 1944, 4483 was reassigned to the Eastern Region, Central PA Division and Williamsport Division when it was equipped with Cab Signal, Whistle and Acknowledger. In the early 1950s, it was again reassigned to the PRR Ebeenezer, New York yards, often seen hauling coal drags up the Elmria Branch to the coal unloading docks in Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario, New York. On August 7, 1957, 4483 was retired from the PRR and was one of the last "I1sa"s to operate.[3]

Preservation

On the same day, PRR Chief of Motive Power, Hal T. Cover, after retiring the 4483, gave instructions to "Hold as Relic." As such, the 4483 was saved from being scrapped and was moved to the roundhouse in Northumberland, Pennsylvania in 1959 along with other PRR steam locomotive held for preservation.[4] In 1963, the PRR sold the engine to the Westinghouse Air Brake Company to display on the front lawn of their headquarters in Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, with the PRR business car the "Ohio".[3][5] By 1982, after the company had grown tired of the locomotive on its front lawn, the Western New York Railway Historical Society acquired #4483 and moved the engine to Hamburg, NY, where it resides today, receiving occasional maintenance.[6]

References
  1. Ziel, Ron (1970). The Twilight of Steam Locomotives. Grosset & Dunlap. p. 46. ISBN 978-0448131627.
  2. Springirth, Kenneth C. (2017). Remembering the Pennsylvania Railroad. Fonthill Media. ISBN 978-1-62545-071-5.
  3. "PRR #4483". www.trainweb.org.
  4. Weiser, Eugene (2013). The Pennsylvania Railroad: A Brief Look in Time. Seaford, DE: Dragonwick Publishing. p. 135. ISBN 9781300640783.
  5. Cupper, Dan (2002). Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Trail of History Guide. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. p. 22. ISBN 0-8117-2956-7.
  6. "PRR #4483". Western New York Railway Historical Society. February 7, 2017. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
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