USRA Light Pacific

The USRA Light Pacific was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I. It was the standard light passenger locomotive of the USRA types, with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or 2′C1′ in UIC classification.

History
A total of 81 locomotives were built under USRA control, and were sent to the following railroads:

After the dissolution of USRA, the ACL and L&N ordered additional copies of the USRA Light Pacific design, while both the Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW) and the Mobile and Ohio Railroad (M&O) also ordered copies in the 1920s.

Atlantic Coast Line 1504
No. 1504 is one of seventy USRA Light Pacifics built by ALCO for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). Classified as a P-5-A, No. 1504 had the capability to haul 10-12 passenger cars at 70–80 mph (113–129 km/h) between Richmond, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida. It was assigned to haul the ACL's premier passenger trains such as the Miamian, Florida Special, Palmetto Limited, Southland, South Wind and Dixie Flyer. On December 25, 1952, ACL retired the No. 1504 locomotive from revenue service and put it on static display in front of their headquarters building in Jacksonville, where it became the only USRA Light Pacific steam locomotive preserved in original as-built condition.

In 1986, ACL's successor, CSX donated the No. 1504 locomotive to the Jacksonville City Council, where they relocated it to its new static display site in the parking lot of the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, located at the former Jacksonville Union Terminal. In 1990, the No. 1504 locomotive was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). In 2021, the locomotive was purchased by the U.S. Sugar Corporation (USSC) in Clewiston, Florida, where it is being restored to operating condition for use in excursion service on the South Central Florida Express shortline railroad as part of USSC's heritage tourist passenger train named the Sugar Express.

Grand Trunk Western 5629
No. 5629 was one of five copies (Nos. 5627-5631) of the USRA Light Pacifics built in 1924 by ALCO for the Grand Trunk Western (GTW). Classified as a K-4-a, No. 5629 was assigned to pull commuter trains throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. In 1960, the locomotive was purchased by Richard Jensen, who subsequently restored it to pull excursion trains on the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT). It was initially stored at a Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) roundhouse in Hammond, Indiana before Jensen moved it to another roundhouse, which was owned by the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad (C&WI). No. 5629 was refitted with a larger ex-Soo Line tender to pull long-distance excursions throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and the state of Indiana.

In the early 1970s, Jensen was running into some financial trouble, due to legal issues with the C&WI and a loss of access to nearby railroads, and he lost all motivation to operate steam excursions. No. 5629 would be stored in Penn Central's yard outside of Chicago Union Station, until Jensen searched for another location to store the locomotive. He subsequently reached an agreement with the Rock Island Railroad (RI) to store it within the Burr Oak freight yard at Blue Island, Illinois, but he never paid rent that was owed to the railroad.

In March 1980, the RI went bankrupt, and Metra acquired the Burr Oak yard. They ordered Jensen to move No. 5629 to the nearby Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS), but upon inspecting it to be moved, he discovered that it was vandalized during its time stored in Blue Island. Upon hearing about No. 5629's current condition, Metra wanted to help Jenson, who actually subsequently formulated a plan to allow the No. 5629 locomotive to be scrapped, leading to him suing Metra to gain a million dollars.

After Jensen inconsiderately refused to remove his locomotive from the Burr Oak yard, Metra went to court, who ordered Metra to scrap the No. 5629 locomotive as the only alternative solution. Many groups, such as the Illinois Railway Museum, offered to purchase the locomotive for $15,000 and move it out of harm’s way, but Jensen declined and instead removed No. 5629's journal boxes to prevent the locomotive from being moved out of the Blue Island freight yard. On July 14, 1987, the court ordered Metra to scrap the No. 5629 and the railroad reluctantly contacted the Erman-Howell Division of the Luria Brothers Scrap Company to dispose of the locomotive. After the scrapping, Jensen sued Metra as planned, but he eventually lost the case.

Grand Trunk Western 5632
No. 5632 was one of three K-4-b class 4-6-2's (Nos. 5632-5634) constructed by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Eddystone, Pennsylvania in November 1929, and it was delivered to the Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW) in 1930. The K-4-b locomotives were follow-ups to the K-4-a class (Nos. 5627-5631). The only difference from the USRA design is that the K-4-b class was equipped with an all-weather vestibule cab and an enclosed coffin feedwater heater. The GTW ordered the K-4-b's from Baldwin to use them for their sleeper trains—the Chicago Express and the Detroit Express—between Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan, in competition with the Michigan Central (MC), but both trains were quickly discontinued, due to challenges from the Great Depression.

No. 5632 was subsequently reassigned to pull regular passenger trains in the GTW's Chicago Division between Chicago and Port Huron, Michigan alongside the K-4-a's. In 1938, when the GTW received six streamlined U-4-b class 4-8-4 locomotives, No. 5632 was relegated to the GTW's Detroit Division, where it was reassigned again to pull commuter trains between Detroit and Muskegon. The K-4-b last operated for the GTW on June 13, 1958, before it was retired from revenue service. In August 1960, the GTW donated No. 5632 to the city of Durand, Michigan. The following year, in 1961, the K-4-b was put on static display near the GTW mainline in Durand, and a dedication ceremony was held on May 20.