Rare color photo of one that should have survived, but did not. Built by Alco, with all Timken roller bearings, this 4-8-4 was paraded around the country as an advertisement for roller bearings before sold to the Northern Pacific. Originally No. 1111, it became 2626 on the NP and lasted until cut up in 1958, with a last excursion in 1957. In one of the publicity stunts, three office girls were able to pull it with a long rope, demonstrating the lack of friction of the roller bearings.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=187633

just another piece of history disposed of. thanks for sharing another great pic

Bob -

The NP did a good job in preserving steam. A fair amount of locomotives saved in various wheel arrangements. But NO Northern's (which it gave its name to when it pioneered the type in 1926!) The loss of the 2626 was a shame, but not having the Northern Pacific save ANY of their 4-8-4's was a real tragedy. Fortunately, surviving SP&S #700 is a duplicate of one of their classes (A-3 perhaps?) BTW, they also had the first 2-8-8-4 and thus the name "Yellowstone" and they also failed to save at least one example of that type too.

Les

As I understand it they kept 2626 for awhile to see if anyone was interested, but also we know the rest of the story. I guess they could "afford" to let smaller engines be preserved and not the bigger ones? Anyone have anymore insight?

Joshua

You can find many references to towns' preferences for smaller engines to fit park space or to ease the move and placement. I think many towns looked at the big engines as too much liability and maintenance, even back in the free-wheeling 1950's.

Steven -

I think most places just took what was offered to them. As an example, the Frisco preserved a number of their 4-8-4's and 4-8-2's while not a single SLSF 4-6-2 was saved.

There WERE some places that requested certain engines or engine types. Some I can think of offhand are:

Peoria, Illinois requested Rock Island 4-6-2 #886 (the railroad gave them #887 instead, renumbered as the 886).

Frankfort, Indiana requested an ex-Clover Leaf 2-8-0 from the Nickel Plate Road and the request was approved, even though the NYC&StL only had two on the locomotives still on the roster at the time. But for some reason, the deal never went through.

Ft. Wayne, Indiana requested 2-8-4 #767 but was given the 765 instead (renumbered as the 767.)

The NKP supposedly also earmarked an ex-Wheeling & Lake Erie USRA heavy 2-8-2 for preservation in the City of Canton, Ohio but the city wanted a W&LE locomotive that was built at the nearby Brewster Shops of the W&LE. So it got 0-6-0 #3960 (ex-W&LE #360) instead. This was a REAL shame, as no USRA Heavy Mikado's were preserved; this would have been the only one.

These "special requests" were probably rare. Most places just wanted a steam locomotive and took whatever came their way.

Les

I'm happy that my picture has been viewed so many times. It is one of several color ones that were given to me from my friend George Clark before he died. (George is hostling the locomotive in the photo). I also have 2 black and white photos of the 2626 getting cut into scrap at South Tacoma. When I was a member of the Pudget Sound & Snoqualmie Valley Railroad Museum (now the NorthWest Rail Museum) in Washington State, some of the senior members told me that they had the Timken Engine saved but because of the museum had only a small spur of track at that time, there was no real space to run it. The SP&S 700 is a close example of the NP 4-8-4's but was an oil burner and different from the Timken Demonstrator 1111. It took some time before the NP converted the 1111 to better NP standards as seen in my photo in her final days running pool freight service between Seattle - Portland.

And the Reading RR offered one of the last Pacifics built in the USA to it's birthplace, Reading, PA. and was turned down.

I was thinking of the text of Ron Zeal's Twilight of the Steam Locomotive. He gives that explanation for the sheer volume of SP/UP Harriman 0-6-0's preserved.

Though the real "Four Aces" is long gone, the engine lives on in miniature. The late Roy Johnston built an exquisite 3/4" scale model of the locomotive from blueprints supplied by the Northern Pacific. He started the project in 1936 and it took 38 years to complete, well after the prototype was scrapped. I believe the live steam model is now displayed at the McKinley Museum in Canton, Ohio. If you can track down old copies of "Modeltec" Magazine, the January 1985 issue has pictures and detail about the model, and the November 1985 issue has extensive information about the technology Timken incorporated into the original.

Alan Maples

The number board survives at the Washington State Historical Ry Museum in Pasco. See: http://www.wsrhs.org/pict/muse48a.jpg I have not heard of any other surviving parts when she was scrapped at South Tacoma.

If NP 2626 could post the photos of the Four Aces being scrapped, I think we'd all like to see them. These sad events are seldom recorded.