Looking for information about an old photograph I have of a locomotive, and apparently its crew. Shows C.ofGa.Ry. Below this is the number P-68-ii-30.8. Large number further back on locomotive is 1619. I'm not a railroad enthusiast, so don't know anything about these old locomotives, but thought one of you folks might know something about this particular locomotive, it's history, or at least the route it traveled. Would appreciate any help you might provide.

-- Trish Jones (jonesbp2@attbi.com), February 18, 2002

Answers

The Interstate Commerce Commission report of this accident can be found at http://specialcollections.tasc.dot.gov/scripts/ws.dll? login&site=dot_railroads. Type in Central of Georgia in the General field and it will give a list from 1911-1966.

-- Steve Riley (jriley1002@aol.com), February 19, 2002.

Locomotive 419 was pulling passenger train no 6 an Augusta to Savannah train and was destroyed when it hit train no 1, a local passenger train head on west of Ogeechee. The accident was caused by the failure of the crew of No. 1 to heed a meet order that had been changed from Rocky Ford to Ogeechee. No 1 passed the meeting point at Ogeechee and hit no 6 destroying its locomotive no 425, killing 5 people which included both engine crews and a railway mail clerk. Speed at the time of impact was estimated to be 50-55 MPH.

-- Steve Riley (jriley1002@aol.com), February 19, 2002.

Trish,

All of the numbers and markings on a steam locomotive have some significance. The numbers underneath the "C. of Ga. Ry." are the locomotive's class designation. The "P" indicates that it is a "Pacific" or 4-6-2 locomotives. (That type of locomotive has 4 small leading wheels, followed by 6 large driving wheels, and 2 small trailing wheels.)

The "68" specifies the diameter in inches over the drivers (or main wheels." The next number should be a fraction (21/28). The top number gives the cylinder diameter and the bottom gives the piston stroke (both in inches.)

The "30.8" shows the locomotive's tractive effort in pounds, rounded to the nearest thousand pounds. In this case, locomotive 1619 could develop 30,800 pounds (the railroad's spec sheet shows 30,870.)

The large number on the tender (the car at the rear of the locomotive) is the locomotive's road number. Central of Georgia locomotive 1619 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1906. Its construction number was 29300. In 1925, the Central renumbered all of its locomotives into 3-digit numbers. At that time, No. 1619 became No. 419.

No. 419 was destroyed in a wreck at milepost 63 on the Savannah Division on July 23, 1936. The Society has some accident reports from that era, but I couldn't find one for that particular wreck.

The Central used all of their "Pacific" locomotives in passenger service.

Allen Tuten

-- Allen Tuten (allen@cofg.org), February 19, 2002.