Pennsylvania Railroad 3750

File:Pennsylvania Railroad 3750 Warren G. Harding Funeral Locomotive.jpg

No. 3750 was one of the fifth batch of 50 K4s (Nos. 3726-3775) built in February-August 1920 at the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania.{{Harvp|Pennypacker|Staufer|1962|p=168}}.{{Harvp|Westing|1956|p=49}}. It was first built with a square-shaped headlight, a round number plate, a screw reverser, and a 70-P-75 type tender, which held {{convert|7000|gal|L}} of water and {{convert|12.5|t|lb}} of coal. No. 3750 along with the other K4s served as PRR's primary mainline passenger steam locomotives. It was initially assigned to run on PRR's Northeast Corridor mainline between Newark, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., pulling passenger trains.{{cite web |title=PRR No. 3750 K4 Pacific |url=http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/about/roster/k4a.shtml |website=Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania |access-date=February 22, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726095759/http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/about/roster/k4a.shtml |archive-date=July 26, 2013 }} During that same year of 1920, No. 3750 was chosen to be one of the locomotives pulling the political campaign train of the infamous Warren G. Harding.{{cite news |last=Alexander |first=Larry |title=Full steam ahead; Railroad Museum explores presidential ties |date=February 29, 2000 |newspaper=Intelligencer Journal |location=Lancaster, Pennsylvania |page=B1}} Three years later, it pulled Harding's funeral train from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland.

In the mid-late 1920s, No. 3750 was re-equipped with a cylindrical-shaped headlight and a keystone shaped number plate.{{Cite web|last=McGonigal|first=Robert S.|date=September 2, 2021|title=Faces of the Pennsylvania Railroad's K4s steam locomotive|url=https://www.trains.com/ctr/railroads/locomotives/faces-of-the-pennsylvania-railroads-k4s-steam-locomotive/|work=Classic Trains|publisher=Kalmbach Media|access-date=February 22, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519130856/https://www.trains.com/ctr/railroads/locomotives/faces-of-the-pennsylvania-railroads-k4s-steam-locomotive/|archive-date=May 19, 2022}} Additionally, No. 3750's original tender was replaced with a 90-P-75 type, which held {{convert|9700|gal|L}} of water and {{convert|21|t|lb}} of coal. In the 1930s, PRR's passenger train consist grew longer and heavier, which led to No. 3750 and the other K4s required to double head and even triple head each other.{{Harvp|Drury|2015|p=269}}.{{Harvp|Schafer|Solomon|2009|p=113}}. Additionally, No. 3750's tender was modified with a mechanical stoker added to increase the locomotive's performance, while No. 3750 was re-equipped with a power reverser.{{Harvp|Westing|1956|p=58}}. At the same time, PRR's Northeast Corridor lines were electrified and the locomotive was relocated to the Chesapeake region, running from Washington, D.C. to Wilmington, Delaware; and York, Pennsylvania along with a brief visit to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. During World War II, No. 3750 was re-equipped with a larger 110-P-75 type tender, which held {{convert|11980|gal|L}} of water and {{convert|18.5|t|lb}} of coal.{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|p=166}}. In 1946, the locomotive was leased to the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), pulling commuter trains on their entire system.{{Harvp|Morrison|2018|p=15}}.

No. 3750 returned to the PRR in 1948, and was re-equipped with a cast steel pilot and a vertically retractable coupler. Its headlight and dynamo's positions were switched from the front and top of the smokebox. Additionally, a platform stand was added to the bottom front of No. 3750's smokebox for the maintenance crew to attend and inspect its headlight and dynamo. Afterwards, the locomotive was allocated to the Central Region west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, mostly in Ohio. In 1955, No. 3750 returned to the Eastern Region, where it hauled commuter trains on the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey. A year later, the locomotive was loaned to the northern New Jersey Shore to pull commuter trains between Perth Amboy and Bay Head, New Jersey on the New York and Long Branch line before finally being retired from revenue service in October 1957. Following its retirement, No. 3750 was put into storage at the West Philadelphia roundhouse, awaiting its fate.

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File:3750 in June of 2021.jpg

During the 1950s, PRR began to salvage each steam locomotive class for preservation; A5 0-4-0 No. 94,{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|pp=15-16}}. B6sb 0-6-0 No. 1670,{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|p=17}}. D16sb 4-4-0 No. 1223,{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|p=109}}. E6 4-4-2 No. 460,{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|p=127}}. E7 4-4-2 No. 7002,{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|p=126}}. G5 4-6-0 No. 5741,{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|p=119}}. H3 2-8-0 No. 1187,{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|p=38}}. H6sb 2-8-0 No. 2846, H10 2-8-0 No. 7688, L1 2-8-2 No. 520,{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|p=53}}. and M1b 4-8-2 No. 6755 at the Northumberland roundhouse in Northumberland, Pennsylvania.{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|p=197}}. Additionally, they chose No. 1737, which was the first of the K4 class built.{{Harvp|Staufer|1962|p=161}}.{{Harvp|Westing|1956|p=47}}. However, they left it outside the Northumberland roundhouse, exposed to the elements due to PRR refurbishing many of their preserved steam locomotives inside the roundhouse with no room left. As a result, No. 1737 was determined to be in a very poor state for preservation.

On April 29, 1958, PRR decided to save No. 3750 from being scrapped by renumbering it as 1737 with the number plate and a nearly identical 110-P-75 type tender from the real No. 1737, and kept it in storage alongside the other preserved steam locomotives at the Northumberland roundhouse.{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania Railroad No. 3750 Historical Marker |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=19955 |website=www.hmdb.org |access-date=February 24, 2025 |language=en}} In February 1960, the deteriorated No. 1737 locomotive was broken up for scrap.

In 1969, No. 3750, still numbered 1737, was moved to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania (RRMPA) in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. The entire PRR steam locomotive collection came under threat in the 1980s when the PRR's successor, the Penn Central estate, sought to raise cash by selling it for scrap.{{cite news |last1=Keefe |first1=Kevin |title=PRR steam: still haughty after all these years |url=http://cs.trains.com/ctr/b/mileposts/archive/2018/05/01/prr-steam-still-haughty-after-all-these-years.aspx |access-date=February 27, 2025 |work=Classic Trains |publisher=Kalmbach Media |date=May 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219130207/http://cs.trains.com/ctr/b/mileposts/archive/2018/05/01/prr-steam-still-haughty-after-all-these-years.aspx |archive-date=February 19, 2019}} The Pennsylvania Legislature intervened, and forgave some back taxes in exchange for PC deeding the collection to the state. The entire PRR steam locomotive collection is now preserved at the RRMPA.{{Cite web |title=Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania {{!}} Roster |url=https://rrmuseumpa.org/collections/roster/ |access-date=2022-04-13 |language=en-US |archive-date=2018-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314174247/https://rrmuseumpa.org/collections/roster/ |url-status=dead }}

During a cosmetic restoration in 1983, No. 3750 had been given back its original number. On December 18, 1987, the Pennsylvania General Assembly designated Nos. 3750 and 1361 as the official state steam locomotives, while also designating GG1 No. 4859 as the state electric locomotive in the same bill.[http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/US/HTM/1987/0/0089..HTM Act of Dec. 18, 1987, P.L. 421, No. 89.] The No. 3750 locomotive currently sits on outdoor display at the RRMPA, exposed to the elements.{{cite magazine |last=Cupper |first=Dan |date=25 June 2021 |title=PRR K4s engine No. 1361 to be restored in $2.6 million campaign |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/prr-k4s-engine-no-1361-to-be-restored-in-2-6-million-campaign/ |magazine=Trains |location=Waukesha, Wisconsin |publisher=Kalmbach Media |access-date=9 July 2021}} The RRMPA volunteer group plans to have the locomotive cosmetically-restored prior to it being placed in a planned roundhouse.{{cite news |last1=Losiewicz |first1=Jay |title=The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission Announces Bid Process is Open for the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s Roundhouse Project |url=https://www.pa.gov/agencies/phmc/newsroom/bid-process-is-open-for-the-railroad-museum-of-pennsylvania-s-ro.html |access-date=February 22, 2025 |work=Government of Pennsylvania |date=February 21, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250222211013/https://www.pa.gov/agencies/phmc/newsroom/bid-process-is-open-for-the-railroad-museum-of-pennsylvania-s-ro.html |archive-date=February 22, 2025 |language=en}}

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• List of Pennsylvania state symbols
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite book|last=Drury|first=George H.|year=2015|title=Guide to North American Steam Locomotives|edition=2nd|publisher=Kalmbach Media|isbn=978-1-62700-259-2}}
• {{Cite book|last=Morrison|first=David D.|year=2018|title=Long Island Rail Road: Oyster Bay Branch|series=Images of Rail|edition=1st|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-1-4671-2854-4}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Pennypacker|first1=Bert|last2=Staufer|first2=Alvin F.|year=1962|title=The Many Faces of the Pennsy K-4|series=Classic Power|edition=1st|publisher=N.J. International Inc.|isbn=0-934088-13-6}}
• {{Cite book|last1=Schafer|first1=Mike|author-link=Mike Schafer (author)|last2=Solomon|first2=Brian|year=2009|title=Pennsylvania Railroad|series=MBI Railroad Color History|edition=2nd|publisher=Voyageur Press|isbn=978-0-7603-2930-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniarail0000scha_w6x8}}
• {{Cite book|last=Staufer|first=Alvin F.|year=1962|title=Pennsy Power: Steam and Electric Locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1900-1957|edition=1st|publisher=Standard Print & Publishing|lccn=62-20878|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/pennsypowersteam00stau}}
• {{Cite magazine|last=Westing|first=Frederick|date=August 1956|title=This is the Story of a Pacific - The World's Greatest K4s|url=https://archive.org/details/trainsmagazineof16unse_8/page/44/mode/2up|magazine=Trains|publisher=Kalmbach Publishing Co.|pages=44-50|access-date=March 1, 2024}}
• {{Cite book|last=Withuhn|first=William|year=2019|title=American Steam Locomotives: Design and Development, 1880–1960|edition=1st|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-03933-0|url=https://archive.org/details/american-steam-locomotives}}

• {{Cite web |url={{NRHP url|id=64000729}} |title=Pennsylvania Railroad Rolling Stock Thematic Resource |date=March 1978 |work=National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form |publisher=National Park Service |accessdate=July 27, 2013 |ref={{sfnRef|Pennsylvania Railroad Rolling Stock|1978}}}}

{{commonscat|Pennsylvania Railroad 3750}}

{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania}}

Category:4-6-2 locomotives

Category:Individual locomotives of the United States

3750

Category:Railway locomotives on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania

Category:Symbols of Pennsylvania

Category:Collection of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

Category:Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Category:Preserved steam locomotives of Pennsylvania