Atlantic Coast Line 1504

Atlantic Coast Line 1504 is a 4-6-2 steam locomotive built in March 1919 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond, Virginia, for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) as a member of the P-5-A class under the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) standard. No. 1504 was assigned to pull ACL's premier main line passenger trains during the 1920s to early 40s and even main line freight trains in the late 1940s until it was retired from revenue service at the end of 1952.

In 1960, No. 1504 was put on display in Jacksonville, Florida as the only original USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive to be preserved. In 1990, it was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). No. 1504 was cosmetically restored three times in 1989, 1998, and 2015.

As of 2024, the No. 1504 locomotive is currently being restored to operating condition for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express shortline railroad in Clewiston, Florida as part of U.S. Sugar's (USSC) heritage tourist passenger train named the Sugar Express, where it will eventually run alongside ex-Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) No. 148.

Design and abilities
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 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) where they served as ACL's primary main line passenger steam locomotives. Originally classified as a P-5 and numbered 497, it was reclassified as a P-5-A and renumbered to 1504 in 1920. Designed with 25 x cylinders and 73 in driving wheels, these arrangements made No. 1504 and the P-5-As produce 47535 lbf of tractive effort, which allowed them to haul 10-12 passenger cars at more than 70 mph.

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. Additionally, it holds 16 t of coal and 10000 gal of water. 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.

Revenue service
No. 1504 and the P-5-As hauled the Coast Line Florida Mail, Florida Special, Everglades Limited, Havana Special, Miamian, Palmetto Limited, and Vacationer passenger trains on the ACL main line between Richmond, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida. They even haul the Dixie Flyer between Atlanta, Georgia and Jacksonville; the Southland between Albany, Georgia and Tampa, Florida; and the South Wind between Montgomery, Alabama and Jacksonville. 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. During the winter of 1939 and 1940, the P-5-As were found capable of handling the Miamian on a 645 mi run from Richmond to Jacksonville in 11 hours and 25 minutes, providing an average speed of 56.5 mph. As the ACL railroad dieselized its passenger trains in the late 1940s after World War II, No. 1504 and the other P-5-As were relegated to main line freight service where they hauled 50-60 freight cars at maximum allowable speeds. No. 1504 hauled freight trains in the Tampa area until its retirement from revenue service on December 31, 1952.

Preservation and display
In 1953, ACL president Champion Davis ordered ACL mechanical department manager John W. Hawthorne to salvage No. 1504 from the scrap line for preservation. 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. 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.

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. On October 23, 1990, No. 1504 was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). It was renovated two times in 1989 and 1998.

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. When No. 1504 was being inspected, it was discovered to be in fair condition, excluding its tender.

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. The cosmetic restoration work would include adding new cab windows and doors, and renovating the headlamp. In July 2015, the Project Return to Glory group volunteers finished cosmetically restoring the No. 1504 locomotive with new paint. On January 23, 2018, No. 1504 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Return to operating service
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. 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. No. 1504 is currently undergoing an extensive restoration and rebuild performed by FMW Solutions.

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. No. 1504's driving wheels were sent to be repaired at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga. 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.