Southern Pacific 1744

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Southern Pacific 1744
SP No. 1744 when it operated on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad in 2007
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 19671 Model M-63 21/28 150-S Build date November 1901 Rebuild date 1912
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-6-0  • UIC 1'C'h Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 63 in (1,600 mm) Wheelbase 51.29 ft (15.63 m) ​  • Engine 23.67 ft (7.21 m)  • Drivers 15.17 ft (4.62 m) Adhesive weight 144,120 lb (65,370 kg) Loco weight 166,300 lb (75,400 kg) (Pre-1912) 174,000 lb (79,000 kg) (Post-1912) Tender weight 100,000 lb (45,000 kg) Total weight 266,300 lb (120,800 kg) (Pre-1912) 274,000 lb (124,000 kg) (Post-1912) Tender type 100-C-1 Fuel type New: Coal Now: Oil Fuel capacity Coal: 12 t (12 long tons; 13 short tons) Oil: 2,800 US gal (11,000 L; 2,300 imp gal) Water cap. New: 6,000 US gal (23,000 L; 5,000 imp gal) Now: 10,000 US gal (38,000 L; 8,300 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 49.50 sq ft (4.599 m2) Boiler pressure 200 lb (91 kg) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 160.32 sq ft (14.894 m2) (Pre-1912) 162 sq ft (15.1 m2) (Post-1912) Cylinders Two, Outside Cylinder size 21 in × 28 in (530 mm × 710 mm) (Post-1912) High-pressure cylinder 15.5 in × 28 in (390 mm × 710 mm) (Pre-1912) Low-pressure cylinder 26 in × 28 in (660 mm × 710 mm) (Pre-1912) Valve gear Stephenson
Performance figures Tractive effort 33,320 lb (15,110 kg) Factor of adh. 4.51
Career Operators Southern Pacific Heber Valley Railroad Rio Grande Pacific Corporation Rio Grande Scenic Railroad Niles Canyon Railway Class M-6 Numbers SP 1744 FW&W 1744 NO&GC 1744 SL&RG 1744 Nicknames The Big Easy Steam Train (By NO&GC crews) Retired September 24, 1956 (revenue service) May 4, 1958 (1st excursion service) December 3, 1989 (2nd excursion service) May 12, 2001 (3rd excursion service) October 2007 (4th excursion service) Restored 1957 (1st excursion service) September 1980 (2nd excursion service) September 2, 2000 (3rd excursion service) May 21, 2007 (4th excursion service) Current owner Pacific Locomotive Association Disposition Undergoing restoration to operating condition

Southern Pacific No. 1744 is a preserved American class "M-6" 2-6-0 "Mogul" type steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Southern Pacific Railroad in November 1901. Originally equipped with Vauclain compound cylinders, it was rebuilt with conventional cylinders in 1912. It operated for many years out of Oakland, California on the Southern Pacific's Western Division and in California's Central Valley where the locomotive and its classmates were fondly called “Valley Mallets” by their crews. The locomotive was made famous in later years by pulling some of the last steam excursions on the SP alongside other steam locomotives, including 4-8-4 4460. In 1959, No. 1744 was donated to the Sons of Utah Pioneers in Corinne, Utah where it remained on static display, until 1980. That year, it was restored by New London Railroad and Village Incorporated to operate on the Heber Valley Railroad in Heber City for the rest of the decade.

In 1989, it was sold to Tarantula Corporation for a rebuild that never came to fruition, and it spent another decade in storage in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1999, it was sold again the Rio Grande Pacific Corporation, and it was restored to operate in New Orleans, Louisiana until 2001. It was eventually sold once again to Iowa Pacific Holdings for use on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad between Alamosa and La Veta, Colorado. However, its fourth return to service only lasted less than a year, as firebox repairs needed to be done for the locomotive. The boiler was sent to several out of state facilities for repairs, until the Rio Grande Scenic ceased operations. In March 2020, the Pacific Locomotive Association purchased No. 1744 with the hopes of bringing it back to service on the Niles Canyon Railway in Sunol, California.