PRR E6
Encyclopedia
Class E6 on the Pennsylvania Railroad
was the final type of 4-4-2
"Atlantic" locomotive
built by the railroad, and second only to the Milwaukee Road's streamlined class A
in size, speed and power. Although quickly ceding the crack trains to the larger K4s
Pacifics, the E6 remained a popular locomotive on lesser services and some lasted to the end of steam on the PRR. One, #460
, called the Lindbergh Engine, is preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
.
It was moved indoors to begin preparations for restoration on March 17, 2010. On January 10, 2011, PRR #460 was moved to the museum's restoration shop for a two to three year project, estimated to cost $350,000. The engine is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
.
, and his team of designers. They produced an Atlantic of unusually modern design, featuring a very large and free-steaming boiler, outside Walschaert valve gear
, piston valve
s on the cylinders, and a modern cast steel KW pattern trailing truck designed by the PRR's Chief Mechanical Engineer, William F. Kiesel, Jr. On the other hand, modern features never present on the E6 design, and never retrofitted, included the mechanical stoker, power reverse or a feedwater heater
.
A single prototype E6 locomotive, #5075, was turned out by the PRR's Juniata Shops in 1910; after the railroad's normal fashion, it would embark on a lengthy process of testing and experimentation before a production order was placed.
Given that by 1910 the larger 4-6-2
"Pacific" type was the accepted express passenger locomotive, it was somewhat contrarian for the PRR to be considering a new Atlantic class for that service. The E6, however, proved Gibbs et al. correct. The boiler proved free-steaming enough to enlarge the cylinders not once but twice; the stroke remained 26 in (660.4 mm), but the bore began at 22 in (558.8 mm) and was enlarged to 23 in (584.2 mm) and finally to 23.5 in (596.9 mm) after superheating.
In road testing on the Fort Wayne Division the E6 averaged 75.31 mph (121.2 km/h) start to stop for 105 miles with a nine-car train, as well as 66.6 mph (107.2 km/h) with a thirteen-car train and 58.05 mph (93.4 km/h) with a fifteen-car train. At speeds over 40 mph (64.4 km/h), the E6 equaled or bettered a K2 Pacific. These results were achieved with the original cylinder bore.
Superheating
was applied after these tests, and proved itself so well that all other locomotives in the class were built superheated as class E6s, including two further prototypes. On the PRR's static test plant in Altoona
the final version of the E6s produced 2488 hp in its cylinders.
Also tested, on prototype #1092 classified E6sa, were rotary valves designed by O. W. Young, actuated by regular Walschaerts gear. These proved successful but insufficiently so to be ordered on production locomotives over the reliable piston valve.
The barrel-chested E-6 was the first locomotive to achieve over 1000 HP per driving axle
or Manhattan Transfer
and either Washington, DC or Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
, although they sometimes ran through to Altoona, Pennsylvania
. Larger locomotives were generally used on the mountain grades past Altoona.
All locomotives were fitted with boxy oil-fired headlights from new, and the production locomotives had long tailrods projecting from the front of the cylinders. The tailrods were soon removed, as they were on other PRR classes that had them, and the oil headlights were replaced by electric units and turbogenerators, the latter sited between the headlamp and the stack.
As K4s Pacifics
became available in greater numbers in the 1920s, the E6s locomotives were displaced from top-flight trains, but continued in service in lesser assignments, and particularly along the New Jersey
seashore routes. Nine locomotives were transferred to the rosters of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
, and including those, all 83 of class E6s were still in service in 1947. Some locomotives were leased by the PRR to subsidiary Long Island Rail Road
.
returned to the United States
on June 11, 1927 after his successful solo transatlantic flight from New York City
to Paris
; he was greeted by President Calvin Coolidge
at Washington, DC and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
. There was intense competition between several newsreel
companies to be the first to get footage of the ceremony back to New York to show in the Broadway theaters. Several companies chartered aircraft, but the International News Reel Corporation instead chartered a special train from the Pennsylvania Railroad, repeating what it had done for President Coolidge's inauguration.
While a plane could certainly get from Washington to New York faster than a train, the train could be equipped with a mobile darkroom to develop the film en route, thus making the rail alternative competitive. PRR management seized upon the opportunity to make headlines, and set everything up for a record run. All other trains would be moved out of the way to allow the Lindbergh newsreel special to pass.
E6s Atlantic #460
was selected as the locomotive, as one recently overhauled but having had time to "run in" following the work; B60B baggage car #7874 was equipped as a mobile darkroom, and P70 coach #3301 brought up the train to carry PRR and newsreel company officials. The crew were given permission to run as fast as they considered safe. The E6s tender was large enough to not need refueling for the run, and the water scoop
would allow water to be picked up from track pan
s without stopping. Unfortunately, the scoop was damaged during the first pickup attempt and an unscheduled three-minute stop near Wilmington was needed to repair it and fill up from a standpipe.
The train made it to the electric changeover at Manhattan Transfer
with an average speed of 74 mph (119.1 km/h), a record never beaten by steam on that journey, and with a reported maximum speed of 115 mph (185.1 km/h). The newsreels brought by train reached the cinema screens beat those flown to New York by over an hour, due to the delay the latter experienced to process the film. The Pennsylvania Railroad used this victory extensively in publicity in the following years.
It is no coincidence that of the 83 class E6s locomotives, it was the "Lindbergh Engine", #460, that was selected for historic preservation. #460 was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979 as Passenger Locomotive No. 460. It was retired from service in 1955.
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....
was the final type of 4-4-2
4-4-2 (locomotive)
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
"Atlantic" 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...
built by the railroad, and second only to the Milwaukee Road's streamlined class A
Milwaukee Road class A
The Milwaukee Road class A comprised four high-speed, streamlined 4-4-2 "Atlantic" type steam locomotives built by ALCO in 1935-37 to haul the Milwaukee Road’s Hiawatha express passenger trains. They were among the last Atlantic types built in the United States, and certainly the largest and most...
in size, speed and power. Although quickly ceding the crack trains to the larger K4s
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....
Pacifics, the E6 remained a popular locomotive on lesser services and some lasted to the end of steam on the PRR. One, #460
PRR 460
PRR 460, nicknamed the "Lindbergh Engine", is a Pennsylvania Railroad E6s steam locomotive now located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States...
, called the Lindbergh Engine, is preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is a railroad museum in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741...
.
It was moved indoors to begin preparations for restoration on March 17, 2010. On January 10, 2011, PRR #460 was moved to the museum's restoration shop for a two to three year project, estimated to cost $350,000. The engine is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Design
The E6 design was the responsibility of the Pennsy's General Superintendent of Motive Power, Lines East, Alfred W. GibbsAlfred W. Gibbs
Alfred Wolcott Gibbs was a mechanical engineer in the railroad industry who attained the position of Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad....
, and his team of designers. They produced an Atlantic of unusually modern design, featuring a very large and free-steaming boiler, outside Walschaert valve gear
Walschaert valve gear
The Walschaerts valve gear is a type of steam engine valve gear invented by Belgian railway mechanical engineer Egide Walschaerts in 1844. The gear is sometimes named without the final "s", since it was incorrectly patented under that name...
, piston valve
Piston valve
A piston valve is a device used to control the motion of a fluid along a tube or pipe by means of the linear motion of a piston within a chamber or cylinder.Examples of piston valves are:...
s on the cylinders, and a modern cast steel KW pattern trailing truck designed by the PRR's Chief Mechanical Engineer, William F. Kiesel, Jr. On the other hand, modern features never present on the E6 design, and never retrofitted, included the mechanical stoker, power reverse or a feedwater heater
Feedwater heater
A feedwater heater is a power plant component used to pre-heat water delivered to a steam generating boiler. Preheating the feedwater reduces the irreversibilities involved in steam generation and therefore improves the thermodynamic efficiency of the system...
.
Prototypes and testing
Given that by 1910 the larger 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...
"Pacific" type was the accepted express passenger locomotive, it was somewhat contrarian for the PRR to be considering a new Atlantic class for that service. The E6, however, proved Gibbs et al. correct. The boiler proved free-steaming enough to enlarge the cylinders not once but twice; the stroke remained 26 in (660.4 mm), but the bore began at 22 in (558.8 mm) and was enlarged to 23 in (584.2 mm) and finally to 23.5 in (596.9 mm) after superheating.
In road testing on the Fort Wayne Division the E6 averaged 75.31 mph (121.2 km/h) start to stop for 105 miles with a nine-car train, as well as 66.6 mph (107.2 km/h) with a thirteen-car train and 58.05 mph (93.4 km/h) with a fifteen-car train. At speeds over 40 mph (64.4 km/h), the E6 equaled or bettered a K2 Pacific. These results were achieved with the original cylinder bore.
Superheating
Superheater
A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into dry steam used for power generation or processes. There are three types of superheaters namely: radiant, convection, and separately fired...
was applied after these tests, and proved itself so well that all other locomotives in the class were built superheated as class E6s, including two further prototypes. On the PRR's static test plant in Altoona
Altoona Works
Altoona Works is a large railroad industrial complex in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad to supply the railroad with locomotives, railroad cars and related equipment. For many years it was the largest railroad shop complex in the world.-History:In 1849, PRR...
the final version of the E6s produced 2488 hp in its cylinders.
Also tested, on prototype #1092 classified E6sa, were rotary valves designed by O. W. Young, actuated by regular Walschaerts gear. These proved successful but insufficiently so to be ordered on production locomotives over the reliable piston valve.
The barrel-chested E-6 was the first locomotive to achieve over 1000 HP per driving axle
Production and service
Following the successful testing of the prototype locomotives, the PRR ordered a production run of a further eighty locomotives which were delived in 1914. All were fitted with superheaters. They were largely assigned to main line limiteds between Jersey CityJersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
or Manhattan Transfer
Manhattan Transfer (PRR station)
Manhattan Transfer was a passenger station in Harrison, New Jersey, east of Newark, 8.8 miles west of New York Penn Station on the Pennsylvania Railroad main line, now Amtrak's Northeast Corridor...
and either Washington, DC or Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, although they sometimes ran through to Altoona, Pennsylvania
Altoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
. Larger locomotives were generally used on the mountain grades past Altoona.
All locomotives were fitted with boxy oil-fired headlights from new, and the production locomotives had long tailrods projecting from the front of the cylinders. The tailrods were soon removed, as they were on other PRR classes that had them, and the oil headlights were replaced by electric units and turbogenerators, the latter sited between the headlamp and the stack.
As K4s Pacifics
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....
became available in greater numbers in the 1920s, the E6s locomotives were displaced from top-flight trains, but continued in service in lesser assignments, and particularly along the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
seashore routes. Nine locomotives were transferred to the rosters of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines
Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines was a railroad that operated in southern New Jersey in the 20th century. It was created as a joint venture of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company .- History :...
, and including those, all 83 of class E6s were still in service in 1947. Some locomotives were leased by the PRR to subsidiary Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
.
Lindbergh run
Celebrated pioneer aviator Charles LindberghCharles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on June 11, 1927 after his successful solo transatlantic flight 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...
to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; he was greeted by President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
at Washington, DC and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
. There was intense competition between several newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
companies to be the first to get footage of the ceremony back to New York to show in the Broadway theaters. Several companies chartered aircraft, but the International News Reel Corporation instead chartered a special train from the Pennsylvania Railroad, repeating what it had done for President Coolidge's inauguration.
While a plane could certainly get from Washington to New York faster than a train, the train could be equipped with a mobile darkroom to develop the film en route, thus making the rail alternative competitive. PRR management seized upon the opportunity to make headlines, and set everything up for a record run. All other trains would be moved out of the way to allow the Lindbergh newsreel special to pass.
E6s Atlantic #460
PRR 460
PRR 460, nicknamed the "Lindbergh Engine", is a Pennsylvania Railroad E6s steam locomotive now located in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, outside of Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the United States...
was selected as the locomotive, as one recently overhauled but having had time to "run in" following the work; B60B baggage car #7874 was equipped as a mobile darkroom, and P70 coach #3301 brought up the train to carry PRR and newsreel company officials. The crew were given permission to run as fast as they considered safe. The E6s tender was large enough to not need refueling for the run, and the water scoop
Track pan
A track pan or water trough is a device to enable a steam railway locomotive to replenish its water supply while in motion...
would allow water to be picked up from track pan
Track pan
A track pan or water trough is a device to enable a steam railway locomotive to replenish its water supply while in motion...
s without stopping. Unfortunately, the scoop was damaged during the first pickup attempt and an unscheduled three-minute stop near Wilmington was needed to repair it and fill up from a standpipe.
The train made it to the electric changeover at Manhattan Transfer
Manhattan Transfer (PRR station)
Manhattan Transfer was a passenger station in Harrison, New Jersey, east of Newark, 8.8 miles west of New York Penn Station on the Pennsylvania Railroad main line, now Amtrak's Northeast Corridor...
with an average speed of 74 mph (119.1 km/h), a record never beaten by steam on that journey, and with a reported maximum speed of 115 mph (185.1 km/h). The newsreels brought by train reached the cinema screens beat those flown to New York by over an hour, due to the delay the latter experienced to process the film. The Pennsylvania Railroad used this victory extensively in publicity in the following years.
It is no coincidence that of the 83 class E6s locomotives, it was the "Lindbergh Engine", #460, that was selected for historic preservation. #460 was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979 as Passenger Locomotive No. 460. It was retired from service in 1955.