Pennsylvania No. 6130

Pennsylvania Railroad Class Q1
Streamlined
Technical specifications
Serial number(s)	Altoona 4383
Manufacturer(s)	Pennsylvania Railroad's Altoona Shops
Build date	March 1942
Total produced	1
Classification	Q1
Rail gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Valve gear	Walschaerts
Cylinders	Four (Duplex)
Boiler pressure	300 psi (2.1 MPa)
Bore stroke	Front cylinder: 23 in × 28 in (584 mm × 711 mm) Rear cylinder: 19+1⁄2 in × 26 in (495 mm × 660 mm)
Fuel type	Soft coal
Heating area	2,290 sq ft (212.7 m2)
Performance figures
Maximum speed	At least 70 mph (113 km/h)
Continuous power-output	6,000 hp (4,500 kW)
Tractive effort	Locomotive: 81,793 lbf (363.83 kN) Booster: 11,250 lbf (50.04 kN) Total: 93,043 lbf (413.88 kN)
Factor of adhesion	4.34
Service information
Running numbers	6130
Disposition details
Preserved	Not preserved
Disposition	Withdrawn 1949, scrapped 1952

The Pennsylvania Railroad Class Q1 comprised of only one experimental 4-6-4-4 duplex drive steam locomotive.

Used for freight on the PRR. Unlike the later Q2 duplex design, the Q1's pair of rear cylinders were located under the firebox. This limited the firebox size—A concept that was already proven to not work.

History

As a locomotive designed for dual service like PRR M1s, it was given a larger sized driving wheels at 77 in (1.956 m) which was as large as the Grand Trunk Western class U-4-b 4-8-4 "Northern" type and streamlining in the form of a bluntly pointed nosecone on the smokebox front as well as long side skirts covering up the locomotive's pipework. The cab front was set at a rakish angle. The tender, although given a freight locomotive's "doghouse" on the rear deck for the head-end brakeman, was otherwise a streamlined affair very similar to that used on the S1, S2, and T1 passenger locomotives. Q1 was the last dual service locomotive designed by Pennsylvania Railroad. There is no solid evidence showing that it was assigned to passenger service. Q1's design was able to reduce dynamic argument by 60% compared to the J class above 70 mph, but it exceeded the railroad's 50 mph speed limit for the freight train.

During its short service life, it spent more time in shops or the engine-house than being run, accumulating only about 165,000 service miles in its career (1942–1949). Its first revenue run occurred May 31, 1942 from East Altoona to Enola with 125 cars and 10000 tons, a 40 mph was made on a level track at 40% cutoff. In October 1943, it was assigned to the St. Clair Avenue Enginehouse in Columbus, Ohio and ran mostly in the Ohio area and to Chicago, Illinois.

In December 1944 it appeared at a PRR exhibition in Chicago's Union Station entitled "Presenting a Line of Modern Coal-Burning Steam Locomotives". At some time during the next year, it lost much of its streamlining, the nosecone being removed in favor of a conventional PRR smokebox front including the keystone numberplate placed centrally on the small smokebox door. A headlamp bracket mounted above that door also hung the locomotive's bell. The side skirting was cut back to expose pipework and fittings for easier maintenance. The skyline casing atop the boiler remained in place.

The Q1 remained in service until July 1949, after which it was placed in storage. It was withdrawn around 1949, and scrapped in 1952.

The PRR considered the Q1 design unfit for series production, and it was a failure. The backward-driving rear cylinders were an awful choice; mounted next to the firebox, each constrained the other's size, and the area by the firebox was dusty and hot, which increased cylinder wear. These problems had previously been encountered on the B&O's N-1 duplex, The length of steam pipes required also meant a fair degree of power loss. Added to this, the passenger-locomotive sized drivers were not a good choice for freight service.

From its experiences with this locomotive, the PRR came up with an improved design, the Q2. This had smaller drivers, cylinders mounted in front of the wheels they drove, built largely unstreamlined and was designed for freight service only.

Trivia

• This engine was once streamlined with a bluntly pointed nosecone and had 77 in drivers, unusual for a freight locomotive.
• It had appeared at a exhibition at the Chicago Union Station titled "Presenting a Line of Modern Coal-Burning Steam Locomotives" in December 1944.

Gallery

Models of both the as-built and rebuilt forms of the Q1, made by Broadway Limited Imports.