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EXPLORING THE COMPLEX WORLD OF HISTORIC RAILWAY PRESERVATION
Building From the Rails Up: The PRR T1 Trust GUEST COLUMNISTS: JASON JOHNSON AND BRADFORD NOBLE, D.O.
THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD T1 Steam Loco- motive Trust is a non-profit organization with a unique approach to railroad preservation. Through hard work, dedicated volunteers, and the financial support of many generous donors from around the globe, the T1 Trust is constructing PRR T1 No. 5550. Slated to become the 53rd locomotive of its class when complete, No. 5550 combines stunning art deco design with an unorthodox 4-4-4-4 wheel arrangement. The goal is simple — to provide mainline steam excursion service, and to set the world speed record for a steam locomotive. The T1 class represents the pinnacle of
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steam locomotive design in the United States, with the capability of achieving speeds in ex- cess of 120 m.p.h. In all, 52 class T1 locomo- tives were produced, 25 at the PRR’s Altoona shops and 27 at the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. Sadly, not a single example of this magnificent machine escaped the scrapper’s torch. The production of T1 No. 5550 will fill a
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large gap in historic locomotive preservation. Perhaps more importantly, this locomotive will inject new life-blood into an aging heri- tage fleet. Most mainline steam excursion lo- comotives operating today are more than 60 years old. Wear and tear are taking their toll. Efforts such as this one will become increas- ingly important if regular steam operations are to survive in the future.
Inspiration from Across the Pond The die has already been cast for this proj-
ect. In 2008 a group of railway enthusiasts in Great Britain completed London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) Peppercorn Class A1 No. 60163 Tornado, the first mainline steam locomotive built in the United King- dom since 1960. The success of the Tornado project provides inspiration, and a framework the T1 Trust will rely on for the 5550 project. The T1 Trust was founded in 2013, and its business plan calls for a 17-year project lifes- pan with an expected completion date of 2030 and an estimated price tag of $10 million. By the following year the T1 Trust had achieved several major milestones in engineering and original blueprint research. A talented and experienced team of historians, mechanical
Selecting a Foundry When starting the process, the T1 Trust
wanted to stay close to Pennsylvania for cast- ing the first components, but also wanted to include several highly qualified foundries outside of the region. A Request for Proposal (RFP) was drafted that included the material specifications and CAD model as well as qual- ity control requirements. With the help of our membership, more than 60 foundries were lo- cated and requests submitted. Several found- ries responded with quotes and we began the selection process. When selecting a foundry, items such as capabilities, time frame for task completion, number of years in business, price, and cus-
engineers, fabricators, and operators make up the T1 Trust leadership. How could we make the most of our effort to date, as well as demonstrate our capabilites to potential donors? The decision to start manufacturing a few key components was made. A bold plan to start with the very complicated 80-inch Boxpok wheels was put in place.
From Blueprints to CAD
The first step was obtaining the original drawings from the Pennsylvania State Ar- chives in Harrisburg. The PRR T1 Trust’s CMO, Scott McGill, spent countless hours pulling old drawings and scanning them in to digital format. Once Scott had obtained the original draw-
ings, they were sent off to our senior CAD draftsmen. Over the next three months, the two-dimensional drawings were transformed into three-dimensional digital models. Every measurement was meticulously checked and rechecked by Scott and his team. The next step was to locate a foundry
capable and willing to take on such a large complicated part. These would be the first mainline steam locomotive drive wheels manufactured in America in more than 70 years. A typical spoked driver is solid, while the Boxpok driver is completely different in that it is almost entirely hollow. This design promotes a high strength-to-weight ratio and allows for the fine-tuning necessary for high-speed operation.
ORIGINAL ARTWORK BY JONATHAN CLAY
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