Locomotives
SSW ENGINE 819
Engine 819 (pictured above) is a Class L1, 4-8-4 steam locomotive built by the St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company (Cotton Belt Route) at its Pine Bluff, Arkansas shops in 1942. The mighty locomotive ruled the rails for a dozen years before being replaced by diesel locomotives. The engine was donated to the city in 1955 and "Old 819" reposed in Oakland Park until 1983 when the Cotton Belt brought it out of the park for restoration by the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society, Inc. The engine's home is now in the Arkansas Railroad Museum which is located at the place of its birth, the Old Cotton Belt Shops in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
The Big Engine is capable of pulling 100 freight cars with ease and burns about 15 gallons of oil per mile. The cost of this engine in 1942 was $143,607 which is the equivalent to over $2 million in today's dollars. The cost to rebuild the engine was $140,000 in 1983.
The 819's first trips after restoration were made in 1986 to Fordyce, Arkansas and Little Rock, Arkansas and it has made many trips since.
| SSW 819 SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Builder | Pine Bluff Shops |
| Build Date | 1943 |
| Configuration | 4-8-4 |
| UIC Classification | 2′D2′ h2 |
| Gauge | 4' 8 1⁄2" (1,435 mm) |
| Driver Diameter | 70 in (1,778 mm) |
| Axle Load | 62,000 lb. (28.1 tonnes) |
| Weight on Drivers | 248,000 lb. (112.5 tonnes) |
| Locomotive Weight | 425,500 lb. (193.0 tonnes) |
| Tender Weight | 312,000 lb. (141.5 tonnes) |
| Gross Weight | 737,500 lb. (334.5 tonnes) |
| Fuel Type | Oil |
| Fuel Capacity | 5,000 gal. US (19,000 l; 4,200 imp. gal.) |
| Water Capacity | 15,000 gal. US (57,000 L; 12,000 imp. gal.) |
| Boiler Pressure | 250 lbf/in² (1.72 MPa) |
| Firegrate Area | 88.3 sq. ft. (8.20 m2) |
| Heating Surface: Firebox | 469 sq. ft. (43.6 m2) |
| Superheater Area | 1,962 sq. ft. (182.3 m2) |
| Cylinders | 2 |
| Cylinder Size | 26 × 30 in. (660 × 762 mm) |
| Valve Gear | Walschaerts |
| Valve Type | Piston |
| Tractive Effort | 61,564 lbf (273.85 kN) |
| 61,564 lbf (273.85 kN) | 4.03 |
SSW ENGINE 336
A 2-6-0 built by Baldwin in 1909. Retired in 1947. It was then sold to Meriwether Gravel Company of Lewisville and later was acquired by Gifford Hill Co. where it continued to work in a gravel pit until 1963. At that time is was put in the park In Lewisville, AR. In August 1994 it was donated to the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society.
LS&I 2300
The first U23C built by General Electric in 1968. It was purchased by an individual and is now on loan to the Museum.
LITTLE ROCK & WESTERN 102
ALCO C-420 built in 1966 as L&N 1306, then rebuilt by Green Bay & Western before coming to Arkansas to the Little Rock and Western in 1981. Then purchased by an individual and is on loan to the museum.
PAPERTON JUNCTION SOUTHERN 7012
ALCO RSD-12 built in 1961 as Southern Pacific 7012. After several owners, it was sold to the Western Tennessee Railroad. Purchased from the WTRR in April 2003, it is on loan to the museum.
SANTA FE 843
ALCO RSD-15 built in 1960 as ATSF 843. Renumbered ATSF 9843. Sold to Squaw Creek Coal Co as 9843. After several owners was purchased by an individual and is now on loan to the museum.
SSW 5006
GP30 EMD built 1963 retired 1985. The engine was intended as a donation to the state of Arkansas for placement on the State Capitol grounds and had its diesel powerplant removed. When this plan fell through, the unpowered engine was donated to the museum for display.
UNION PACIFIC 2907
ALCO C-630 built in 1966 for the Union Pacific as 2907. Sold to Duluth, Messabi & Iron Range as 907. Sold to Cartier Railway in 1976 as No 34. It was purchased by an individual and is on loan to the museum. This is the last C-630 of this configuration in existence.
