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}} Nickel Plate Road no. 765 is a 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built for the Nickel Plate Road in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works. in Lima, Ohio. Classified as a "S-2" class Berkshire, the locomotive operated fast, heavy freight and passenger trains until retirement in 1958. Pere Marquette 1225 is also a Lima built Berkshire very similar in appearance and specifications to 765. Following a restoration in 1979 and after a major overhaul in 2005, 765 operates in public exhibition and passenger excursion train service. It is owned and maintained by the (Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, Inc ) (FWRHS) and listed as no. 96001010 on the National Register of Historic Places.〔http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/in/Allen/state.html〕 ==Background== At the turn of the 20th Century, railroads faced a surmounting problem: an increase in traffic and limited steam technology. Railroads commonly relied on drag freights with engines that could pull heavy tonnage but at low speeds. Following experiments with an existing designs, Lima Locomotive Works developed a new wheel arrangement to accommodate an increase in the size of the locomotive's firebox. An increase in the firebox size allowed more coal combustion and subsequent heat output, improving the amount of steam developed and increasing horsepower. These and other modifications created the concept of "horsepower at speed" or "Super-power" in Lima's parlance. In 1925, this "Super-power" technology was successfully realized in a prototype designated the A-1, which was tested in the Berkshire Mountains of the Boston & Albany Railroad, thus earning the common name of the locomotive type. The 2-8-4 design was quickly adopted by the New York Central, Erie Railroad, Illinois Central, Pere Marquette, Boston & Maine, and Chesapeake & Ohio, and the Nickel Plate Road.〔http://www.steamlocomotive.com/berkshire/〕 The Nickel Plate Road was able to eventually employ 80 Berkshires on high-speed freight and passenger trains with the first order (designated S Class) 15 were supplied by the American Locomotive Works (ALCO) in 1934 based on Lima's design. Eight years later, Lima began producing three more sub-classes, which differed from the S class in little more than weight. Class S-1 (715-739) in 1942, class S-2 (740-769) in 1944, and class S-3 (770-779) in 1949. As a group, these engines were referred to as the "Seven Hundreds." An additional number of Berkshires (S-4 class) were acquired when the Nickel Plate Road leased the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad in 1949. As a direct result of the ''Berkshire ''class, the railroad earned a reputation for high-speed service, which later became its motto.〔http://fortwaynerailroad.org/nickel-plate-road-no-765/〕 Nickel Plate Road no. 765's construction was completed on September 8, 1944.〔 ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nickel Plate 765」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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