Norfolk and Western 2156

Norfolk and Western 2156
N&W 2156 on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia, on December 11, 2016
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Roanoke Shops (East End Shops) Serial number 317 Build date March 19, 1942
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-8-2  • UIC (1′D)D1′ hv4 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 20 in (508 mm) Driver dia. 58 in (1,473 mm) (as built 57 in (1,448 mm)) Trailing dia. 20 in (508 mm) Tender wheels 33 in (838 mm) Wheelbase 103 ft 8+1⁄4 in (31.60 m) ​  • Engine 58 ft 0 in (17.68 m) Length: ​  • Over couplers 114 ft 10+1⁄2 in (35.01 m) Height 15 ft 8+7⁄16 in (4.79 m) Adhesive weight 522,850 lb (237.2 tonnes) Loco weight 582,900 lb (264.4 tonnes) Tender weight 143,200 lb (65.0 tonnes)) (empty) 378,600 lb (171.7 tonnes)) (loaded) Total weight 961,500 lb (436.1 tonnes)) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 30 t (30 long tons; 33 short tons) Water cap. 22,000 US gal (83,000 L; 18,000 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 106.2 sq ft (9.87 m2) Boiler: ​  • Model 104 in (2,642 mm)  • Small tubes 2+1⁄4 in (57 mm)  • Large tubes 5+1⁄2 in (140 mm) Boiler pressure 300 psi (2.07 MPa) Safety valve 4 Ashton 3+1⁄2 in (89 mm) Feedwater heater Worthington BL-2 Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 371 sq ft (34.5 m2)  • Arch tubes 59 sq ft (5.5 m2)  • Flues 5,226 sq ft (485.5 m2)  • Total surface 7,431 sq ft (690.4 m2) Superheater: ​  • Type Type A  • Heating area 1,775 sq ft (164.9 m2) Cylinders Four: two low-pressure (front), two high-pressure (rear) High-pressure cylinder 25 in × 32 in (635 mm × 813 mm) Low-pressure cylinder 39 in × 32 in (991 mm × 813 mm) Valve gear Baker
Performance figures Maximum speed 50 mph (80 km/h) Power output 5,600 hp (4,200 kW) (as built 4,400 hp (3,300 kW)) Tractive effort (Simple: 166,000 lbf (738.4 kN)) (Compound: 126,838 lbf (564.2 kN)) (as built 152,206 lbf (677.0 kN)) Factor of adh. 3.30
Career Operators Norfolk and Western Railway Class Y6a Number in class 2 of 16 Numbers N&W 2156 Locale United States, South and Midwest Retired July 1959 Restored 1985 (cosmetically) Current owner National Museum of Transportation, St. Louis, Missouri Disposition On static display, based in St. Louis, Missouri
References:[1][2]

Norfolk and Western 2156 is a preserved Y6a class 2-8-8-2 compound Mallet steam locomotive. The Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) built it in 1942 at its own Shops in Roanoke, Virginia as the second member of the N&W's Y6a class. No. 2156 and its class are considered to be the world's strongest-pulling extant steam locomotive to ever be built.

No. 2156 was retired from revenue service in July 1959, and it is now owned by the National Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2014, the museum leased it for five years to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. It was towed to Roanoke in May 2015, and then it was towed back to St. Louis in June 2020.