The Pennsylvania Railroad

Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....

's K4s class

PRR K4s

The Pennsylvania Railroad's K4s 4-6-2 "Pacific" was their premier passenger-hauling steam locomotive from 1914 through the end of steam on the PRR in 1957....

 Pacific number 1737 was the prototype of the class of 4-6-2

4-6-2

4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...

 steam locomotive

Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...

s that eventually would number 425 locomotives.

The Pennsylvania Railroad in 1914 needed a steam locomotive to haul the passenger trains that the smaller E class Atlantics (4-4-2) could not handle. The 1737 was the first K4s ever built for the PRR. In passenger service, the 1737 would handle passenger trains, like the railroads flagship passenger train, the Broadway Limited

Broadway Limited

The Broadway Limited was the Pennsylvania Railroad's premier named passenger train, operating daily in each direction between New York City and Chicago, via North Philadelphia. It replaced its predecessors, the Pennsylvania Limited and the Pennsylvania Special...

. As the 1930s began, the 1737 and the other K4s locomotives would have to double-head

Double-heading

In railroad terminology, double-heading or double heading indicates the use of two locomotives at the front of a train, each operated individually by its own crew. The practice of triple-heading involves the use of three locomotives....

 passenger trains. This is because the Pennsylvania Railroad had increased passenger service time tables. The K4s Pacifics were unable to keep up with the work. The "Standard Railroad Of The World" made a few attempts to replace the 1737 and its sisters. They were the classes: K5

PRR K5

The Pennsylvania Railroad's class K5 was an experimental 4-6-2 "Pacific" type, built in 1929 to see if a larger Pacific than the standard K4s was worthwhile. Two prototypes were built, #5698 at the PRR's own Altoona Works, and #5699 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. Although classified identically,...

, S1

PRR S1

The PRR S1 class steam locomotive was an experimental locomotive that was the largest rigid frame passenger locomotive ever built. The streamlined Art Deco styled shell of the locomotive was designed by Raymond Loewy....

, and the T1

PRR T1

The Pennsylvania Railroad's 52 T1 class duplex-drive 4-4-4-4 steam locomotives, introduced in 1942 and 1946 , were their last-built steam locomotives and their most controversial. They were ambitious, technologically sophisticated, powerful, fast, and uniquely streamlined by Raymond Loewy...

. None of the replacements were very successful in railroad service. With these being a failure, the K4s had to continue hauling passenger trains until the Pennsylvania Railroad replaced steam locomotives with the ever growing popular and less costly diesel-electric locomotives in 1957.

Commuter Service

The 1737 was no stranger to commuter service. The New York and Long Branch Railroad

New York and Long Branch Railroad

The New York and Long Branch Railroad was a railroad in central New Jersey, running from Bay Head Junction in Bay Head to Perth Amboy, where it connected to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Perth Amboy and Elizabethport Railroad. The railroad was jointly owned and operated by the Pennsylvania...

 in South Amboy, New Jersey

South Amboy, New Jersey

South Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city population was 7,913.South Amboy, and Perth Amboy across the Raritan River, are collectively referred to as The Amboys...

 used the K4s to haul commuter trains. When the famous electric locomotive, the Pennsylvania Railroad GG1, would bring the trains from New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

's Penn Station, the K4s would take over the train and make the run from the South Amboy station to Bay Head, New Jersey

Bay Head, New Jersey

Bay Head is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 968. Bay Head is situated on the Barnegat Peninsula, a long, narrow barrier peninsula that separates Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean...

.