El Gobernador

El Gobernador

Central Pacific Railroad No. 237 El Gobernador

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Central Pacific's Sacramento shops Serial number 21 Build date February 1883

Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-10-0  • UIC 2′E n Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 57 in (1,448 mm) Adhesive weight Original: 128,000 lb (58,000 kg; 58 t); Rebuilt: 121,600 lb (55,200 kg; 55.2 t) Loco weight Original: 146,000 lb (66,000 kg; 66 t); Rebuilt: 154,400 lb (70,000 kg; 70.0 t) Boiler pressure 140 lbf/in2 (970 kPa) Cylinder size 21 in × 36 in (533 mm × 914 mm)

Performance figures Tractive effort 33,150 lbf (147.5 kN)

Career Operators Central Pacific, Southern Pacific Railroad Numbers 237, renum. 2050 in 1891 Official name El Gobernador First run March 1884 Scrapped July 15, 1894

El Gobernador was a 4-10-0 steam locomotive built by Central Pacific Railroad at the railroad's Sacramento, California shops. It was the last of Central Pacific's locomotives to receive an official name and was also the only locomotive of this wheel arrangement to operate on United States rails. At the time it was built, El Gobernador was the largest railroad locomotive in the world. Its name is reminiscent of the railroad's first locomotive, Gov. Stanford, as El Gobernador is Spanish for The Governor. This locomotive is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a "Mastodon" type. However, this was the unofficial name for an earlier engine, No. 229, the first 4-8-0 ever built. Both engines looked nearly identical, except that El Gobernador was longer and had an additional pair of drivers.

El Gobernador's construction was completed in February 1883, amid much fanfare from the railroad, but it didn't enter service until March 1884, just over a year later. During this time, while still in Sacramento, the gigantic engine was used as an advertising tool by the railroad, to spectacular effect. According to author Guy L. Dunscomb, the engine was kept under steam near the Central Pacific's passenger depot, where it would await the arrival of passenger trains coming in from the east. As the train arrived, El Gobernador would steam past the depot dragging a long line of empty freight cars behind it and causing quite a stir in the process. The engine would then be uncoupled and placed on adjacent trackage, where the passengers could get a good look at the monster up close.

Part of the delay between construction and operation was due to the railroad's track and infrastructure of the time. It was originally designed to haul trains out of California's San Joaquin Valley via Tehachapi Loop. The locomotive was disassembled into five large subassemblies for transportation to the pass because it was thought to be too heavy for the various bridges along the route to the pass.