Boston and Maine 3713

Boston and Maine No. 3713
Boston and Maine 3713 at Steamtown
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Lima Locomotive Works Serial number 7625 Build date December 1934
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2  • UIC 2′C1′ n2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 80 in (2.032 m) Wheelbase 77.58 ft (23.646 m) Adhesive weight 81,000 lb (36.7 tonnes) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 18.5 short tons (16.8 t) Water cap. 12,000 US gallons (45,000 L; 10,000 imp gal) Boiler pressure 260 lbf/in2 (1.79 MPa) Feedwater heater Coffin Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 320 sq ft (30 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 23 in × 28 in (584 mm × 711 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type Piston valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 40,900 lbf (182 kN)
Career Operators Boston and Maine Railroad (1934–1958) Class P-4a Numbers 3713 Official name The Constitution Locale New England Delivered December 1934 Retired 1958 Current owner Steamtown National Historic Site Disposition Undergoing restoration to operating condition

Boston and Maine No. 3713, also known as The Constitution, is a P-4a class 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific type steam locomotive built by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Boston and Maine Railroad in December 1934. This locomotive is currently being rebuilt to working condition at Steamtown National Historic Site. It is the focus of Project3713, a partnership between the National Park Service and the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Railway Historical Society.

History

Design

No. 3713 was one of five P-4a Heavy Pacifics (Nos. 3710-3714) ordered by the Boston and Maine (B&M) in December 1934 at the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio. These locomotives were originally built with smoke deflectors, a single air compressor mounted on their pilot deck, and a metal sky-lining shroud covering up the top of their boiler thus giving them a semi-streamlined appearance. In 1936, B&M order the final batch of five Pacifics (Nos. 3715-3719) delivered in March 1937. These were the last Pacifics built by Lima to date. Slightly classified as P-4b, they were delivered with smoke deflectors, but without the sky-lining shroud.

Designed with 80" drivers, a large firebox, and massive boiler, P-4 Heavy Pacifics would easily cruise at a speed of 70 miles per hour, carrying enough coal to pull a 14-car train for about 250 miles, and enough water to last about 125 miles. Due to wartime conditions with World War II, P-4s were all de-shrouded along with their smoke deflectors removed for easier maintenance. Around 1944 or 1945, a second air compressor was added on all of the locomotives' pilot deck.

Namings

B&M sponsored the New England students a contest to name all five P-4a and five other P-4b after their schools. On December 11, 1937, No. 3713 was named The Constitution by J. Schumann Moore, a 14-year-old student from Eastern High School in Lynn, Massachusetts. Between 1940 and 1941, other winning names were selected to P-4a Pacifics No. 3710 as Peter Cooper, No. 3711 as Allagash, No. 3712 as East Wind, and No. 3714 as Greylock. While the P-4b Pacifics Nos. 3715 to 3719 were also named Kwasind, Rogers’ Rangers, Old North Bridge, Ye Salem Witch, and Camel’s Hump, respectively. Each locomotives all have a plaque representing the students' name and their respective educated school.

Further reading

• Frye, Harry A. (1982). Minuteman Steam: Boston & Maine Steam Locomotives, 1911-1958 (1st ed.). Boston and Maine Railroad Historical Society. ISBN 978-0916578053. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Livesey, Dennis (2016). Smoke Over Steamtown (1st ed.). Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0764351273. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

• Project3713
• Boston & Maine 3713