Norfolk and Western 475

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Norfolk & Western 475
N&W 475 at Leaman Place Junction - August 16, 2020.jpg
Norfolk and Western No. 475 conducting in-cab experiences in Leaman Place, Pennsylvania on August 16, 2020
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number28343
Build dateJune 1906
Rebuild date1991–1993
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-8-0
 • UIC2′D
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia.27 in (0.686 m)
Driver dia.56 in (1.422 m)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity22,000 lb (10.0 tonnes)
Water cap.10,000 US gal (38,000 l; 8,300 imp gal)
Boiler pressure200 psi (1.38 MPa)
Heating surface2,940 sq ft (273 m2)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size21 in × 30 in (533 mm × 762 mm)
Valve gearStephenson (inside); later Baker
Performance figures
Tractive effort40,163 lbf (178.65 kN)
Career
OperatorsNorfolk & Western Railway
Strasburg Rail Road
ClassM
Number in class101
Numbers
  • N&W 475
  • N&W 382
  • SRC 475
Retired1956 (revenue service)
PreservedSeptember 1960 (Roanoke, Virginia)
1986 (Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad)
RestoredSeptember 1993
Current ownerStrasburg Rail Road
DispositionOut of service, under repairs

Strasburg Rail Road (Norfolk and Western) 475 is a 4-8-0 "Mastodon" type steam locomotive owned and operated by the Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in June 1906, it was part of the Norfolk & Western Railroad's (N&W) first order of M class numbered 375–499.

History

No. 475's builder's plate

No. 475 was the 101st member of 125 M class steam locomotives built for N&W in 1906–07, rolling out of Baldwin Locomotive Works in June 1906. It worked on N&W hauling freight and coal trains on the main line until it was later reassigned to branch line duties when bigger locomotives such as the Y series 2-8-8-2s, K series 4-8-2s, and J 4-8-4s starting arriving on N&W. It was later retired in 1956, completing 50 years of service. In 1957–58, it was dolled up in its original 1900s appearance with a fake diamond smokestack and oil headlamp and hauled the Salem Shifter local passenger train.[1] By September 1960, No. 475 was placed on display in Roanoke, Virginia. In 1962, it was sold to the Virginia Scrap Iron & Metal Company scrapyard and stayed there until it was purchased a year later by William Armagost from Hollsopple, Pennsylvania. In 1980, the locomotive was sold to H.S. Kuyper, and then conveyed to the Pella Historical Society, being stored at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois. In 1982, it was purchased by C. Rosenberg and others, being donated to the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad in 1985 and moved to Boone for display in 1986. It was purchased by Strasburg Rail Road in July 1991 for $100,000 and was restored to operating condition by fall of 1993.[2]

Accident

On November 2, 2022, while running around a passenger train at Leaman Place, Paradise, No. 475 collided head-on with an excavator parked on a siding.[3] The impact punched a hole in the smokebox door.[3] No crew or passengers were injured, and the damage done was deemed relatively minor.[4] The collision was broadcast live via Virtual Railfan and was caught on video via cellphone by one of the passengers on board the train that day.[3][5] The accident was caused by a misaligned switch, and it is being investigated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).[3] Strasburg announced repairs on the locomotive had commenced immediately on November 3, the day after the accident.[6]

Cab arrangement

Like the W class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type, there was no cab deck behind the backhead: firemen shoveled coal from the tender deck and, along with the engineer, sat beside the firebox because the firebox came right to the back of the cab. The throttle lever hung down over the shoulder of the firebox, the reverser lever was in front of the engineer against the side of the firebox, with the water glass just above. The injector controls (A water valve, the overflow valve, and the operating lever.) were in front against the outer wall of the cab. On the fireman's side, there was a water glass, injector controls, and a drop seat arranged like the engineer's.

Appearances in Media

This locomotive was named the Rainbow Sun in the 2000 movie Thomas and the Magic Railroad.[7]

An interview with Strasburg Railroad's then Chief Mechanical Officer, Linn Moedinger, revealed that the film's producer, Phil Fehrle, called him looking for an American locomotive to use.[8] When Moediger inquired as to what exactly he was looking for, Fehrle told him that the film's director, Britt Allcroft, liked the locomotives pictured in a book by O. Winston Link, in particular the M-Class locomotives (of which 475 is a member).[8]

During filming, 475 and three of Strasburg's coaches (of which only two were used) were lettered for the fictional Indian Valley Railroad. 475 ventured off Strasburg Rails to the Harrisburg Transportation Center.[8] The ferry move to Harrisburg from Leaman Place by Amtrak, as well as the filming, was unannounced so as not to attract a crowd.[8]

Gallery

  • N&W No. 475 at the Strasburg Rail Road in April 2014

    N&W No. 475 at the Strasburg Rail Road in April 2014

  • No. 475 pulling a tourist excursion in 2004

    No. 475 pulling a tourist excursion in 2004

  • Strasburg No. 475 pulling a one car freight at Cherry Hill Rd. in 2013.

    Strasburg No. 475 pulling a one car freight at Cherry Hill Rd. in 2013.

  • No. 475 sitting inside the Strasburg Railroad engine shed behind BEDT #15.

    No. 475 sitting inside the Strasburg Railroad engine shed behind BEDT #15.

See also

References

  1. ^ Miller, Ken (November–December 2009). "One fine August day, 1957" (PDF). Turntable Times. Roanoke Chapter, National Railway Historical Society. p. 7-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  2. ^ "LOCOMOTIVE NO. 475". Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Cupper, Dan (November 2, 2022). "Strasburg collision damages No. 475, no one hurt". Trains. Kalmbach Media. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  4. ^ "Train crashes into equipment at Strasburg Railroad in Lancaster County". WGAL. November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  5. ^ "Strasburg 475 Damaged in Collision With Excavator". Railfan & Railroad. White River Productions. November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  6. ^ Franz, Justin (November 3, 2022). "Strasburg Begins Repairs to N&W 475 Following Collision". Railfan & Railroad. White River Productions. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  7. ^ "Thomas and the Magic Railroad Filming Locations". Sodor-Island.net.
  8. ^ a b c d "Interview with Linn Moedinger". Sodor-Island.net.

Further reading

  • Bell, Kurt; Plant, Jeremy (2015). Strasburg Rail Road In Color (1st ed.). Morning Sun Books. ISBN 978-1582484792.
  • Conner, Eric; Barrall, Steve (2017). Strasburg Rail Road. Images of Rail (1st ed.). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4671-2507-9.
  • Moedinger, William M. (1993). The Road to Paradise: The Story of the Rebirth of the Strasburg Rail Road (3rd ed.). The Strasburg Rail Road Shop.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Norfolk and Western Railway 475.
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