Atlantic Coast Line 1504 is a 4-6-2 USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive built in March 1919 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia, for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) as a member of the P-5-A class.

Atlantic Coast Line 1504
Atlantic Coast Line No. 1504 on static display in Jacksonville, Florida, in March 2016
Type and origin References:[1]: 13 [2] Power type Steam Builder ALCO's Richmond Works Serial number 59314 Build date March 1919
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2  • UIC 2′C2′ h1 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 73 in (1,854 mm) Wheelbase Loco & tender: 70.79 ft (21.58 m) Length 80 ft 9.5 in (24.63 m) Axle load 59,333 lb (26,913 kilograms; 26.913 metric tons) Adhesive weight 178,000 lb (81,000 kilograms; 81 metric tons) Loco weight 278,000 lb (126,000 kilograms; 126 metric tons) Tender weight 193,000 lb (88,000 kilograms; 88 metric tons) Total weight 471,000 lb (214,000 kilograms; 214 metric tons) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 16 t (16 long tons; 18 short tons) Water cap. 10,000 US gal (38,000 l; 8,300 imp gal) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 66.70 sq ft (6.197 m2) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Heating surface:  • Firebox 242 sq ft (22.5 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 794 sq ft (73.8 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 25 in × 28 in (635 mm × 711 mm) Valve gear Baker
Performance figures Maximum speed 80 mph (130 km/h) Tractive effort 40,750 lb (18.5 tonnes) Factor of adh. 4.12
Career Operators Atlantic Coast Line Class P-5-A Number in class 5th of 70 Numbers ACL 1504 (originally 497) Delivered 1920 Retired December 31, 1952 (revenue service) Current owner U.S. Sugar Corporation Disposition Undergoing restoration to operating condition
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Locomotive No. 1504
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Jacksonville, Florida
NRHP reference No.	100001388
Added to NRHP	January 23, 2018

No. 1504 used to pull ACL's mainline passenger trains until it was retired in 1952 and subsequently donated to the city of Jacksonville, Florida, where it sat on static display as the only original USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive to be preserved. In 1990, it was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

As of 2022, the locomotive is being restored to operating condition for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express shortline railroad in Clewiston, Florida as part of U.S. Sugar's (USSC) heritage tourist passenger train named the Sugar Express, where it will eventually ran alongside ex-Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) No. 148.

History

Revenue service on the ACL

No. 1504 was the fifth member of seventy USRA Light Pacifics built by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1919 and 1920 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL).[1]^: 8 Originally built as a P-5 and numbered 497, it was reclassified as a P-5-A and renumbered to 1504 in 1920.[3][4] No. 1504 had the capability to haul a 10-12 passenger car train at 70–80 mph (113–129 km/h) between Richmond, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida.[1]^: 7 It was assigned to haul the ACL's premier passenger trains such as the Miamian, Florida Special, Palmetto Limited, Southland, South Wind and Dixie Flyer.[1]^: 7 When the ACL railroad dieselized its passenger trains in the late 1940s, No. 1504 was reassigned to fast freight service in the Tampa, Florida area.[5] During that time, it hauled 50-60 freight cars at maximum allowable speeds until its retirement from revenue service on December 31, 1952.[5]

Preservation and display

No. 1504 was chosen for preservation by ACL president Champion Davis and the Head of ACL's Mechanical Department, John W. Hawthorne.[1]^: 7 In 1960, the locomotive was mechanically overhauled and was put on static display in front of the ACL General Office Building in Jacksonville, Florida.[1]^: 8 No. 1504 became the only surviving USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive in original as-built condition with the exception of its headlight, tender trucks, and pilot truck wheels.[1]^: 7

In 1986, ACL's successor, CSX donated the No. 1504 locomotive to the Jacksonville City Council, where they relocated it to its new static display site in the parking lot of the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, located at the former Jacksonville Union Terminal.[5] In 1990, No. 1504 was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).[1]^: 8

In late 2013 and early 2014, the North Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) received $20,000 from both Trains Magazine and CSX Corporation to fund the cosmetic restoration of the No. 1504 locomotive, which has been sitting on display outside exposed to the elements.[6][7] The cosmetic restoration work would include adding new cab windows and doors, and renovating the headlamp.[8] In July 2015, the North Florida Chapter NRHS volunteers finished cosmetically restoring the No. 1504 locomotive with new paint.[9]

A new lease on life with U.S. Sugar

In June 2021, the Jacksonville City Council donated the No. 1504 locomotive to the North Florida Chapter NRHS, who would eventually sell the locomotive for $50,000 to U.S. Sugar Corporation (USSC) for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express shortline railroad in Clewiston, Florida as part of USSC's Sugar Express tourist passenger train.[10][11] In late August, the No. 1504 locomotive was removed from static display and moved to the former Lucey Boiler Company building in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the same place where Southern Railway 4501 was originally restored in the mid 1960s.[12][13] The No. 1504 locomotive is undergoing an extensive three-year operational restoration and rebuild performed by FMW Solutions.[13][14]

See also

• Atlanta and West Point 290
• Baltimore and Ohio 4500
• Baltimore and Ohio 5300
• Boston and Maine 3713
• Canadian Pacific 1293
• Florida East Coast 153
• Maine Central 470
• Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis 576
• Norfolk and Western 578
• Pennsylvania Railroad 1361
• Reading and Northern 425
• Santa Fe 1316
• Santa Fe 3415
• Southern Pacific 2472
• Southern Railway 1401

References

Bibliography

• Huddleston, Eugene L. (2002). Uncle Sam's Locomotives: The USRA and the Nation's Railroads (1st ed.). Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34086-1.
• Prince, Richard E. (2000). Atlantic Coast Line Railroad: Steam Locomotives, Ships, and History (2nd ed.). Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-33694-1.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atlantic Coast Line 1504.

• The History of Engine No. 1504 - Sugar Express