Norfolk and Western 578: Difference between revisions

In the early 1910s, the [[Norfolk and Western Railway]] (N&W) ordered a fleet of [[4-6-2]] "Pacific" type locomotives from the [[American Locomotive Company]] (ALCO) in order to expand their passenger locomotive fleet.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Norfolk & Western 4-6-2 "Pacific" Locomotives in the USA |url=https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=4-6-2&railroad=nw#4211 |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=www.steamlocomotive.com}}</ref> Sixteen E2 class 4-6-2s were built at ALCO's former [[Richmond Locomotive Works]] plant in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], [[Virginia]] in March 1910, being numbered 564-579, and No. 578 was the second-final member of the class.<ref name=":0" /> Two years later, in 1912, No. 578, along with the rest of the E2 class locomotives, was modified with [[Superheater|superheated]] flues, and it was reclassified as an E2a.<ref name=":0" />

The N&W intially assigned No. 578 to pull the railroad's high-priority [[passenger train]]<nowiki/>s on their mainline throughout [[Virginia]], [[West Virginia]], and [[Ohio]].<ref name=":0" />