To contribute or to help restore the Casey Jones / 2156 steam locomotive, please contact our steam foreman.
Steam locomotive 2156 is a light 4-6-2 "Pacific," built in 1909 to help handle the Northern Pacific's increasing passenger business. Based on the successful Q-1 class, Q-3 engines 2148-2170 were constructed by Baldwin (2148-2157) and Alco (2158-2170.) They were well-liked by the crews, capable of cruising at 95 mph. Vital stats: 200 psi superheated steam, 236,000 lbs engine weight, 69" drivers, 22"x26" cylinders, 31,000 lbs tractive effort. The Q-3s generally served the east end of the system, running west from St. Paul and Duluth, but 2156 is known to have been assigned to the NP's premier passenger train, the "North Coast Limited," between Livingston and Butte in Montana. By the 1930s, the Q-3s had been bumped from the main lines by newer, larger engines, but continued to lead long, productive lives on branch lines. The last left the roster in 1959.
Of the seven classes of 4-6-2's on the NP, only members of class Q-3 escaped the scrapper's torch. The NP was very generous, donating a total of four to towns along the line. 2152 went to Auburn, Washington in March 1958. It remains on display, under a canopy roof. 2153 went to East Grand Forks, Minnesota. In 2000 MTM purchased it, and it has been moved to Jackson Street. 2156 went to St. Paul, Minnesota. It was displayed in Como Park until 1980, when MTM began its restoration. 2164 went to Bismark, North Dakota, where it is displayed at the Camp Hancock State Historic Site.
In 1980 the Minnesota Transportation Museum leased 2156 for restoration and operation. Lagging was removed from the boiler, flues removed, and siderods and pistons disassembled for renovation before major damage was discovered. While on display, water had gotten into the fireman's side high-pressure steam passage, frozen, and cracked about a square foot out of the side of the steam passage. Since this is an inner part of the complicated cylinder casting, repair would not be cheap. The restoration effort stalled, and 2156 sat partially stripped for many years. The lease eventually came up for renewal, and St. Paul opted to sell 2156 to the musuem.
(The tender with 2156 has a story of its own. Number 31E4, it was built by Alco in October 1920 with Q-5 number 2229. 2156's original tender, number 10E56, was dismantled in Brainerd on August 26th, 1931. This sort of swapping was very common on the NP, as engines were fitted with a tender most appropriate to their current assignment. The tenders were numbered, and accounted for, separately from the engines. None of MTM's three NP steam engines have their original tenders.)
Great News! On December 8th, 2000 the 2156 became the first locomotive to go inside the Jackson Street Roundhouse, probably since the William Crooks was dismantled there and trucked to the St. Paul Union Depot for display.
2156's restoration has begun again. It is inside the roundhouse in stall 16, under the 25-ton overhead crane. The boiler has been cleaned down to bare metal, inside and out. Crews are busy taking ultrasonic thickness readings every three inches, which will tell where the boiler must be repaired to assure its integrity as a pressure vessel. Myriad small parts are being cleaned and repaired in the machine shop. Next steps include running gear work and repairing the break in the fireman's side cylinder.
MTM will gladly accept donations towards the restoration of 2156.
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