Southern Railway 1401

Southern Railway 1401
A green steam locomotive with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement (four leading wheels, six driving wheels, and two trailing wheels) and its tender with a horse and cart in the foreground
Southern Railway No. 1401 on static display at the National Museum of American History in 2013
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderALCO's Richmond Works
Serial number66888
Build dateJuly 1926
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte4-6-2
 • UIC2′C1′ h
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia.33 in (838 mm)
Driver dia.73 in (1,854 mm)
Trailing dia.43 in (1,092 mm)
Loco weight304,000 lb (138,000 kg)
Tender weight261,600 lb (118,700 kg)
Total weight565,600 lb (256,600 kg)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity16 tonnes (35,000 lb)
Water cap.14,000 US gallons (53,000 L)
Firebox:
 • Grate area70+12 sq ft (6.55 m2)
Boiler pressure200 psi (1.38 MPa)
Feedwater heaterElesco
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size27 in × 28 in (686 mm × 711 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts, (originally Baker)
Performance figures
Maximum speed60–80 mph (97–129 km/h)
Power output2,624 hp (2,660 PS; 1,957 kW)
Tractive effort47,535 lbf (211.45 kN)
Factor of adh.3.79
Career
OperatorsSouthern Railway
ClassPs-4
Number in class46 of 64
Numbers
  • 1401
Nicknames
  • "The Harrison Engine"
LocaleSoutheastern United States
RetiredNovember 1952
PreservedFebruary 10, 1953
RestoredNovember 1961 (cosmetically)
Current ownerSmithsonian Institution
DispositionOn static display
References:[1][2][3][4]

Southern Railway 1401 is a 4-6-2 steam locomotive built in July 1926 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia, for the Southern Railway (SOU) as a member of the Ps-4 class, which was based on the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) Heavy Pacific design with some minor differences. It was assigned to haul SOU's premier mainline passenger trains between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia.

Painted in a Virginian green and gold paint scheme, No. 1401 and the other Ps-4s were signified as the First Ladies of the Pacifics around the SOU system. Originally built with Baker valve gear and alligator crossheads, the Ps-4s were eventually re-equipped with Walschaerts valve gear in the 1930s and multiple-bearing crossheads in the 1940s.

During 1945, No. 1401 hauled the funeral train of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Retired from revenue service by the SOU in 1952, No. 1401 was donated to the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., around 1961, where it remains on permanent display as the sole survivor of the Southern Railway Ps-4 class.

  1. ^ Bryant Jr. (1950), p. 26.
  2. ^ Fitt (1973), p. 2.
  3. ^ Prince (1970), pp. 114–115.
  4. ^ Prince (1970), p. 186.