Photo of the Month - December 2006
200dpi jpg 201K
Pennsylvania
Railroad
K4 #5493 on Track 8 at Columbus Union Station.
(Photo from the DAK
Collection)
There was a time when the railroads took great pride in their facilities
and train equipment. K4 #5493 is an example of that pride with its clean and shiny
train. It is a little difficult to place the exact date for this photo.
K4's were the PRR's top passenger steam locomotives through the 1940's. They
were built between 1914-1928. This particular locomotive was
probably built toward the mid 1920's. In 1930 Columbus Union
Station's original 1893 train shed was replaced with a new concourse and the
umbrella-type platform roofs seen in the photo. It is likely this
photo was taken sometime in the 1930's.
Behind the locomotive is the station concourse leading from the tracks to the main
part of the station visible to the right, just over the train sitting on Track 6. The bridge in the background is for Fourth Street just east
of the station. PRR westbound trains could be coming from either Cleveland-Akron or most
likely Pittsburgh. They would be heading toward Chicago, Cincinnati or St. Louis.
Judging from the whiff of steam she is ready to go.
Addendum #1 - Dave Bunge of Woodbury, TN, pointed out
....that Track 8 was used
by the NYC not the PRR. Something unusual must have been going on
such as a derailment blocking the usual PRR track or perhaps this was a
special train that was actually going to enter either the B&O or PRR
trackage, which is where Track 8 would lead this train. There is
probably another answer to the puzzle which we will never know.
Addendum #2 - Richard Jacobs an expert on the PRR in Columbus, Ohio
had this information about the picture of #5493.
I am writing to fill in some gaps on the
photo of PRR K4s # 5493 on Columbus Union Station track # 8. I
suspect this photo was shot during the summer of 1928. The engine was
turned out by the PRR shops at Altoona, Pa. in Feb. of 1928.
In the late 1920's, Air Conditioning on
railroad passenger cars was a new thing. This was a demonstration
train making the rounds of cities. The consist was a PRR P70 coach,
PRR D78 dining car and a heavyweight Pullman car. All three were Air
Conditioned.
Track # 8 was normally used for westbound NYC
(Big-4) passenger trains. This train would have operated over the
tracks of several railroads.
I have another photo of this train
stopped on the PRR's Columbus and Xenia tracks just west of Union
Station. I don't know if the train left Columbus with # 5493 or
not. I presume it left over the NYC.
