Great Smoky Mountains Railroad 1702

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad 1702 is an S160 class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type steam locomotive built in September 1942 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps during World War II. After the war ended, the No. 1702 locomotive worked on three different railroads in Arkansas and Nebraska.

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad 1702
GSMR No. 1702 at Bryson City, North Carolina, on June 18, 2022
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerMajor J. W. Marsh
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number64641
Build dateSeptember 1942
Rebuild date1991–1992
2014–2016
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-8-0
 • UIC1′D h2
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Leading dia.2 ft 9 in (838 mm)
Driver dia.4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm)
Wheelbase51 ft 7+3⁄4 in (15.74 m)
Adhesive weight140,000 lb (63,503 kg)
Loco weight161,000 lb (73,028 kg)
Fuel typeNo. 4 fuel oil, formerly coal
Fuel capacityOld tender: 1,800 US gal (6,800 L; 1,500 imp gal) of oil, formerly 10 t (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons) of coal
New tender: 3,600 US gal (14,000 L; 3,000 imp gal) of oil
Water cap.Old tender: 6,500 US gal (25,000 L; 5,400 imp gal)
New tender: 10,000 US gal (38,000 L; 8,300 imp gal)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		41 sq ft (3.8 m2)
Boiler5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
maximum diameter
Boiler pressure225 psi (1.55 MPa)
Heating surface2,253 sq ft (209.3 m2)
 • Tubes1,055 sq ft (98.0 m2)
(150 in or 3,810 mm long ×
2 in or 51 mm diameter)
 • Flues567 sq ft (52.7 m2)
(30 in or 762 mm long ×
5.375 in or 137 mm diameter)
 • Firebox136 sq ft (12.6 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • TypeType A
 • Heating area313 sq ft (29.1 m2)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size19 in × 26 in
(482.6 mm × 660.4 mm)
bore x stroke
Valve gearWalschaerts
Valve type10 inches (254 mm) piston valves
Performance figures
Maximum speed45 mph (72 km/h)
Tractive effort31,500 lbf (140.1 kN)
Factor of adh.4.45
Career
OperatorsU.S. Army
Warren and Saline River Railroad
Reader Railroad
Fremont and Elkhorn Valley Railroad
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
ClassS160
NumbersWSR 1702
RERX 1702
FEVR 1702
GSMR 1702
Retired1961 (revenue service)
2005 (1st excursion service)
Restored1964 (1st restoration)
1992 (2nd restoration)
July 21, 2016 (3rd restoration)
Current ownerGreat Smoky Mountains Railroad
DispositionOperational

In late 1991, the No. 1702 locomotive was purchased by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) in Bryson City, North Carolina, where it hauled tourist train excursions on the half of the former Southern Railway Murphy Branch, which spans 53 miles (85 kilometers) of track between Dillsboro and Nantahala, North Carolina. In 2005, it went out of service due to firebox issues but was later restored back to operating condition and returned to service in 2016. No. 1702 is currently one of twenty-six S160 steam locomotives preserved in the United States and abroad.

History
No. 1702 leads a special photo charter excursion just a few miles east of Whittier, North Carolina, on September 8, 2017

No. 1702 is an S160 steam locomotive built in September 1942 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally for the U.S. Army Transportation Corps, where it was stationed for training purposes at the Fort Bragg military base in Fayetteville, North Carolina during World War II.[1][2] In 1946, a year after the war ended, the No. 1702 locomotive was sold to the Warren and Saline River Railroad (WSR) in Warren, Arkansas, where it was assigned to haul lumber trains.[1][2][3] When first built, No. 1702 was originally equipped with buffers and chain couplers, which were eventually be replaced with knuckle couplers.[4] Additionally, its firebox was modified to burn fuel oil as opposed to coal.[1]

When the WSR was dieselized in 1961, the No. 1702 locomotive was sold to the Reader Railroad (RERX) in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1964, where it was upgraded with a larger tender that was originally used behind a Rock Island steam locomotive and holds 3,600 US gallons (14,000 L) of fuel and 10,000 US gallons (38,000 L) of water.[1][5] Afterwards, the No. 1702 locomotive served tourist operations on the RERX.[1] In 1985, it was sold again to the Fremont and Elkhorn Valley Railroad (FEVR) in Fremont, Nebraska, where the No. 1702 locomotive ran tourist trains on the former Chicago and North Western line between Fremont and Hooper, Nebraska.[6]

In late 1991, the No. 1702 locomotive was purchased by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) in Bryson City, North Carolina, where it was significantly altered with a taller smokestack, a larger sand dome, and a wider cab to resemble a more typical American steam locomotive.[1][5] Afterwards, in 1992, the GSMR operated the No. 1702 locomotive with the Nantahala Gorge and Tuckasegee River tourist excursions on the half of the former Southern Railway Murphy Branch, which spans 53 miles (85 kilometers) of track between Dillsboro and Nantahala, North Carolina.[7][8] When working on these excursions, No. 1702 uses 400 US gallons (1,500 L) of fuel and 3,500 US gallons (13,000 L) of water per round trip.[1]

In 2005, the No. 1702 locomotive was sidelined due to firebox issues and became disassembled outside the GSMR's workshop area in Dillsboro, North Carolina, exposed to the elements.[9] In April 2012, the GSMR made an agreement with the Swain County of North Carolina, who donated $700,000 to construct a new steam locomotive workshop for the restoration of No. 1702 and installing a new turntable in Bryson City for the locomotive to be turned around.[10] Afterwards, the restoration work of No. 1702 began in May 2014 and completed on July 21, 2016 with the locomotive beginning its inaugural excursion run five days later.[11][lower-alpha 1]

Appearances in media

See also

Notes
  1. Originally, No. 1702's reentry to service was originally scheduled for July 22, 2016, but the locomotive was sidelined with an overheated bearing.[12]

References
  1. George, Michael; Strack, Frank (2012). Passage Through Time: The Official Guidebook (3rd ed.). Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. pp. 147–148.
  2. Plott & Plott (2021), p. 26.
  3. Lewis, Edward A. (1991). American Shortline Railway Guide: Facts, Figures, and Locomotive Rosters for over 500 Short Lines (4th ed.). Kalmbach Media. p. 273. ISBN 0-89024-109-0.
  4. Wagner, Robert. "Great Smoky Mountains #1702, Built for War". SteamGiants. RailfanDepot. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  5. Wrinn, Jim (July 15, 2016). "Welcome back Great Smoky Mountains 1702. Remember that time we went west across the mountain?". Trains. Kalmbach Media. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  6. Drury, George H. (1988). Guide to Tourist Railroads and Railroad Museums (1st ed.). Kalmbach Media. p. 117. ISBN 0-89024-090-6.
  7. "History". Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. American Heritage Railways. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  8. "Steam Powered". Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. American Heritage Railways. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  9. Plott & Plott (2021), p. 187.
  10. "GSMR Steam Engine #1702 Restoration Update". Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. American Heritage Railways. Archived from the original on November 2, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  11. Kays, Holly (August 3, 2016). "Renewed steam engine service excites Bryson, Dillsboro business owners". Smoky Mountain News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  12. Hodge, Rex (July 22, 2016). "Return of steam engine train hits a snag". WLOS. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  13. Muller, Christopher. "Train Movies & Railroad Films on DVD & Blu-ray". RailServe.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.

Bibliography
  • Plott, Jacob; Plott, Bob (2021). Smoky Mountain Railways (1st ed.). The History Press. ISBN 978-1-4671-4459-9.
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