| Although the photo has deteriorated, it still shows a group of gentlemen clustered around the famous American Locomotive Co experimental 4-6-2 Pacific #50000 on one of its demonstrator trips in New York. According to SteamLocomotives.com, "The final example is ALCO's 50,000 locomotive, a prototype for many future designs, including, arguably, the K4s. This unit had 79-inch drivers, 185 psi and a starting tractive effort of 40,800 lbs. The grate area was 59.7 square feet, the firebox dimensions 114 x 75 inches. The tube length was 22 feet, and the total heating surface 4048 square feet. ALCO's 50,000 had a long and successful career after its service as a demonstration locomotive as Erie 2509. It was one of, if not the first, example, of the "heavy" Pacific, designed and built to handle the passenger trains which were approaching 800/900 tons behind the tender, and at a time when such heavy trains were required to operate at speeds in the 60 mph range." No photographer was listed for this original photo and the date given was just 1912 on the photo. |