Reading 2124 is a preserved

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...

class " T-1"

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The ty ...

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

" 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, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

that was built by the

Reading Company The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly calle ...

in January 1947 using parts from "I-10sa" class

2-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels ...

Consolidation Consolidation may refer to: In science and technology * Consolidation (computing), the act of linkage editing in computing * Memory consolidation, the process in the brain by which recent memories are crystallised into long-term memory * Pulmon ...

" type locomotive number 2024, which was originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1924.

History

The locomotive that became 2124 was originally built as

class "I-10sa"

" type locomotive number 2024 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1924. Starting in 1945, Reading began building a new class of

" type locomotives using the boilers and fireboxes from the I-10sas, designating these new locomotives as the T-1 class. 2024 underwent this rebuild in late 1946 and emerged in January 1947 as the number 2124.

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard, Scranton

For the majority of its working life, the engine was used on freight trains, primarily coal trains throughout various parts of the Reading's network before being retired from active service in 1956. The locomotive was brought back into service in May 1959 to pull a series of railfan excursions known as the "Iron Horse Rambles" alongside No. 2100. On October 22, 1961, the locomotive's flue time ran out, and the Reading replaced No. 2124 with No. 2102 in the rambles. It was subsequently sold to locomotive collector and the owner of Blount Seafood,

F. Nelson Blount Francis Nelson Blount (May 21, 1918 – August 31, 1967) was president and founder of Blount Seafood Corporation and the founder of Steamtown, USA, the Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Railroad, and the Green Mountain Railroad. A millionaire an ...

, for his

Steamtown, U.S.A. Steamtown, U.S.A., was a steam locomotive museum that ran steam excursions out of North Walpole, New Hampshire, and Bellows Falls, Vermont, from the 1960s to 1983. The museum was founded by millionaire seafood industrialist F. Nelson Blount. Th ...

museum in

North Walpole, New Hampshire North Walpole is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Walpole in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. It had a population of 785 at the 2020 census, making it the largest village in the town of Walpole. It is located along Ne ...

, later relocated across the Connecticut River to

Bellows Falls, Vermont Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; the ...

. The engine was displayed in Vermont until Steamtown moved to

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

, during the winter of 1983–84. In 1986, Steamtown was taken over by the National Park Service and became

Steamtown National Historic Site Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is bui ...

. The locomotive was placed on display near the entrance to the park and was one of the first things visitors would see upon entering the park. As of 2022, the engine still remains on static display at the entrance to Steamtown. There are no current plans to restore 2124 back to operating condition.

In popular culture

In December 1959, the locomotive was filmed at the

Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, also known as Communipaw Terminal and Jersey City Terminal, was the Central Railroad of New Jersey's waterfront passenger terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey. The terminal was built in 1889, replaci ...

for the 1960

Mark Robson Mark Robson may refer to: * Mark Robson (film director) Mark Robson (4 December 1913 – 20 June 1978) was a Canadian-American film director, producer, and editor. Robson began his 45-year career in Hollywood as a film editor. He later began wor ...

film, ''

From the Terrace ''From the Terrace'' is a 1960 American DeLuxe Color romantic drama film in CinemaScope directed by Mark Robson from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, based on the 1958 novel of the same name by John O'Hara. The film stars Paul Newman, Joanne Woodw ...

'', starring

Joanne Woodward Joanne Gignilliat Trimmier Woodward (born February 27, 1930) is an American actress. A star since the Golden Age of Hollywood, Woodward made her career breakthrough in the 1950s and earned esteem and respect playing complex women with a charact ...

and

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

References

{{Reflist Individual locomotives of the United States 4-8-4 locomotives 2124 Baldwin locomotives Philadelphia and Reading Railroad locomotives Freight locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States Preserved steam locomotives of Pennsylvania Railway locomotives introduced in 1923