Class R-1 4-8-4's

the "Eighteen-hundreds"

This page provides an overview of some of my favorite steam locomotives used in the United States, the Class R-1 4-8-4's of the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Railroad.

The ACL R-1's were built in 1938 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the road's lucrative passenger traffic between Richmond, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida. While officially classified as R-1 locomotives, trainmen and locals along the ACL knew them as "eighteen hundreds".  The R-1's were the only "modern" steam locomotives owned by the ACL.

These engines replaced double-headed USRA light Pacifics on the road's passenger trains and their performance initially exceeded all expectations. During testing, no. 1800 accelerated a 20 car, 1500 ton passenger train (consisting of friction bearing heavy weight cars) from a dead stop to 70 miles per hour in 11-1/2 minutes and 11 miles. In passenger service, the R-1's initially made as high as 18,000 miles per month. The R-1's could hold to the scheduled running times of the fastest passenger trains with as many as 21 heavy weight cars. Initially, the maximum operating speed was limited to 80 MPH, but after the running gear balance was adjusted their speed was later raised to 90 MPH. Although 90 MPH was the "official" speed limit for these engines, amateur observers (my father for one) occasionally clocked them in excess of 100 MPH on the ACL's mostly level and straight mainline.

After WWII, as the locomotives were shifted to fast freight service, they were known to consistently outperform 3-unit, 4000+ HP consists of EMD FT diesels on perishable fruit trains.

ACL no. 1802 at Richmond, VA

Cab Photo of R-1 from the 1941 Locomotive Cyclopedia

ACL R-1 No. 1809 at Jacksonville, Florida, April 14, 1948

photo by C.W. Jernstrom