Great Northern P-2
The Great Northern P-2 Class was a class of 28 4-8-2 "Mountain" type steam locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1923 and operated by the Great Northern Railway until the late 1950s.
Great Northern P-2 class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() GN 2517 with the Empire Builder on the Stone Arch Bridge, Minneapolis, c. 1929. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The locomotives were built as passenger locomotives and the class had the honer of pulling the first Empire Builder train.
Today, two P-2s survive, No. 2507 is on display in Wishram, WA and No. 2523 is on display in Willmar, MN.
History
Built as passenger locomotives in 1923, they were used to haul passenger trains throughout the Great Northern system, hauling trains such as the Empire Builder and Oriental Limited, of which the class was the first to pull the former. They were built to speed up passenger trains on the mainline and have replaced the earlier P-1 Class of "Mountains" of 1914, as they were deemed too slow for passenger service. While most Great Northern steam locomotives had a Belpaire firebox, the P-2s had a radial stay firebox. In service, they were limited to 50 mph, but managed up to 4,700 miles a month and were rated at 10-12 heavyweight passenger cars up the 1.8% Walton Hill at 18 mph. Later in their service life, their boiler pressure was increased from 200 psi to 210 psi, increasing their tractive effort from 54,838 to 57,580 lbs. The P-2s were deemed as excellent passenger locomotives, but despite that, they were replaced by the S-2 Class of Northerns in Empire Builder service, regulating them to other passenger trains and freight trains. As the Great Northern dieselized, retirement of the P-2s began in April 1955 and by April 1958, all have been retired.[1]
Preservation
Two P-2s survived into preservation.
- Great Northern 2507 was retired in December 1957, eventually sold to the Spokane, Portland and Seattle for display at Maryhill, WA and dedicated on September 3, 1966. It was later moved to Pasco, WA for restoration, but it was unsuccessful. The locomotive was moved again in 2003 to the depot in Wishram, WA, where it still resides.[2]
- Great Northern 2523 was retired in April 1958 and donated to the city of Willmar, MN on October 7, 1965. It is currently displayed at the Kandiyohi County Historical Society.[2]
See also
References
- "Great Northern 4-8-2 "Mountain" Locomotives in the USA". steamlocomotive.com.
- "Great Northern Empire - Then and Now". www.greatnorthernempire.net.
- Keyes, Norman C., Jr.; Middleton, Kenneth R. (Autumn 1980). "The Great Northern Railway Company: All-Time Locomotive Roster, 1861–1970". Railroad History. Boston, Mass.: Railway and Locomotive Historical Society. 143: 110. ISSN 0090-7847. JSTOR 43523930.