United States Army Transportation Corps No. 5820 is a Class S160 2-8-0 steam locomotive built by the Lima Locomotive Works in 1945 for the United States Army Transportation Corps.
History[]
It was shipped directly to Poland for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps to aid the war effort in Europe. After the Second World War, the locomotive was taken into stock by Poland State Railways and re-numbered TR203-474. The engine remained in Poland until withdrawal for preservation by the Polish Railway Museum in Warsaw.
In 1975, it was given a new boiler from an American Locomotive Company steam locomotive, and then a year later in 1976, the Polish Railways informed the subsequent buyers that the locomotive had just had an intermediate overhaul and was based at Katowice shed.
It arrived at Haworth on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in November 1977 having been shipped from Szczecin in Poland to Hull then some work was required on 5820 as it had been in service in Poland following its overhaul. A steam test in 1978 revealed a cracked cylinder end cover which was replaced by a new one manufactured locally. Other repairs included a bogie spring and replacing a small number of firebox stays. After completing this work No. 5820 entered service on the Railway in Polish livery in March 1978.
Following withdrawal at the expiration of its boiler certificate in 1992, the engine was laid aside until a lengthy restoration was undertaken. It is probably that the overhaul would not have commenced if it had not been a condition of the KWVR had not benefited from funds from the National Lottery to overhaul the 8F Austerity No. 90733 as a condition of the award included the requirement to overhaul 5820.
As of Today the locomotive still runs on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in Haworth, Yorkshire, UK.
Trivia[]
- After a thorough overhaul, starting in 2007, the engine returned to service at the KWVR in February 2014 and was temporarily painted in British Railways unlined black, fictitiously numbered 95820. For the Easter holiday No. 5820 regained its number and authentic USATC Grey livery.
- The boiler ticket of this locomotive expires in 2023.
- The loco (Tr203-474) arrived from Poland carrying an Alco boiler, the rest of the loco contains parts from both Lima and Baldwin S160's - a testimony to standardisation.
- In June 1978, the boiler was passed fit for mainline working with a minimal amount of work, and so it could travel over the mainline to Shipley where the engine turned on the triangle for the shooting of the film 'Yanks' for which it carried the number 2820 and had been repainted in its original livery.
- In 2015, U.S.A. No. 5820 was fitted with a Lempor Exhaust system, designed and manufactured by the Advanced Steam Traction Trust. Official Testing had not been carried out, but it was reported by the KWVR that the steaming and thus power of the locomotive has noticeably improved.
- In 2015, it double-headed a heavy freight train with Locomotive No. 90733.
- The locomotive is nicknamed Big Jim.
- The locomotive had a staring roll in "The Railway Children Return".
- The locomotive had a brief staring roll in the 2019 live action Disney Film "Dumbo".