Atlantic Coast Line 1504

No. 1504's ASME plaque in 2016

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 as the standard main line passenger steam locomotives for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL).[1]^: 7[3][4] Originally classified as a P-5 and numbered 497, it was reclassified as a P-5-A and renumbered to 1504 in 1920.[2][3][4] Designed with 25 in × 28 in (635 mm × 711 mm) cylinders and 73 in (1,854 mm) driving wheels, these arrangements made No. 1504 and the P-5-As produce 47,535 lbf (211.45 kN) of tractive effort, which allowed them to haul 10-12 passenger cars at 70–80 mph (113–129 km/h) on the ACL main line between Richmond, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida.[1]^: 7[3]

Their tender was equipped with a coal pusher, which was operated by steam to push the coal for the fireman shoveling it into the firebox.[3][5] Additionally, it holds 16 tonnes (35,000 lb) of coal and 10,000 US gallons (38,000 L) of water.[3] While some of the P-5-A locomotives were upgraded with Worthington feedwater heaters, disc driving wheels, and larger tenders to improve their performances, No. 1504 was one of the few that were not upgraded with these features.[3][6][7]

No. 1504 and the P-5-As were assigned to haul ACL's Champion, Dixie Flyer, Florida Special, Everglades Limited, Havana Special, Miamian, Palmetto Limited, Southland, and South Wind passenger trains.[1]^: 7[8] 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 passengers traveled to Florida and ACL competing against the Seaboard Air Line (SAL) and Southern (SOU) railroads.[8][lower-alpha 1]

When the ACL railroad dieselized its passenger trains in the late 1940s, No. 1504 and the other P-5-As were used in main line freight service where they hauled 50-60 freight cars at maximum allowable speeds.[1]^: 7[9] No. 1504 hauled freight trains in the Tampa, Florida area until its retirement from revenue service on December 31, 1952.[1]^: 7[9]

No. 1504 on static display with faded black paint in 2009 prior to its cosmetic restoration in 2015

In 1953, ACL president Champion Davis ordered ACL mechanical department manager John W. Hawthorne to salvage No. 1504 from the scrap line for preservation.[1]^: 8[9][10] In June 1960, the No. 1504 locomotive was mechanically overhauled and put on display in front of ACL's new headquarter building in Jacksonville, Florida.[1]^: 8[9] Additionally, it was the only USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive to be preserved in original as-built condition, excluding its headlight, tender trucks, and pilot wheels.[1]^: 7[6]

In October 1986, ACL's successor, CSX donated the No. 1504 locomotive to the Jacksonville City Council, where they relocated it to its new display site in the parking lot of the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, located at the former Jacksonville Union Terminal.[9][11]^: 6 On October 23, 1990, No. 1504 was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).[1]^: 1 It was renovated two times in 1989 and 1998.[12][13]

In July 2013, the North Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (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.[12] When No. 1504 was being inspected, it was discovered to be in fair condition, excluding its tender.[12][14]

In late October 2013, the North Florida Chapter NRHS received $10,000 from Trains Magazine and an additional $10,000 from CSX Corporation with a total of $20,000.[12][15] The cosmetic restoration work would include adding new cab windows and doors, and renovating the headlamp.[14] In July 2015, the Project Return to Glory group volunteers finished cosmetically restoring the No. 1504 locomotive with new paint.[13] On January 23, 2018, No. 1504 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11]^: 1

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 shortline railroad in Clewiston, Florida as part of USSC's Sugar Express tourist passenger train.[16][17] 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 was originally restored in the mid 1960s.[18][19] No. 1504 is currently undergoing an extensive restoration and rebuild performed by FMW Solutions.[19][20]

During the restoration work, the locomotive's original tender body was in poor condition and had to be replaced by a new one with original specifications, but would carry recycled cooking oil fuel instead of coal.[10] No. 1504's driving wheels were sent to be repaired at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga.[10] 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.[16][17]