Louisville and Nashville No. 152

Louisville & Nashville No. 152 is a preserved 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive listed on the National Register of Historic Places, currently at the Kentucky Railway Museum at New Haven, Kentucky in southernmost Nelson County, Kentucky.[2] It is the oldest known remaining 4-6-2 "Pacific" type locomotive to exist.[3] It is also the "Official State Locomotive of Kentucky", designated as such on March 6, 2000.[4][5]

Louisville & Nashville No. 152
L&N No. 152 at the Kentucky Railway Museum
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderRogers Locomotive Works
Serial number6256
Build date1905
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-6-2
 • UIC2′C1′
Gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.69 in (1.753 m)
Axle load42,000 lb (19.1 t)
Loco weight187,800 lb (85.2 t)
Tender weight143,400 lb (65.0 t)
Total weight331,200 lb (150.2 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity15 t (15 long tons; 17 short tons)
Water cap7,000 US gal (26,000 l; 5,800 imp gal)
Boiler pressure200 lbf/in2 (1.38 MPa)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size20 in × 28 in (508 mm × 711 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort27,600 lbf (122.77 kN)
Career
OperatorsLouisville and Nashville Railroad→Seaboard System→CSX
Kentucky Railway Museum
ClassK-2A
Number in class3rd of 25
Numbers
  • L&N 152
RetiredFebruary 17, 1953 (revenue service)
RestoredSeptember 1985
Current ownerKentucky Railway Museum
DispositionAwaiting 1472-day overhaul/restoration, based in New Haven, Kentucky
L & N Steam Locomotive No. 152
LocationKentucky Railway Museum, US-31E, New Haven, Kentucky
Coordinates37°39′25″N 85°35′33″W
Built1905
ArchitectRogers Locomotive Works
NRHP reference No.74000883[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 30, 1974

History

The L&N No. 152 was built in 1905 at Paterson, New Jersey by the Rogers Locomotive Works, with 6256 as its Rogers Construction Number. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad purchased No. 152 and four identical Pacifics at the cost of $13,406 apiece. Pleased with their five Pacifics, the L&N purchased forty more, which the Rogers Locomotive Works (by now owned by the American Locomotive Company) sold to the L&N between 1906 and 1910.[3]

Originally, the L&N No. 152 serviced stations in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It pulled Theodore Roosevelt's campaign train between Louisville and Cincinnati in 1912. When more powerful locomotives were purchased by the L&N in the 1920s, the Pacifics were assigned to the Gulf Coast, a geographically flatter area. Railroad logs prove that No. 152 was one of the many "Pan American" passenger service. The No. 152 also pulled the car holding Al Capone on his way to Alcatraz. As time went on, the No. 152 was used for less and less important routes. On February 17, 1953, the No. 152, the last surviving "K" class Pacific, was retired by the L&N, with its fate uncertain. During this time it was stored at Mobile, Alabama. L&N President John E. Tilford personally ordered the locomotive to not be destroyed and turned to scrap.[6]

Eventually the No. 152 was sent to the Kentucky Railway Museum, then located at 1837 East River Road in Louisville, Kentucky; it was one of the museum's first pieces. For thirty years it remained inoperative. After thirteen years of work, in September 1985, it was again in working condition, thanks to funding by the National Park Service and the Brown Foundation.[7] On April 26, 1986, it was again in service, pulling seven railcars with a total of 365 passengers.[8] While being refurbished, it stayed at the River Road location when the rest of the museum moved to its new location at Ormsby Station.[5]

As of Saturday 10 September 2011, the No. 152 is withdrawn from service for the rest of the 2011 season due to boiler issues. Railway staff have expressed skepticism that it will be able to return for future use without major work for which funding is not currently available. The next overhaul of the engine was start on July 1st, 2015, as of 2020 it is still underway and currently taking donations on the website for the Kentucky Railway Museum.

When it was originally placed on the National Register, it was located at the Kentucky Railway Museum's original location in Louisville, Kentucky. When the museum relocated to New Haven, L&N No. 152 came with it. The L&N Steam Locomotive No. 152 is one of four rail vehicles at the Kentucky Railway Museum on the National Register. The others are the Frankfort and Cincinnati Model 55 Rail Car, the Louisville and Nashville Combine Car Number 665, and the Mt. Broderick Pullman Car.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. Tagliarino 1974, p. 2.
  3. Tagliarino 1974, p. 3.
  4. "Louisville and Nashville Railroad". KY Historical Society. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  5. Kleber 2001, p. 478.
  6. Tagliarino 1974, pp. 3, 6, 7.
  7. "Kentucky Railway Museum - History". Kentucky Railway Museum. Retrieved February 2, 2009.
  8. "1905 STEAM ENGINE TRAVELING LOUISVILLE, LEXINGTON ROUTE". Lexington Herald-Leader. May 8, 1986. pp. B2.
  • Kleber, John E., ed. (2001). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2100-0.
  • Tagliarino, David (August 5, 1974). L & N Steam Locomotive No. 152 NRHP Nomination Form. National Railway Historical Society.
  • Drury, George H. (1993). Guide to North American Steam Locomotives. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Company. pp. 228–230. ISBN 0-89024-206-2.
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