Hi,

I like to know more about the class I RR's practices in the time mentioned above concerning heavy overhauls. Just like today, the big boiler inspections must have been a significant cost factor, often enough deciding over the engine's fate.

How long could the big RR's "stretch" the time frame and did this time frame change within these two decades? Were there exceptions for new delivered boilers/locomotives?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

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Thanks so far, Kelly.

I am trying to find out if the ICC time frame for boiler inspection might have had quite a specific influence on the T1 retirement.

The first two T1s, delivered in 1942, had to get at least one full (meaning expensive) boiler overhaul (with replacement of flues), as photos indicate that both must have been still in service after 1946.

According to steamlocomotive.com most T1s were laid off by 1949. The "latest" photographs of a T1 in service I found so far were dated october 15th, 1951 (5528) and june 21, 1951 (5527), if these data are trustworthy.

I am not sure for how long a locomotive with expired boiler ticket could still be part of the PRR locomotive roster, as the latest were officially taken out of service as of december 28, 1955 anyway.

I didn't find much info about boiler issues which were usually mentioned in connection with big boiler inspections. How many T1s apart from the two prototypes even received a full boiler inspection?

Mike

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Retubing a steam locomotive boiler was a rather routine job in the days of large shops and lots of boilermakers working in them.

The T1s were purchased on equipment trusts (bank/institutional financing), like so many items of railroad rolling stock and motive power. While the T1s may have been out of service by 1951, it is quite likely that the final disposition of them had to wait for their equipment trust to expire, which put the actual scrapping off into 1955 (a ten-year equipment trust was common). PRR corporate records and AFEs would probably shed more detail on this situation.

Howard P.

My late father-in-law, who was a machinist and gang foreman at the Harrisburg roundhouse from 1939-1963, once told me that it was common to have to replace the firebox of the K-4s engines every nine to 12 months due to the heavy trains they were called upon to pull during World War II. He also stated that the maintenance requirements of the T-1 class vs. the demand for them to handle trains often meant they went back on the road without all repairs completed. As matter of fact, at least until about 1950, a pair of K-4s engines was always kept hot at Harrisburg to sub for a crippled T-1.