Canadian National 47

Canadian National 47 (ex-Grand Trunk Railway 1542)
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Montreal Locomotive Works Order number Q-241 Serial number 54896 Build date September 1914
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-4T  • UIC 2′C2′ h2t Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 31.25 in (0.794 m) Driver dia. 63 in (1.600 m) Trailing dia. 31.25 in (0.794 m) Minimum curve 16° Wheelbase 39 ft 4.5 in (12.00 m) Length 50 ft 2.25 in (15.30 m) Adhesive weight 146,000 lb (66.2 t) Loco weight 275,000 lb (124.7 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 5 long tons (5.1 t) Water cap 2,900 imperial gallons (13,000 l; 3,500 US gal) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 47 sq ft (4.4 m2) Boiler pressure 210 lbf/in2 (1.45 MPa) Heating surface:  • Tubes and flues 1,628 sq ft (151.2 m2)  • Firebox 160 sq ft (15 m2) Superheater: ​  • Type Schmidt  • Heating area 342 sq ft (31.8 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 21 in × 26 in (533 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type 11-inch (279 mm) piston valves Train heating Steam heat Train brakes Air
Performance figures Tractive effort 32,487 lbf (144.51 kN)
Career Operators GTR » CN Class GTR: K2 CN: X-10-a Power class CN: 32% Number in class 2 of 6 Numbers GT: 1542 CN: 47 Disposition On display, Steamtown National Historic Site

The Canadian National No. 47 is a preserved 4-6-4 tank locomotive in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It is one of only three preserved CN 4-6-4Ts (CN No. 49 at the Canadian Railway Museum, Delson, Quebec, and CN No. 46 at Vallée-Jonction, Quebec), and is the only Baltic-type suburban tank locomotive remaining in the United States.

History

The No. 47 was built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in September 1914 for the Grand Trunk Railway as its No. 1542, class K2, but became a CN locomotive after the creation of the Canadian National Railway in 1923. Its CN classification was X-10-a. Along with its sister locomotives, No. 47 was based in Montreal and was used exclusively in commuter service. Following retirement in 1959, No. 47 was sold to F. Nelson Blount, and it became a part of his collection in North Walpole, New Hampshire. No. 47 was the first locomotive to run as a Steamtown excursion locomotive, and was intended to become the primary excursion power. It had been given a fresh overhaul in 1958 and was in top mechanical condition when acquired. However, it steamed for only five weeks in 1961 as the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) denied its boiler certification. The maintenance records had been lost in a roundhouse fire in Canada, and it was not possible to verify her boiler condition to government inspectors without an expensive overhaul.

The locomotive was put on static display in North Walpole after its last run and was later moved across the Connecticut River with the rest of the Steamtown, USA, collection to Bellows Falls, Vermont. No. 47 was later moved with the rest of the collection to the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where it currently remains on static display.