Norfolk and Western 2050

Norfolk and Western 2050
Norfolk and Western 2050 on static display at the Illinois Railway Museum on September 19, 2015
Type and origin References:[1][2][3] Power type Steam Builder ALCO's Richmond Works Serial number 64070 Build date March 1923
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-8-2  • UIC (1′D)D1′ hv4 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 30 in (760 mm) Driver dia. 57 in (1,400 mm) Trailing dia. 30 in (760 mm) Tender wheels 33 in (840 mm) Wheelbase 67 ft 4 in (20.52 m) ​  • incl. tender 93 ft 3 in (28.42 m) Length 113 ft 3 in (34.52 m) Width 11 ft 3 in (3.43 m) Height 15 ft 8+5⁄8 in (4.79 m) Adhesive weight 478,000 lb (217,000 kg) Loco weight 531,000 lb (241,000 kg) Tender weight 209,100 lb (94,800 kg) Total weight 740,100 lb (335,700 kg) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 30 t (30 long tons; 33 short tons) Water cap. 22,000 US gal (83,000 L; 18,000 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 96 sq ft (8.9 m2) Boiler: ​  • Type Straight Top  • Diameter 98 in (2,500 mm)  • Small tubes 2+1⁄4 in (57 mm)  • Large tubes 5+1⁄2 in (140 mm) Boiler pressure 270 psi (1.862 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 435 sq ft (40.4 m2)  • Tubes 3,860 sq ft (359 m2)  • Flues 1,825 sq ft (169.5 m2)  • Total surface 6,120 sq ft (569 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 145 sq ft (13.5 m2) Cylinders Four: two low-pressure (front), two high-pressure (rear) High-pressure cylinder 25 in × 32 in (640 mm × 810 mm) Low-pressure cylinder 39 in × 32 in (990 mm × 810 mm) Valve gear Baker Valve type Piston Loco brake 6ET[4]
Performance figures Tractive effort (Simple: 136,985 lbf (609.3 kN)) (Compound: 114,154 lbf (507.8 kN))[5]
Career Operators Norfolk and Western Railway Class Y3a Number in class 1 of 30 Numbers N&W 2050 Retired 1959 Preserved 1975 Current owner Illinois Railway Museum Disposition On static display

Norfolk and Western 2050 is a Y3a class 2-8-8-2 Compound Mallet steam locomotive built in March 1923 by the American Locomotive Company's (ALCO) Richmond, Virginia Works for the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W). The locomotive primarily helped haul the N&W's freight and coal trains, but by the end of the 1950s, it was relegated as a hump yard switcher.

Retired from service in 1959, No. 2050 was sold for scrap to the Armco Steel Corporation of Middletown, Ohio, but it was withheld as a stationary boiler. Following some conversations and sentimentality between Armco employees and Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) members, the locomotive was donated to the IRM in 1975, and it was moved to their property in Union, Illinois the following year. As of 2024, No. 2050 is on static display at the IRM.