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Central Vermont 220

Coordinates: 44°22′28″N 73°14′00″W / 44.37444°N 73.23333°W / 44.37444; -73.23333
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

44°22′28″N 73°14′00″W / 44.37444°N 73.23333°W / 44.37444; -73.23333

Central Vermont No. 220 is a preserved rail locomotive inside an exhibition building at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont.

Central Vermont 220
No. 220 on static display
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderAmerican Locomotive Company
Serial number55018
Build dateFebruary 1915
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte4-6-0
 • UIC2’C
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.69 in (1,800 mm)
Wheelbase58.79 ft (17.92 m) ​
 • Engine27.33 ft (8.33 m)
 • Drivers15.50 ft (4.72 m)
Adhesive weight141,000 lb (64,000 kg)
Loco weight189,000 lb (86,000 kg)
Tender weight139,000 lb (63,000 kg)
Total weight328,000 lb (149,000 kg)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity12 short tons (10.9 tonnes)
Water cap.7,000 US gal (26,000 L; 5,800 imp gal)
Firebox:
 • Grate area53.40 sq ft (4.961 m2)
Boiler pressure200 psi (1,400 kPa)
Heating surface:
 • Firebox184 sq ft (17.1 m2)
CylindersTwo, outside
Cylinder size20 in × 28 in (510 mm × 710 mm)
Performance figures
Tractive effort27,594 lb (12,516 kg)
Factor of adh.5.11
Career
OperatorsCentral Vermont Railway
Power classI-7-a
Number in class3 of 4
NumbersCV 220
Retired1955
Current ownerShelburne Museum
DispositionOn static display, based in Shelburne, Vermont

Background

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In 1915, the American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, New York, built No. 220, the last coal-burning, ten-wheeler steam engine used on the Central Vermont Railway. Because it possessed a medium-sized 4-6-0 engine (4 leading wheels, 6 driving wheels, and 0 trailing small wheels), the No. 220 served double duty pulling both freight and passenger trains. No. 220 became known as the "Locomotive of the Presidents", because of its use on special trains carrying Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.[1]

The steam engine persisted as the only type of locomotive operating in the United States until the introduction of the electric train in 1895 and, even then, steam engines continued to dominate the rails until the 1950s when diesel came into wide use. The inscription "28%" on the coal tender indicates that the engine had the potential to lift or drag up to twenty-eight thousand pounds of dead weight. The Central Vermont Railway retired No. 220 from service in 1955 and presented it to the Shelburne Museum for preservation. The museum built the surrounding shed soon afterward to protect the locomotive and the private car (Grand Isle) from the elements.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Central Vermont / Duluth, Virginia & Rainy Lake 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" Locomotives in the USA". www.steamlocomotive.com. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  • Shelburne Museum. 1993. Shelburne Museum: A Guide to the Collections. Shelburne: Shelburne Museum, Inc.