Pennsy T1 was no joke!
Because it was probably the flowering of the American steam locomotive design; and the Pennsylvania RR burst upon an age of genius in the development of this concept of steam power for the modern age.
After years of running hundreds of dowdy old hand fired "pacifics" and "mikes" the Pennsylvania Railroad came of age with four truely remarkable steam engine designs.
To back up this unique locomotive production the railroad included a massive corporate budget, extensive shop complex at Juniata, Pennsylvania - a facility which included locomotive dyanomometer in which the largest most powerful steam engines could be run at full power indoors in a stationary setting to test for efficiency and horsepower. The Pennsylvania RR in this fashion was able to fine tune their steam engine design. NO OTHER railroad in history ever had this kind of technology at its fingertips.
The results of these efforts in the 1930's was the design of the 6-4-4-6, the 4-4-4-4 passenger engines, the 6-8-6 direct drive steam turbine, and the 4-4-6-4 freight locomotive. All these were remarkable and the result of iconoclastic engineering thought.
The question remains, Why on earth would a company that went to this degree of effort have scrapped everyone of these marvelous engine designs and saved instead a number of ordinary steam locomotives that every other railroad was using?
Don't get me wrong I am glad to have the Pennsylvania steam collection of 4-6-2's and the 4-8-2's - but they lack all the GLORY that Pennsylvaina Railroad came to. What are they compared to the mighty 4-4-6-4. A rigid chasis freight engine that produced more than 8000 horsepower! More than any other steam locomotive ever built! More than UP 4014, more NW 1218, more than C&O 2-6-6-6 - more than any steam locomotive!
So why should we build a reproduction T1 today? For the glory or for the fun? Or because there is nothing more romantic than a "lost cause!" - Its why the Southern United States keep the Confederate flag - the stars and bars of the Confederacy! It's why American movie goers keep prefering the movie "Gone With The Wind"! What is life without the romance. Imagine it - a new T1 towering in its strength ready to run again.
Yes, the Pennsylvania Railroad should have saved at least one 4-4-4-4 passenger T1 - because it was such a beautiful locomotive and because it was so very fast! And because it topped any steam locomotive ever built! Think of it as a super NW 611 - built to go faster than anyone ever dreamed!
The British don't hold the land speed record of 125.88 mph with the "Mallard" locomotive - The Pennsylvainia Railroad does! - it just never claimed the prize!
The Pennsylvania Railroad T1 - 4-4-4-4 had a boiler pressure of 300PSI - two sets of cylinders 19 3/4"x 26" inches - Boxpolk driving wheels 80 inches in diameter arranged in two engine sets and driven by light weight roller bearing rods. These engines also had steam distribution in the form of Franklin poppet valve gear! - They had 65,000 lbs of tractive effort - a 4.1 factor of adhesion - a boiler diameter of 100 inches - a boiler tube length of a mere 18 feet! - a firebox combustion chamber of a massive 84 inches! - a firebox size of 138" x 96" inches - a grate area of 92 square feet! - an evaporative heating surface of 5,661 sq feet - a super heat surface of 2,085 sq feet - the engine driver wheelbase was 26 and half feet - the total engine wheelbase was 64 and half feet - the total engine and tender wheelbase was 123 and half feet - the weight on drive wheels was 281,400 lbs and engine weight was 608,000 lbs - the tender capacity was 24,000 gallons - and tender weight was 452,000 lbs.
No formal record was ever made public of how fast the 4-4-4-4 T1's ran!
Further, these engines had that beautiful 1930's Art Deco streamline styling! - they were built upon a steel foundation in the form of a "one piece cast steel frame" that included two sets of cylinder castings. The engines ran on all roller bearing drive and as I said the drive wheel sets were arranged into two complete engines on one rigid frame which meant that cylinder rodding loads were extremely light in weight. The steam distribution was the Franklin "poppet valve design" - which is the type of valving used in automotive engines today.
The Pennsylvania Railroad built 52 of these 4-4-4-4 engines two were constructed by Baldwin and the other 50 by the Juiniata, PA shops - all 52 locomotives went into service in the United States before and during the Second World War which ment they were required to run hard and long in war time emergency.
The T1 4-4-4-4 locomotive was designed to operate at 100 mph on a daily basis and some were reported to have operated at speeds up to 140 miles per hour in "making up time" with heavy war time train schedules.
Unfortunately the T1's didn't last long enough for all of the develpment work to be completed on their design because the diesel engine technology forced their retirement. One of the major mechanical issues that was never satifactorily worked out was traction control at extreme speed - which often resulted in one engine set "slipping its wheels" while the other engine set held traction - this often resulted in mechanical damage to the "slipping" engine.
WHY REPRODUCE AT T1? - Because many people feel it was the engine design that could have come after CB&Q 5600, NYC "Niagaras", N&W 600's, UP 800's, AT&SF "northern's", SP "northerns" and others.
Now why would'nt the Pennsylvania have saved one for us today?
Doc