Norfolk and Western Railway class LC-2

The N&W LC-2 was a class of boxcab electric locomotives built by Westinghouse and the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Norfolk and Western Railway. ALCO and Westinghouse built four locomotives in 1924–1925 for use on the Elkhorn Grade. They were retired and scrapped in 1950 when the N&W discontinued electric operations.

N&W LC-2
Type and origin
Power typeElectric
BuilderALCO/Westinghouse
Build date1924–1925
Total produced4
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • AAR(1-D-1)+(1-D-1)
Gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Loco weight414 short tons (376 t)
Electric system/s11 kV 25 Hz AC
Current pickup(s)Pantograph
Performance figures
Power output4,750 horsepower (3,540 kW)
Career
Scrapped1950
DispositionAll scrapped
[1]

Design

The LC-2 was an improved version of the N&W LC-1, which Westinghouse, with Baldwin, had built for the N&W in 1914–1915. The locomotives were a third more powerful than their predecessors.[1]

History

After World War I the N&W extended electrification on the Elkhorn Grade to a total of 52 miles (84 km) and required additional electric power to handle demand. Westinghouse and ALCO delivered four LC-2s in 1924–1925, which the N&W operated alongside the older LC-1s.[1] Following World War II the N&W bypassed the existing Elkhorn Tunnel with a new tunnel twice as long as the original, double-tracked, and on a gentler 1.4% grade. These improvements eliminated the need for electrification. On the opening of the new tunnel on June 26, 1950 the N&W retired the LC-2s.[2][3]

Notes
  1. Middleton 2001, p. 185
  2. Middleton 2001, p. 189
  3. "Elkhorn Tunnel To Be Dedicated". The Bee. June 26, 1950. p. 11. Retrieved December 26, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
gollark: It contains moving parts. They can probably undergo problems of some sort.
gollark: HIGHLY æsthetic.
gollark: Things can in fact break without being engines.
gollark: Spherical wheels WHEN?
gollark: I *sort of* like it.

References
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