Union Pacific FEF series

The Union Pacific FEF series consists of 45 4-8-4 "Northern" steam locomotives built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) between 1937 and 1944 and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad until 1959.

Union Pacific FEF series
Union Pacific 844 running through Painted Rocks, Nevada on September 15, 2009
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderAmerican Locomotive Company (ALCO)
Build date1937–1944
Total produced45
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-8-4
 • UIC2′D2′ h2s
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.FEF-1: 77 in (1,956 mm),
FEF-2/3: 80 in (2,032 mm)
WheelbaseLoco & tender: 98 ft 5 in (30.00 m)
LengthLoco & tender: 114 ft 2+5⁄8 in (34.81 m)
Adhesive weightFEF-1: 270,000 lb (122.5 tonnes),
FEF-2: 265,520 lb (120.4 tonnes),
FEF-3:270,300 lb (122.6 tonnes)
Loco weightFEF-1: 465,000 lb (210.9 tonnes),
FEF-2: 478,640 lb (217.1 tonnes),
FEF-3: 486,340 lb (220.6 tonnes)
Total weightFEF-1: 830,150 lb (376.5 tonnes),
FEF-2: 894,960 lb (405.9 tonnes),
FEF-3: 907,890 lb (411.8 tonnes)
Fuel typeCoal from 1937 to 1946
No. 5 fuel oil from 1946 onwards
Fuel capacityCoal: 50,000 lb (22.7 tonnes),
Oil: 6,000 US gal (22,712.5 litres; 4,996.0 imperial gallons)
Water cap.20,000 US gal (76,000 L; 17,000 imp gal)
Firebox:
 • Firegrate area		100 sq ft (9.3 m2)
Boiler86 3⁄16 in (2189.2 mm) diameter
100 in (2,540 mm) (OD)
Boiler pressure300 lbf/in2 (2.07 MPa)
Heating surface4,224 sq ft (392.4 m2)
 • Tubes2,204 sq ft (204.8 m2)
 • Flues1,578 sq ft (146.6 m2)
 • Firebox442 sq ft (41.1 m2)
Superheater:
​
 • TypeFEF-1/3: Type A
FEF-2: Type E
 • Heating area1,400 sq ft (130 m2)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder sizeFEF-1: 24.5 in × 32 in (622 mm × 813 mm),
FEF-2/3: 25 in × 32 in (635 mm × 813 mm)
Valve gearWalschaerts
Performance figures
Tractive effortFEF-1: 63,611 lbf (283.0 kN),
FEF-2/3: 63,800 lbf (283.8 kN)
Factor of adh.FEF-1/3: 4.24
FEF-2: 4.17
Career
OperatorsUnion Pacific Railroad
ClassFEF-1, FEF-2, and FEF-3
NumbersFEF-1: 800–819,
FEF-2: 820–834,
FEF-3: 835–844
DeliveredFEF-1: 1937,
FEF-2: 1939,
FEF-3: 1944
Retired1958-1959 (but 844 never retired)
PreservedFEF-1: No. 814 preserved, remainder scrapped
FEF-2: No. 833 preserved, remainder scrapped
FEF-3: Nos. 844 and 838 preserved, remainder scrapped
DispositionFEF-1: No. 814 on display
FEF-2: No. 833 on display
FEF-3: No. 844 operational in excursion service, No. 838 in storage as source of spare parts

The final steam locomotives built for the Union Pacific, the FEFs represented the apex of dual-service steam locomotive development in the United States, as funds and research were thereafter concentrated into the development of diesel-electric locomotives. Designed to burn coal, they were converted to run on fuel oil in 1946.[1] They pulled a variety of passenger trains, such as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger,[2] until diesel-electric locomotives took over passenger service. Many FEF series locomotives were reassigned to freight service during the last years of their careers.

Four FEF series locomotives survive, including No. 844, which remains in operational condition and runs in excursion service. The 844 is one of the Union Pacific's oldest serving locomotives[3] and the only steam locomotive never retired by a North American Class I railroad.[4]

Origins

In the late 1930s, rising trainloads started to exceed the limits of the 4-8-2s that were the mainstay of UP passenger operations. One day in 1937, with UP President William Jeffer's business car in the rear, a 7000-class 4-8-2 demonstrated the lack of steaming power inherent in the type. Even as the train was waiting for rescue, a telegram was sent to ALCO in Schenectady seeking something better. The result was the FEF series, a superb class of locomotives that could run at 100 mph and produce between 4,000 and 5,000 drawbar horsepower. They would run about 14,000 miles a month.[5]

Models

The FEF series consisted of three classes of steam locomotives: FEF-1, FEF-2, and FEF-3.

Table of orders and numbers
Class Quantity Manufacturer Alco

Order

No.

 Serial Nos. Year built UP No. Notes
FEF-1 20 American Locomotive Company S-1769 68808-68827 1937 800–819 Converted to oil fuel in 1945–1946.
FEF-2 15 American Locomotive Company S-1811 69161-69175 1939 820–834 Converted to oil fuel in 1945–1946.
FEF-3 10 American Locomotive Company S-1937 72782-72791 1944 835–844 Converted to oil fuel in 1945–1946. No. 844 in excursion service since 1960; renumbered to 8444 from 1962 to 1989.

FEF-1

The first 20 locomotives, numbered 800–819, were delivered by ALCO in 1937. As a whole, they followed the simplest possible arrangement of two outside cylinders, as had the Northumbrian locomotives 108 years earlier. Fitting ALCO's lateral motion devices to the leading coupled wheels eased the negotiation of curves. UP resisted most of the complicated accessories on many other locomotives, resulting in an elegant, uncluttered appearance. Despite frequently running faster than 100 mph (161 km/h), the forces and stresses on the coupling and connecting rods were kept within acceptable limits. There were many reports of the class reaching the design limit of 110 mph (177 km/h).

FEF-2
FEF-2 #825 in a 1943 Union Pacific World War II publicity photo

Dubbed FEF-2, the second batch of 15 was delivered in 1939. Their improvements included larger cylinders, better tractive effort, smoke deflectors on the sides of the smokebox, and driving wheels that were three inches wider in diameter. The biggest change was the replacement of the 12-wheeled tender with a 14-wheeled "pedestal" or "centipede" tender.

FEF-3

Except for the use of some substitute materials, the final batch of 10 were nearly identical to the FEF-2. After World War II, coal supplies were limited by a series of strikes. To safeguard operations, UP converted the 800s to burn oil, and fitted a 6,000-US-gallon (23,000 L; 5,000 imp gal) tank in the bunker space. Otherwise, few modifications were needed to ensure years of mainline service. These were the last steam locomotives delivered for the UP. Like many of the "late era" steam locomotives, their final design was cut short by the advent of diesel locomotives, the new monarchs of the rails. A former manager of the Union Pacific Steam Program said, "Although it is stated that the UP FEF Series were designed to safely operate at 120 mph (190 km/h), no one really knows how fast the final 4-8-4 could go. The last FEF-3 was actually never retired."

Surviving examples

Four FEF series locomotives survive. No. 814 (FEF-1) and No. 833 (FEF-2) are on static display. No. 844 (FEF-3) has remained operational and is used in excursion service. No. 838 (FEF-3) is used solely as a source of spare parts for No. 844.

Surviving FEF locomotives[6]
Type Number Image Date built Serial number Location Coordinates Notes
FEF-1 814 September 1937 68822 RailsWest Railroad Museum, Council Bluffs, Iowa 41°14′52″N 95°51′10″W
FEF-2 833 October 1939 69174 Utah State Railroad Museum, Ogden, Utah 41°13′15″N 111°58′47″W Originally on display at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City, Utah.
FEF-3 838 December 1944 72785 Union Pacific Railroad, Cheyenne, Wyoming 41°7′46.9308″N 104°48′49.1688″W Source of spare parts for 844.
FEF-3 844 December 1944 72791 Union Pacific Railroad, Cheyenne, Wyoming 41°7′46.9308″N 104°48′49.1688″W The only steam locomotive never retired by a North American Class I railroad.[7]

See also

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Union Pacific FEF-1.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Union Pacific FEF-2.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Union Pacific FEF-3.
  1. "Union Pacific 4-8-4 "Northern" Locomotives in the USA". www.steamlocomotive.com. Retrieved 2019-06-05.
  2. See Edmonson, Harold A. and Goodheart, David. "Union Pacific's 8444," at 1 (1989, Goodheart Publications).
  3. Klein, Maury (2011). Union Pacific: The Reconfiguration: America's Greatest Railroad from 1969 to the Present. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 163.
  4. Union Pacific Railroad (2012). "Living Legend No. 844". UP.com. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  5. "Union Pacific 4-8-4 "Northern" Locomotives in the USA".
  6. "UP 1915 Steam Locomotive Roster, Part 4".
  7. UP historical locomotives Archived September 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  • Hollingsworth, Brian; Arthur F. Cook (1996). The Great Book of Trains. Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN 0-517-18462-1.
  • Hollingsworth, Brian (2000). The Illustrated Dictionary of Trains of the World. London: Salamander Books Ltd. ISBN 1-84065-177-6.
  • Union Pacific Northerns at steamlocomotive.com maintained by Wes Barris

Further reading
  • Bush, John E. (2013). Building Union Pacific 844: The Birth of the FEF-3 Steam Class (1st ed.). South Platte Press. ISBN 978-0-942035-98-8.
  • Kratville, William W. (1967). The Mighty 800 (1st ed.). Kratville Publications. ASIN B0007EME4Y.
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