PRR
Class I-1 tender (fuel oil car conversion) walk-around
Decapod
locomotives had been run in the United States since shortly after the
end of the Civil War, but was not until well into the 20th Century that
the Pennsylvania Railroad became the first road to invest in 2-10-0s in
a major way. The I-1s were built to move trains of coal and other raw
materials over the steep grades of the Allegheny Mountains to the
steel mills around Pittsburgh. The first batch of 123 I-1s were built
at the PRR Juanita Shops just prior to World War I, with Baldwin
building another 475 locomotives postwar. The Hippos were active on the
PRR up until the late 1950s, but they were not fondly regarded by
crews, being very hard riders.
Only one I-1 survives, Baldwin-built #4483, which was displayed by
Westinghouse Air brake for many years before being acquired by the
WNYRHS and moved to Hamburg New York. Additionally, the Railroader's
Memorial Museum at Altoona, PA has a former I-1 tender that was
refitted as a fuel oil car following the end of steam.
