Someone told me that PRR K4’s had 6000 hp and could pull a train at 145 mph. Is this true?
keep asking keep learning
You sound like you’re confusing the K4 with the T1, although the T1 never had those capabilities either.
In an article in TRAINS by Vernon L. Smith, he did state that the K4 which was rebuilt with poppet valves did attain a speed of 94.7 MPH.
Accorcding to the article in the Steam Glory issue of Classic Trains, T1’s were good for 6100 hp but I don’'t know about the speed. The Popet valve K4 was just under 4000 hp while regular versions were just under 3000 hp.
T1s were fast. I read one unconfirmed report of a T1 hitting 130 MPH.
I have a German language book “Rekord-Lokomotiven” which credits the S-1 with a speed of 141 mph, apparently recorded by an ICC inspector on a late running train out near Crestline in 1941 or 1942.
I don’t doubt that it could run that fast if the driver was brave enough. It was as long as a “Big Boy” with much bigger wheels! It might have developed 6000 HP or so, it was bigger than a T-1.
Peter
NO, The K4 can not do over 100mph.