Broadway Limited Imports, HO Scale, 6964, A-3, 4-8-4, Northern Pacific, (Post-1947), #2662

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6964 Northern Pacific A-3 4-8-4, #2662, Post-1947, Gray Boiler, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC, Smoke, HO

By the 1920s, the Northern Pacific Railroad recognized the need for larger passenger locomotives. Collaborating with the design engineers of the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), Northern Pacific designed a revolutionary new locomotive featuring a massive firebox with a 115 square foot grate area, supported by a four-wheel trailing truck. This innovation resulted in the first locomotive with a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement. ALCO delivered the initial batch of 12 locomotives in December 1926, with the remainder arriving early in 1927. Designated as Class A and assigned road numbers 2600 through 2611, these locomotives boasted 73" drivers, 28 x 30" cylinders, a boiler pressure of 210 psi, a tractive effort of 57,500 pounds, and a weight of 426,000 pounds. An increase in boiler pressure to 240 psi later raised the tractive effort to 65,700 pounds. These pioneering 4-8-4 locomotives were named after the Northern Pacific, a name quickly shortened to "Northern."

In 1934, the Baldwin Locomotive Works produced ten Class A-2 locomotives (road numbers 2650 through 2659). These heavy Northerns featured 77" drivers, 28 x 31" cylinders, a boiler pressure of 260 psi, a tractive effort of 69,800 pounds, and a weight of 489,400 pounds. By 1938, Northern Pacific took delivery of eight Class A-3 locomotives (road numbers 2660 through 2667), while three additional units were delivered to the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S) as Class E-1. These locomotives shared the same specifications as the Class A-2, but each weighed 2,400 pounds more. The SP&S units differed slightly as they were oil burners.

In 1941, Baldwin delivered eight Class A-4 locomotives (road numbers 2670 through 2677), which maintained the specifications of the A-3s but differed in appearance. These locomotives featured 14-wheel centipede tenders, vestibule cabs, and were 1,000 pounds heavier. The final batch of 4-8-4 locomotives acquired by Northern Pacific was the Class A-5, built by Baldwin in 1943. This group of 10 locomotives (road numbers 2680 through 2689) adhered to the same specifications as the A-4s but ended up being 16,200 pounds heavier. Weighing in at 508,500 pounds, these were among the heaviest Northern type locomotives ever constructed, surpassed only by the Santa Fe Class 2900s. 

Unfortunately, none of the Northern Pacific Northerns have survived to the present day.