Central Pacific 173
The Central Pacific Railroad number 173 was a 4-4-0 steam locomotive built by Norris-Lancaster for the Western Pacific Railroad in 1864. After its acquisition by Central Pacific, 173 was involved in a bad wreck, lying idle for two years before undergoing a sweeping reconstruction by the line's Sacramento Shops. It subsequently became the prototype for the railroad's engines when the CP began constructing locomotives. The engine was successful, and more engines were built to 173's design.
In the 1950s its blueprints became the basis for a miniature railroad built by Hollywood movie studio owner and railroad enthusiast Walt Disney, who had a 1:8 replica built by the studio's machine shop. The Lilly Belle which resulted was widely copied by other "live steam" hobbyists, and became the basis for the future Disneyland theme park's miniature railroad's engine, the C. K. Holliday.
History
The locomotive was built in 1864 by Norris-Lancaster for the Western Pacific Railroad, which had it designated H in keeping with its alphabetic scheme and named it the Sonoma. The engine became Central Pacific's #173 after the railroad acquired the Western Pacific in 1869. A train wreck involving CP 173 and 177 occurred at Alameda Junction on November 14, 1869, and both engines were brought to the railroad's extensive shops in Sacramento two years later. Here, master mechanic Andrew Jackson "A.J." Stevens was given the task of rebuilding the 173. Though extensive damage was sustained from the wreck, Stevens found many of the engine's parts to be reusable, and had decided to use the 173 as a test bed for the railroad's entry into the locomotive manufacturing business. The rebuild was extensive enough that the Central Pacific listed itself as the builder in subsequent records. The rebuilt 173, finished in November 1872, was well received by the railroad, and soon the shops produced twelve engines based on its design. Three of these were sold to other roads, among which was Virginia and Truckee Railroad's Dayton locomotive, which is the only preserved example of 173's design. Additionally, as the railroad's existing engines were serviced at the shops, the names would be removed, Stevens had their stacks, domes, and other features would be replaced with ones of his design- identical or similar to those of 173, thus giving the railroad's engines a more unified appearance, a practice which would later similarly be employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad.As a side note, smaller engine 177 was even more extensively rebuilt in 1873, apparently with very little if any of the original engine reused, and was also listed as built by Central Pacific in the records. Through the 1891 to 1901 numbering period, #173 became SP #1285, and would later become SP #1523 in 1907. The locomotive was finally scrapped in 1909, while 177 was sold to an unknown buyer in 1886.
Subsequent Builds
Following the success of the design, twelve subsequent locomotives were constructed based on 173's drawings. They either stayed within the CP, or were sold off the other railroads, such as the Virginia and Truckee Railroad and the Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad.| No. | Type | Builder | Construct. # | Build Date | Dimensions Dr.-Cyls.-Weight | 1891 No. | Later Nos. |
| #173 | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | Original Pattern, never listed. | 1864, Rebuilt 1872. | 54-17x24-74000 | #1285 | #1523 |
| #55 | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 1 | 6-1873 | 56-17x24-74000 | #1272 | #1516 |
| #99 | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 2 | 7-1873 | 56-17x24-74000 | #1276 | #1519 |
| LA&SP* | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 3 | 8/9-1873 | Assume Like Dimensions | ||
| #135 | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 4 | 8-1873 | 56-17x24-74070 | #1281 | |
| V&T #17 Columbus | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 5 | 9/1873 | 60-18x24-74000 | ||
| V&T #18 Dayton | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 6 | 9-1873 | 58-18x24-74000 | ||
| #188 | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 7 | 10-1873 | 60-18x24-74000 | #1368 | |
| #187 | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 8 | 10-1873 | 60x18x24-74000 | #1367 | |
| #142 | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 9 | 11-1873 | 56-17x24-74000 | #1282 | #1520 |
| #179 | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 10 | 12-1873 | 56-17x24-74000 | #1286 | 2nd #1368 |
| #186 | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 11 | 1-1874 | 56-17x24-74000 | #1291 | #1525 |
| #167 | 4-4-0 | C.P. Shops, Sacto. | 12 | 2-1874 | 56-17x24-74000 | #1283 |
Miniature replicas
In 1950, Walt Disney began to build the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, a miniature railroad in his backyard. Walt saw a photo of 173 and decided to build a model of it for his railroad. Southern Pacific draftsman David L. Joslyn located the specifications of 173 in a warehouse of SP's old records, and recreated the 173's drawings scaled down to two inches to one foot. The "Lilly Belle" built from them operated for a few years in Walt's backyard railroad, and when it was shut down, the 173 model was displayed in Disneyland's Main Street station for nearly fifty years, before moving to the new Walt Disney Family Museum, dedicated to Disney's legacy.At the Disneyland Railroad, the No. 1 C.K. Holliday locomotive is also modeled after the 173, bearing a strong resemblance to it.
1:8 Scale models of the CP173 have become very popular with "live steamer" railroad hobbyists. In fact, most build the CP173 from castings. The most popular locomotives are made by Railroad Supply Co.