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New York Central 2933 is a 4-8-2 "Mohawk" (Mountain) type steam locomotive built in 1929 by the American Locomotive Company for the New York Central Railroad. The wheel arrangement is known as the Mountain type on other railroads, but the New York Central dubbed them "Mohawks" after the Mohawk River, which the railroad followed. It pulled freight trains until being retired in 1957. As of 2024, the locomotive is on display at the National Museum of Transportation in Kirkwood, Missouri.
History
Construction and revenue service
Main article: NYC MohawkNo. 2933—originally numbered 6233—was one of twenty-four L-2d class 4-8-2s (Nos. 6225-6249) built in November 1929, by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the New York Central Railroad’s subsidiary, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad. Within the next four months, ALCO built fifty more L-2ds (Nos. 2450-2499) for the NYC’s main roster.
The only difference between the L-2ds on the Big Four and the NYC is that the Big Four locomotives lacked water scoops in their tenders, since the Big Four did not have any track pans. The L-2ds, which were among 600 NYC "Mohawk"-type locomotives, were primarily used to haul mainline freight trains. In 1936, all of the Big Four’s L-2ds were transferred to the NYC and renumbered in the 2900 series, and in the process, No. 6233 was renumbered to 2933.
No. 2933 made its final run for the NYC sometime after July 1956, and it was officially retired from the railroad’s active roster in August 1957, three months after the NYC completed their dieselization process.
Retirement and preservation
Following the NYC’s dieselization, incoming president Alfred E. Perlman ordered for as many of the railroad’s steam locomotives to be scrapped as possible, including most of the Mohawks. No. 2933 avoided the scrapping, since it was used as a stationary steam boiler in the NYC shops before it was left in storage on a siding.
In 1962, the chairman of the Museum of Transportation (MoT) in St. Louis, Missouri, approached former Wabash chairman Arthur Atkinson, and enquired for another steam locomotive to exhibit. Atkinson in turn directly approached Pearlman and asked for New York Central and Hudson River 999 to be donated to the MoT. Perlman declined, since No. 999 was already reserved for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, but he instead offered to donate No. 2933, to which Atkinson accepted. This makes the 2933 the only large New York Central steam locomotive to be donated directly by the railroad.
On June 13, 1963, No. 2933, along with ALCO S-2 No. 113, were formally donated to the MoT at a ceremony held at the St. Louis Union Station. Atkinson and Perlman were both in attendance. Following the ceremony, No. 2933 was left in temporary storage on the Alton and Southern Railway, while the MoT searched for a larger location to display their collection. In July 1969, No. 2933 was towed with other locomotives to the MoT’s new site in Kirkwood, Missouri, where it was then put on static display.
In 2007, the MoT initiated a thorough cosmetic restoration to be performed on No. 2933. A contractor was hired to remove insulation from the boiler, and then museum volunteers worked to repaint the whole locomotive and to replace its boiler jacketing. The cosmetic restoration was completed, in May 2017.
See also
Notes
- During the 1980s, the St. Louis Steam Train Association (SLSTA) restored St. Louis—San Francisco No. 1522 to operating condition, but beforehand, they inspected most of the MoT’s other steam locomotives for eligibility. They decided against restoring No. 2933, due to its poor condition.
References
- Durham (2000).
- ^ Keefe, Kevin (May 31, 2017). "NYC 2933's fresh look is more than just a paint job". Classic Trains. Kalmbach Media. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- Keefe, Kevin (November 1, 2023). "Ultimate dual-service engine: New York Central 4-8-2 Mohawks". Classic Trains. Firecrown Media. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ Keefe, Kevin P. (March 1989). "Steam renaissance in the Midwest". Trains. Vol. 49, no. 5. Kalmbach Publishing. p. 25. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
Bibliography
- Steam in the East. Niagaras & Mohawks, New York Central's 4-8-4 Steam Locomotives (DVD). Sunday River Productions.
- Durham, Robert K. (2000). New York Central: Steam-Locomotives and Trains from 1933 to 1943. R.K. Durham. ISBN 978-0-9644-4800-1.
Further reading
- Gerbracht, Thomas R. (2019). Know Thy Early Mohawks (1st ed.). New York Central Historical Society. ISBN 978-0578530932.
- Morgan, David P. (1975). The Mohawk that refused to abdicate, and other tales. Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0890240311.
- Sweetland, David (1994). New York Central Steam in Color. Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Morning Sun Books, Inc. ISBN 978-1878887313.