HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust is passing a new milestone. The non-profit organization cast its first boxpok driver the country has seen in more than 70 years. According to an article published by the organization, the driver is unlike a typical driving wheel in that it is entirely hollow. The design has a high strength-to-weight ratio and allows the fine-tuning necessary for high-speed operations for the PRR T1 4-4-4-4 No. 5550, according to the article.
The organization says the first step in the driver-casting process was to obtain the original drawings from the Pennsylvania State Archives in Harrisburg, Pa. Members of the non-profit group spent hours pulling old drawings and scanning them in to digital format, the article says before selecting a foundry to execute the complex task.
The recent boxpok driver is one of the first components to be built by the organization as efforts continue moving forward as part of the organization’s ongoing Kickstarter campaign.