Great Western 51

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Great Western 51
File:Great Western 51 (32601576522).jpg Great Western 51
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 28665 Build date July 1906
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-0 Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Driver dia. 52 in (1.321 m) Wheelbase:  • Engine 21.83 ft (6.65 m)  • Drivers 14.17 ft (4.32 m) Adhesive weight 119,000 lbs (53,978 kg) Loco weight 132,000 lbs (59,874 kg) Tender weight 120,000 lbs (54,431 kg) Total weight 252,000 lbs (114,305 kg) Water cap 7000 gals (26.52 m³) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 31 sq ft (2.9 m2) Boiler pressure 190 psi (13.10 kPa) Heating surface:  • Tubes 280 -2" in (51 mm)  • Tubes and flues 13.46 ft (4.10 m)  • Firebox 138.80 sq ft (12.895 m2) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 20 in × 26 in (510 mm × 660 mm) Valve gear Stephenson
Performance figures Tractive effort 32,300 lbf (143.68 kN) Factor of adh. 3.68
Career Operators Fillmore and Western Railway Numbers GW 51 SP 3540 GW 666 F&W 51 Current owner Fillmore and Western Railway Disposition Stored

Great Western 51 is a 2-8-0 consolidation type Steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in July 1906 to haul sugar beets and freight on the Great Western Railroad Company of Colorado. On June 24, 1965, the locomotive appeared in Cat Ballou. In May 1986 it went to Vancouver to participate at SteamExpo during Expo 86 in British Columbia, Canada. In the early 1990s, the locomotive was on Indiana Jones and the Winds of Change. On August 14, 1992, the locomotive appeared in Stay Tuned dressed as GW 666. In September 15, 1995, the locomotive appeared in XXL by a French singer Mylène Farmer. As of 2024, the locomotive is now in storage and it is unknown if the locomotive is ready to be restored into operating condition.

History

Great Western 51 is a 2-8-0 consolidation type Steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in July 1906 to haul sugar beets and freight on the Great Western Railroad Company of Colorado. The locomotive also had a twin, #52. #52 was retired in April 1952 and was scrapped. In December 1957, the locomotive was sitting outside the engine roundhouse while getting ready for work. It had been a while since #51 lingered to be sold to Boulder Scientific in 1963. According to Wes Barris's Surviving Locomotives website, #51 wound up operating on the Fillmore & Western Railway in Fillmore, California, from which it was bought by Jim Birmingham and moved back to Hudson, Colo. On June 23, 1963, it was in a doubleheader with GW 75. On September 2, 1963, the locomotive was at the Roundhouse in Loveland, Colorado On June 24, 1965, the locomotive appeared in Cat Ballou. On September 24, 1966, the locomotive was joined at the Rocky Mountain Club excursion runs. The depot had long been closed by this time and was relegated to storage.

File:GW 51-1.jpg

GW 51-1.

More recently, in May 1986, the engine participated at SteamExpo 86 in Vancouver, alongside other engines. After that, it was shipped to Washington State where it operated for many years at the Yakima Valley Rail & Steam Museum (where it was converted to burn oil). It has been reported she is being rebuilt in Hudson, Colorado, and its owner is still holding on to some coaches that could be used (Mead RR museum). In the early 1990s, the locomotive was on Indiana Jones and the Winds of Change. In January 1992, the locomotive was dressed as Southern Pacific 3540. On August 14, 1992, the locomotive appeared in Stay Tuned dressed as GW 666. On September 15, 1995, the locomotive appeared in XXL by a French singer Mylène Farmer. No. 51 was then moved to the Fillmore and Western Railway in the early 1990s, and operated there on special occasions and for movie work, but has been out of service for the past few years. As of 2024, she now resides at the Hudson Terminal Railroad, stored serviceable, running roughly once a year in the yard.

Appearances in media

• In 1965, the engine appeared in the film, Cat Ballou, by Elliot Silverstein.
• In the early 1990s, the locomotive appeared in the film, Indiana Jones and the Winds of Change.
• In 1992, the locomotive appeared in the film, Stay Tuned, dressed as GW 666.

See Also

• Great Western 60
• Great Western 75
• Great Western 90

External Links

This article "Great Western 51" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Great Western 51. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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