I went to the old Jacksonville Union Station for a model train show
this past weekend, and knew about this locomotive being here. It
was to my surprise that during my research, there was not a cache
located here, so I had to fix that.
This cache is part of my 'Trails of the Iron Horse' series, a
series of caches that are located at railroad themed locations. I
am hoping this cache series will catch on nationwide as an effort
to showcase our transportaion history pertaining to our nation's
railroads!
Here is some history of the locomotive:
The 1504 was classed by the Atlantic Coast Line as a P-5-A
Pacific type passenger engine. It was one of the original 81 United
States Railroad Administration 4-6-2As produced, of which the ACL
owned 70. The 1504 spent the first twenty years of its long life in
passenger service hauling 10 to 12 car trains at speeds of 70 to 80
mph. Some of these famous name trains hauled by the 1504 and the
other P-5-A engines were the Miamian, the Florida Special, the
Palmetto Limited, the Southland, the South Wind, and the Dixie
Flyer. After the advent of diesels on the ACL after World War II,
the P-5-A engines were used in fast freight service. 1504 spent its
last years in freight service in the Tampa area, and was retired in
1952.
The 1504 was selected for preservation by Atlantic Coast
Line
president Champion Davis and John W. Hawthorne, head of the ACL
Mechanical Department. In 1960, after some years in storage, the
engine was given a thorough mechanical overhaul and placed on
display in front of the then new ACL General Office Building in
Jacksonville. The 1504 has since been cosmetically restored and
moved to the nearby Prime Osborn Convention Center. The restoration
has not altered the engine mechanically in any way, and because
the
engine has seen no service since its last overhaul, restoration to
service at a future date is possible. The Prime Osborn Convention
Center was originally the Jacksonville Terminal Co. Depot built in
1919, the same year as the 1504. The 1504 spent much of its life
pulling passenger trains in and out of this depot.
(Image & History from:
http://www.metrojacksonville.com)