Atlantic Coast Line 1504 is a

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomoti ...

"Pacific" type

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

built in March 1919 by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) as a member of the P-5-A class under the

United States Railroad Administration The United States Railroad Administration (USRA) was the name of the nationalisation, nationalized railroad system of the United States between December 28, 1917, and March 1, 1920. It was the largest American experiment with nationalization, and ...

(USRA)

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

. No. 1504 was assigned to pull ACL's premier mainline

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

s during the 1920s to early 40s and even secondary passenger trains and mainline freight trains in the late 1940s until it was retired from revenue service at the end of 1952. In 1960, No. 1504 was put on display in Jacksonville, Florida as the only original USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive to be preserved. In 1990, it was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing edu ...

(ASME). No. 1504 was cosmetically restored three times in 1989, 1998, and 2015. As of 2025, the No. 1504 locomotive is currently being restored to operating condition for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express (SCFE)

shortline railroad A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the United States and Canada. In the former, railroads are ...

Clewiston, Florida Clewiston is a city in Hendry County, Florida, United States. Its location is northwest of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale on the Atlantic coastal plain. The population was 7,327 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 7 ...

as part of

U.S. Sugar U.S. Sugar Corporation is a privately owned agricultural business based in Clewiston, Florida. The company farms over 230,000 acres of land in the counties of Hendry, Glades, Martin, and Palm Beach. It is the largest producer of sugarcane in ...

's (USSC)

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passenger train named the '' Sugar Express'', where it will eventually run alongside ex- Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) No. 148.

History

Design and capabilities

No. 1504 was the fifth member of 70 United States Railroad Administration (USRA) Light Pacifics built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1919 and 1920 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL), where they served as ACL's primary mainline passenger steam locomotives.. Originally classified as a P-5 and numbered 497 as part of the first batches (Nos. 493-502), it was reclassified as a P-5-A and renumbered to 1504 in 1920, while Nos. 493-496 and 498-502 were renumbered to 1500-1503 and 1505-1509, respectively.. Designed with cylinders and driving wheels, these arrangements made No. 1504 and the P-5-As produce of tractive effort, which allowed them to haul 10-12

passenger car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

s at more than . Their tender was equipped with a coal pusher, which was operated by steam to push the coal for the

fireman A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

shoveling it into the firebox. Additionally, it holds of coal and of water. While some of the P-5-A locomotives were upgraded with Worthington

feedwater heater A feedwater heater is a power plant component used to pre-heat water delivered to a steam generating boiler. Preheating the feedwater reduces the irreversibilities involved in steam generation and therefore improves the thermodynamic efficiency o ...

s, disc driving wheels, and larger tenders to improve their performances, No. 1504 was one of the few that were not upgraded with these features...

Revenue service

No. 1504 and the P-5-As hauled the ''Coast Line Florida Mail'', '' Florida Special'', ''Everglades'', ''

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.ACL mainline between Richmond, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida.. Additionally, they pulled the '' Dixie Flyer'' between

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in Southwest Geo ...

and Jacksonville; and the '' Southland'' between Albany and

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. Occasionally, No. 1504 would pull connecting passenger trains between

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropol ...

and

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

.. In the early morning of December 24, 1925, No. 1504 was pulling the southbound ''West Indian Limited'' train No. 85. But upon approaching

Moncks Corner, South Carolina Moncks Corner is a town in and the county seat of Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,885 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Moncks Corner is included within the Ch ...

, it collided head-on with sister locomotive No. 1538, who was sent down the wrong line with the northbound ''Havana Special'' train No. 76. Both of their

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

and fireman were killed. The accident was caused by an error of delivering train orders. Despite being severely damaged, both locomotives were repaired and put back into active service. During the mid 1930s, the P-5-As were required to double head each other with ACL's passenger trains consist, which became longer and heavier with more than 12 passenger cars added due to the increased traffic of

passenger A passenger is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The vehicles may be bicycles, ...

s traveling to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and ACL competing against the

Seaboard Air Line The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...

(SAL) and Southern (SOU) railroads.. During the

winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

of 1939 and 1940, the P-5-As were found capable of handling the ''Miamian'' from Richmond to Jacksonville in 11 hours and 25 minutes via all cutoffs, providing an average speed of . At the same time, when ACL began to dieselize its Richmond-Jacksonville passenger trains, No. 1504 was reassigned to secondary passenger runs in Florida, including the ''Tampa Special'' between Jacksonville and Tampa, via Sanford,

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, and Lakeland. Additionally, it pulled two crack Montgomery-Jacksonville passenger trains; the ''Florida Arrow'' and the ''

South Wind The south wind is the wind that originates from the south and blows north. South Wind may also refer to: * ''South Wind'' (film), 2018 Serbian film * ''South Wind'' (TV series), 2020 Serbian TV series * , 2021 Serbian film * , 2022 Serbian TV s ...

'', which ran via Thomasville and

Waycross, Georgia Waycross is the county seat of and only incorporated city in Ware County in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 13,942 in the 2020 census. Waycross gets its name from the city's location at key railroad junctions; lines from six di ...

. Sometime after 1940, the locomotive's tender was repainted from its original Roman style ''ATLANTIC COAST LINE'' lettering to ACL's new circular herald logo with white stripe. By 1946, No. 1504 pulled the ''Gulf Coast Limited'' passenger trains between Jacksonville and

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

, via Burnett's Lake, Gainesville,

Ocala Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making it the 43rd-most popul ...

, Leesburg, and

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in UK, BritainBernhard Roetzel, Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. B ...

. In their twilight years of service, the locomotive and the other P-5-As hauled 50-60

freight cars A railroad car, railcar (American English, American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and International Union of Railways, UIC), also called a tra ...

on the mainline at maximum allowable speeds.. No. 1504 was officially retired on December 31, 1952, and was one of the last P-5-As to be written off of ACL's operating locomotive roster..

Preservation and display

In 1953, ACL

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Champion Davis and ACL mechanical department manager John W. Hawthorne salvaged No. 1504 for preservation since it was left in mechanically good condition. The locomotive was moved to ACL's Uceta Shops in

, where it was repainted and put on display near the shops. Additionally, it was the only USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive to be preserved in original as-built condition, excluding its

headlight A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...

, tender

trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

, and pilot wheels. In 1956, No. 1504's tender received another repaint with ACL's new circular herald logo, which had ACL's six serving states wrapped around the logo and commonly used on ACL's diesel locomotives. In May 1960, No. 1504 was removed from its Uceta Shops display and moved to Jacksonville to be on display next to ACL's new headquarter building. By the mid-1960s, No. 1504's tender was repainted back to its original pre-1940s Roman style letterings.. In late September 1986, ACL's successor,

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

donated the No. 1504 locomotive to the

Jacksonville City Council The Jacksonville City Council is the legislature, legislative governing body of the city of Jacksonville, Florida and of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonville Jacksonville Consolidation, consolidated in 1968. ...

, where they relocated it to its new display site in the parking lot of the

Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center is a convention center located in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Opened in 1986, it was built incorporating Jacksonville Terminal Complex / Union Station as well as several thousand square feet of newly b ...

, located at the former Jacksonville Union Terminal. In 1989, the

North Florida North Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida comprising the northernmost part of the state. Along with South Florida and Central Florida, it is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regi ...

Chapter of the

National Railway Historical Society The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for the historical development of Rail transport, railroads. It is headquartered in Phila ...

repainted No. 1504 into its 1940s livery with the correct ACL steam era herald logo.. Additionally, the locomotive had its

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

boiler lagging removed and a new boiler cladding installed at a cost of $75,000. On October 23, 1990, No. 1504 was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark and presented with a plaque by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). It received another renovation at $10,000 in 1998. In July 2013, the North Florida Chapter NRHS launched the ''Project Return to Glory'' group to fund the cosmetic restoration of the No. 1504 locomotive, which had been sitting on display with faded paint due to its exposure to the elements. When No. 1504 was being inspected, it was discovered to be in fair condition, but its tender was in very poor condition. In late October 2013, the North Florida Chapter NRHS received $10,000 from Trains Magazine and an additional $10,000 from

CSX Corporation CSX Corporation is an American holding company focused on rail transportation and real estate in North America, among other industries. The company was established in 1980 as part of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merge ...

with a total of $20,000. The cosmetic restoration work would include adding new cab windows and doors, and renovating the

headlamp A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for t ...

. In July 2015, the ''Project Return to Glory'' group

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

finished cosmetically restoring the No. 1504 locomotive with new paint. Despite the successful cosmetic restoration, No. 1504 still does not have a shelter to be protected from the elements. On January 23, 2018, No. 1504 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Restoration to operating service

In June 2021, the Jacksonville City Council donated the No. 1504 locomotive to the North Florida Chapter NRHS, who would eventually sell the locomotive for $50,000 to U.S. Sugar Corporation (USSC) for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express (SCFE) shortline railroad in Clewiston, Florida as part of USSC's ''Sugar Express'' tourist passenger train. In late August 2021, No. 1504 was disassembled from static display and moved to the former Lucey Boiler Company building in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the same place where

Southern Railway 4501 Southern Railway 4501 is a preserved 2-8-2 "Mikado"-type steam locomotive. Built in October 1911 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, No. 4501 was the first of its wheel arrangement type for the Southern Railway (U.S.), ...

was originally restored in the mid 1960s. No. 1504 is currently undergoing an extensive restoration and rebuild performed by FMW Solutions. During the restoration work, the locomotive's deteriorated tender body had to be replaced by a new one with original specifications and conversion to burn recycled cooking oil fuel instead of coal. No. 1504's driving wheels were sent to be repaired at the

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a railroad museum and heritage railroad in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded as a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1960 by Paul H. Merriman a ...

, which was also located in Chattanooga. Once it is fully restored to operating condition, No. 1504 will eventually run alongside another 4-6-2 steam locomotive, ex-Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) No. 148.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

The History of Engine No. 1504
- Sugar Express {{Portal bar, Trains, National Register of Historic Places, Florida 4-6-2 locomotives ALCO locomotives Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmarks Individual locomotives of the United States Passenger locomotives Preserved steam locomotives of Florida Railway locomotives introduced in 1919 Railway locomotives on the National Register of Historic Places Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States Steam locomotives of the United States USRA locomotives