SLSF 4018
Encyclopedia
SLSF 4018 is a class USRA Light 2-8-2 "Mikado"
steam locomotive which operated for three decades hauling freight between Bessemer
and Birmingham, Alabama
(USA) on the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway. It went on display at the Alabama State Fairgrounds
in 1952 and is one of only a few locomotives of its type that survive.
Called a "war baby" because it was part of the build-up of cargo capacity ordered through the United States Railroad Administration
during World War I
, Engine No. 4018 was constructed in October 1919 to a standardized USRA Light Mikado
design by the Lima Locomotive Works
of Lima, Ohio for the Pennsylvania Railroad
. The coal-fired standard gauge
locomotive was capable of 54700 pound-forces (243.3 kN) of tractive effort, running two 27 by 30 in (685.8 by 762 mm) cylinders under 200 pound per square inches (1.38 MPa) of boiler pressure. The driving wheels are 63 inches (1.6 m) in diameter and its wheelbase is 36 in 1 in (11 m). The overall length of the engine and its 10000 gallons (37,854.1 l) tender is just under 82 ft (25 m). The locomotive stands 19 ft (5.8 m) tall.
Engine No. 4018 was sold to the St Louis and San Francisco Railway in 1923 and spent much of the next three decades carrying transport between Bessemer and Birmingham. Steam engines were phased out in favor of diesel locomotive
s in the mid-20th century and No. 4018 was, in fact, the last steam locomotive to operate on any part of the Frisco Railway.
The engine was turned over to the city on May 29 of that year. It traveled on Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
trackage to the vicinity of the fairgrounds. From there a special spur was constructed of panel track to deliver it the selected spot near the "Kiddieland" amusement park. Despite one derailment, the locomotive was brought safely to its new home and a metal shed was built over it. Frisco employees were regularly sent over in the ensuing years to keep the engine in good condition.
Efforts to have the train moved to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
in the 1970s broke down. A later group entered negotiations to secure the locomotive for restoration and possible use on steam excursions, but were also unsuccessful.
In the late 1980s a cosmetic restoration was begun by a group of area railroad enthusiasts volunteering their labor. The bell and headlight were removed for safe-keeping during the work, which involved sheet-metal patches over rusted areas and repainting. A new front coupler knuckle was donated and installed. The effort ran out of steam, however, and was never completed - partly for lack of security at the site.
As the city of Birmingham planned a major redevelopment of the fairgrounds area in 2009, fund-raising began for moving the engine and tender to Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
. The move took place February 19–21.
Its sister, Frisco 4003 is on the National Register of Historic Places
, on display at the Fort Smith Trolley Museum
in Fort Smith, Arkansas
.
USRA Light Mikado
The USRA Light Mikado was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I...
steam locomotive which operated for three decades hauling freight between Bessemer
Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a city outside of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States eight miles west of Hoover. The population was 29,672 at the 2000 Census, but by the 2009 U.S...
and Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
(USA) on the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway. It went on display at the Alabama State Fairgrounds
Alabama State Fairgrounds
The Alabama State Fairgrounds are located in West Birmingham, adjacent to the Five Points West shopping area.The State Fair Arena and Exposition Building covers a combined total of . The fairgrounds were acquired by the City of Birmingham in 1947....
in 1952 and is one of only a few locomotives of its type that survive.
Called a "war baby" because it was part of the build-up of cargo capacity ordered through the United States Railroad Administration
United States Railroad Administration
The United States Railroad Administration was the name of the nationalized railroad system of the United States between 1917 and 1920. It was possibly the largest American experiment with nationalization, and was undertaken against a background of war emergency.- Background :On April 6, 1917, the...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Engine No. 4018 was constructed in October 1919 to a standardized USRA Light Mikado
USRA Light Mikado
The USRA Light Mikado was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I...
design by the Lima Locomotive Works
Lima Locomotive Works
Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shops location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between the Baltimore & Ohio's Cincinnati-Toledo main line...
of Lima, Ohio for the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. The coal-fired standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
locomotive was capable of 54700 pound-forces (243.3 kN) of tractive effort, running two 27 by 30 in (685.8 by 762 mm) cylinders under 200 pound per square inches (1.38 MPa) of boiler pressure. The driving wheels are 63 inches (1.6 m) in diameter and its wheelbase is 36 in 1 in (11 m). The overall length of the engine and its 10000 gallons (37,854.1 l) tender is just under 82 ft (25 m). The locomotive stands 19 ft (5.8 m) tall.
Engine No. 4018 was sold to the St Louis and San Francisco Railway in 1923 and spent much of the next three decades carrying transport between Bessemer and Birmingham. Steam engines were phased out in favor of diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s in the mid-20th century and No. 4018 was, in fact, the last steam locomotive to operate on any part of the Frisco Railway.
Retirement
At the request of then-Birmingham mayor J. W. Morgan, the locomotive was saved from the scrap-yard and given a full overhaul before making its final five-mile (8 km) run to Birmingham on February 29, 1952. A. M. Ball, assistant to the president of the Frisco line, was in attendance for the occasion.The engine was turned over to the city on May 29 of that year. It traveled on Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
trackage to the vicinity of the fairgrounds. From there a special spur was constructed of panel track to deliver it the selected spot near the "Kiddieland" amusement park. Despite one derailment, the locomotive was brought safely to its new home and a metal shed was built over it. Frisco employees were regularly sent over in the ensuing years to keep the engine in good condition.
Efforts to have the train moved to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum
The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum is the official state railroad museum of Alabama. Dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and operation of historically significant railway equipment, the museum is located at 1919 Ninth Street, Calera, Alabama, on I-65 approximately south of Birmingham.The...
in the 1970s broke down. A later group entered negotiations to secure the locomotive for restoration and possible use on steam excursions, but were also unsuccessful.
As the city of Birmingham planned a major redevelopment of the fairgrounds area in 2009, fund-raising began for moving the engine and tender to Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Sloss Furnaces
Sloss Furnaces is a National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama in the United States. It operated as a pig iron-producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971. After closing it became one of the first industrial sites in the U.S. to be preserved for public use...
. The move took place February 19–21.
Its sister, Frisco 4003 is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, on display at the Fort Smith Trolley Museum
Fort Smith Trolley Museum
The Fort Smith Trolley Museum is a railroad museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas.Located at 100 South 4th Street, the museum collection includes four streetcars which operated in municipal service in Fort Smith, an open streetcar, as well as a Frisco steam locomotive.The museum also operates a heritage...
in Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
.
External links
- St. Louis - San Francisco RR No. 4018 at steamlocomotive.info