Great Western 90

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Great Western 90
Great Western 90 at the East Strasburg station in May 2022
Type and origin
References:[1][2]
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number57812
Model12-42-F
Build dateJune 1924
Rebuild date1954
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-10-0
 • UIC1′E h
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Driver dia.56 in (1,422 mm)[3]
Axle load38,000 lb (17,000 kg)[3]
Adhesive weight190,000 lb (86,000 kg)
Loco weight212,000 lb (96,000 kg)[3]
Fuel typeCoal
Firebox:​
 • Grate area54.3 sq ft (5.04 m2)[3]
Boiler pressure200 psi (1,400 kPa)[3]
Cylinder size24 in × 28 in (610 mm × 710 mm)[3]
Valve gearWalschaerts
Performance figures
Maximum speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Tractive effort48,960 lbf (217.8 kN)[3]
Factor of adh.3.88
Career
OperatorsGreat Western Railway
Strasburg Rail Road
Class12-42-F
Numbers
  • GW 90
  • SRC 90
RetiredApril 5, 1967
RestoredMay 13, 1967
Current ownerStrasburg Rail Road
DispositionUndergoing 1,472-day inspection and overhaul

Great Western 90 is a class "12-42-F" 2-10-0 type steam locomotive owned and operated by the Strasburg Rail Road (SRC) outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in June 1924, No. 90 originally pulled sugar beet trains for the Great Western Railway of Colorado.[1][2] In April 1967, No. 90 was sold to the Strasburg Rail Road where it now resides and operates today for use in pulling excursion trains.[2]

History[edit]

Revenue service[edit]

The No. 90 locomotive was built in June 1924 for the Great Western Railway of Colorado (GW) by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of Baldwin's 12-42-F class.[4][5] No. 90 was designed with 24-by-28-inch (610 mm × 711 mm) cylinders, 56-inch (1,422 mm) diameter driving wheels, and a boiler pressure of 200 psi (1,379 kPa), and it became the first locomotive on the GW's roster to be superheated.[5] It originally pulled the GW's sugar beet trains of about 40 to 50 cars in length to the company's towering mill in Loveland, Colorado. It was the GW's largest and most powerful road locomotive, and it saw extensive use on trains too large for the company's fleet of 2-8-0s.[2] During World War II, the GW modified all their locomotives, including No. 90, with extended smokeboxes, since they all used lignite coal as a fuel source during that time.[5]

Following the war, the locomotive was used primarily in the Autumn during the harvest season.[2] By the late 1950s, the No. 90 locomotive had been relegated to pull occasional campaign and excursion trains.[6] On September 2, 1963, No. 90 pulled the "Intermountain Limited" excursion, which had arrived in Loveland via the Colorado and Southern (C&S) behind CB&Q 4-8-4 No. 5632, over the GW system, as part of the 1963 National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) Convention.[7][8][9] No. 90 returned the excursion to No. 5632 at Longmont, and the latter pulled the train to Denver.[7][9] That same year, the Strasburg Rail Road's (SRC) Chief Mechanical Officer, Huber Leath, met with the GW's superintendent, a man who grew up in the vicinity of the Strasburg Rail Road.[2] A deal was subsequently made in which the Great Western would contact the Strasburg Rail Road as soon as the locomotive was removed from service and available for purchase.[2]

Strasburg Rail Road ownership[edit]

The Strasburg Rail Road purchased No. 90 from the GW on April 5, 1967, at a price of $23,000 (equal to $210,168 today), and the locomotive arrived on SRC's property one month later, on May 5.[1][2][6] Upon arrival, No. 90 would make its first run for the railroad on May 13.[10]

On February 18, 1968, Ross Rowland's High Iron Company sponsored a mainline excursion train, and Canadian Pacific (CPR) 4-6-2 locomotives Nos. 1238 and 1286 were originally planned to be leased to pull the train, but the locomotives' owner, George M. Hart, had them on an emergency lease to the city of Reading, Pennsylvania to provide steam for a power plant.[11] Unwilling to cancel the excursion, Rowland had leased CPR 4-6-2 No. 127 from Steamtown, U.S.A. and No. 90 from SRC to power the train.[11] No. 127 pulled the excursion on the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ), Lehigh Valley (LV), and Penn Central (PC) mainline between Newark, New Jersey and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and No. 90 doubleheaded with No. 127 for assistance over the CNJ grades between Bethlehem and Jim Thorpe.[11] No. 90 was returned to SRC after the excursion ended.

Sometime during No. 90's career on SRC, crews had the locomotive's extended smokebox removed.[12] In February 2006, No. 90 was repainted in its original GW livery and operated for a photo charter.[12][13] In October 2020, No. 90 was temporarily backdated to its late 1960s appearance with the original SRC "egg" logo, whitewall wheels, and gold pinstripings for the Steam Strikes Back photo charter, commemorating SRC's 60th anniversary.[14] By early 2024, No. 90 was removed from service to undergo its federally-mandated 1,472-day inspection, and the SRC plans to return the locomotive to service by the fall of that year.[15]

Accidents and incidents[edit]

  • On May 6, 1940, a major fire broke out at the GW's roundhouse in Loveland, with three steam locomotives still inside.[16] No. 90 happened to be under steam at the time, and quick-thinking crews used No. 90 to pull all the other locomotives out of the burning building.[16] The roundhouse fire cost the GW nearly $200,000 in damage, and the locomotives, including No. 90, sustained damage, but they were subsequently repaired.[16]
  • On November 7, 1944, No. 90 was broadsided by a truck at a grade crossing east of Loveland and knocked onto its fireman's side, with the truck being damaged beyond repair.[6] Both the fireman and the truck driver were killed in the accident, which was deemed the worst rail disaster in GW's history.[2][6] The GW sent 90 to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad's (CB&Q) shops in Denver, where repairs on the locomotive took several months to complete.[2][6]
  • In 1956, No. 90 was hit by another truck, twisting and damaging the locomotive's side gear.[6] The truck driver was killed, while No. 90's engineer and fireman were severely injured.[6] The locomotive subsequently had to undergo repairs again.[6]

Gallery[edit]

  • No. 90 pulling a tourist excursion tender-first, on July 19, 1984
    No. 90 pulling a tourist excursion tender-first, on July 19, 1984
  • Strasburg No. 90 at Leaman Place, Pennsylvania, on July 30, 1989
    Strasburg No. 90 at Leaman Place, Pennsylvania, on July 30, 1989
  • No. 90 pulling into the Strasburg Rail Road station, on May 12, 2007
    No. 90 pulling into the Strasburg Rail Road station, on May 12, 2007
  • No. 90 pulling a tourist excursion, on May 22, 2006
    No. 90 pulling a tourist excursion, on May 22, 2006
  • No. 90 painted in its former Great Western colors, on December 1, 2013
    No. 90 painted in its former Great Western colors, on December 1, 2013
  • No. 90 sitting inside the SRC engine shed with CN No. 89 and BEDT No. 15, on November 13, 2016
    No. 90 sitting inside the SRC engine shed with CN No. 89 and BEDT No. 15, on November 13, 2016

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "No. 90". Archived from the original on 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bell, Kurt; Plant, Jeremy (2015). The Strasburg Rail Road In Color. Scotch Plains, NJ: Morning Sun Books. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-58248-479-2.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g King, E. W., Jr. in Drury p.351
  4. ^ "2-10-0 "Decapod" Locomotives in the USA". Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Morgan (1975), p. 36
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Morgan (1975), p. 37
  7. ^ a b "Most years, 'summer' means 'NRHS' - Classic Trains Magazine - Railroad History, Vintage Train Videos, Steam Locomotives, Forums". cs.trains.com. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  8. ^ Morgan (1975), p. 67
  9. ^ a b Schilling, Wallace (September 13, 1963). "If You Like to Travel By Train". The Chattanooga Times. Vol. 94, no. 272. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Equipment Roster" (PDF). July 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "Steam News Photos". Trains. Vol. 28, no. 7. May 1968. p. 13. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Wrinn, Jim (May 2007). "Extreme steam! - 1. Lanky and long-legged". Trains. Vol. 67, no. 5. Kalmbach Publishing. pp. 34–35. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  13. ^ "News & Photos - Old identity". Trains. Vol. 66, no. 6. Kalmbach Publishing. June 2006. p. 13. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  14. ^ Pollock, Christopher (December 18, 2020). "Steam Strikes Back! Strasburg Rail Road Celebrates 60 Years". Railpace Newsmagazine. White River Productions. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  15. ^ "Strasburg Railroad's No. 90 pulled from service for inspection". WGAL8. February 23, 2024. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c Morgan (1975), p. 59

Bibliography[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • King, E. W., Jr. in Drury, George H. (1993), Guide to North American Steam Locomotives, Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Company, p. 351, ISBN 0-89024-206-2, LCCN 93041472

External links[edit]

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