PRR Class E6s 4-4-2 #460
PRR #460 is seen here at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania after a six year cosmetic restoration that began in March of 2010 and was completed on October 16th, 2016. The locomotive was restored to her appearance during her last period of service, 1952 to 1955. Prior to that, between 1982 to 1984, volunteers at the museum had cleaned the locomotive, replaced the wooden window frames and doors, applied rust inhibitor primer and repainted the metal. The locomotive's "asbestos lagging" was removed in 2008.
The "lightweight" E6 class locomotives, of which a total of 83 were built, (81 super-heated) were the premier passenger engines on the PRR’s prestigious New York-Washington “corridor” run.
The engine is known as the "Lindbergh Engine" as it was used to transport the filmed ceremony in Washington DC held by then President Calvin Coolidge. That event was held on June 11th, 1927. Interestingly, the film was actually processed and edited in a converted B60 baggage car while en route to New York. While racing to New York, a competing studio had arranged to fly its film by air. At one point, the plane swooped low and paced the train. While it is claimed speeds of 115 mph were reached, it was the fact that the film arrived already processed and edited, that enabled the studio using the train to "beat the plane" allowing it to show its feature first!
PRR #460 arrived at the then under construction Pennsylvania Railroad Museum in 1969. Interestingly, it was not until December of 1979, that it was officially donated to the museum by the Penn Central Company, which was then what was left of the former Penn Central Transportation Company.
