Chesapeake and Ohio 2716

Chesapeake and Ohio 2716
C&O No. 2716 on display at the Kentucky Railway Museum in November 2013
Type and origin References:[1] Power type Steam Builder American Locomotive Company (ALCO) Serial number 70865 Build date December 1943 Rebuild date 1980–1981 1995–1996 2016–ongoing
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-4  • UIC 1′D2′ h2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 33 in (83.820 cm) Driver dia. 69 in (1.753 m) Trailing dia. 36 in (91.440 cm) (Lead) 43 in (109.220 cm) (Trail) Tender wheels 36 in (91.440 cm) Minimum curve 288 ft (88 m) radius/ 20° Wheelbase 93 ft 2 in (28.40 m) (Total) Length 105 ft 1+7⁄8 in (32.05 m) Width 10 ft 10 in (3.30 m) Height 15 ft 7+1⁄2 in (4.76 m) Axle load 73,000 lb (37 short tons) Adhesive weight 292,000 lb (146 short tons) Loco weight 460,000 lb (230 short tons) Tender weight 390,000 lb (200 short tons) Total weight 850,000 lb (420 short tons) Tender type 21-RG Fuel type Coal (to be converted to fuel oil) Fuel capacity 30 short tons (27 t) Water cap. 21,000 US gallons (79,000 L; 17,000 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 90 sq ft (8.4 m2) Boiler: ​  • Model Fire Tube  • Diameter 98 in (2,489 mm)  • Tube plates 19 ft (6 m) Boiler pressure 245 psi (1.69 MPa) Feedwater heater Worthington 5 1/2 SA 10,200 US gallon / hr capacity Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 465 sq ft (43.2 m2)  • Tubes and flues 4,308 sq ft (400.2 m2)  • Total surface 4,773 sq ft (443.4 m2) Superheater: ​  • Type Type E  • Heating area 1,932 sq ft (179.5 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 26 in × 34 in (660 mm × 864 mm) Valve gear Baker Valve type Piston valves Valve travel 8 in (203 mm) Valve lap 1+11⁄16 in (43 mm) Valve lead 3⁄16 in (5 mm) Train heating Steam heat Loco brake Pneumatic, Schedule 8-ET Train brakes Pneumatic
Performance figures Maximum speed 70 mph (112.65 km/h) Tractive effort 69,350 lbf (308.48 kN) (Engine) 14,000 lbf (62.28 kN) (Booster) 83,350 lbf (370.76 kN) (Total) Factor of adh. 4.21 (Engine) 4.6 (Booster)
Career Operators Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (1943–1956) Southern Railway (leased from 1981–1982) Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (leased from 1995–1996) Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation (leased from 2021–present) Class K-4 Number in class 17 of 90 Numbers C&O 2716 SOU 2716 L&N 1992 (cosmetically) Nicknames Kanawha Locale Eastern United States Delivered December 1943 Retired 1956 (revenue service) 1982 (1st excursion service) October 1996 (2nd excursion service) Preserved 1959 Restored October 10, 1981 (1st restoration) July 1996 (2nd restoration) Current owner Kentucky Railway Museum Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation (leased operator) Disposition Undergoing restoration to operating condition

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway 2716 is a class "K-4" 2-8-4 "Kanawha" (Berkshire) type steam locomotive built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). While most railroads referred to these 2-8-4 type locomotives as Berkshires, the C&O referred to them as Kanawhas after the Kanawha River, which flows through West Virginia. Used as a dual service locomotive, No. 2716 and its classmates served the C&O in a variety of duties until being retired from revenue service in 1956.

Donated to the Kentucky Railway Museum of New Haven, Kentucky in 1959, No. 2716 has been restored to operation in excursion service twice since its retirement from the C&O, first in 1981 for the Southern Railway's steam program until 1982, and again in 1996 for a few brief excursions for the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) in New Haven, Indiana. The locomotive is undergoing an extensive rebuild to operating condition for a third excursion career, under lease by the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation.