Hallmark Cards - QXE3267 - Locomotive, Steam, 4-6-2, Pacific K4 - Pennsylvania - 1361

Specific Item Information: The K4 steamers were the premier passenger locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Train collectors will love to step back in time and add this classic Christmas tree ornament to their holiday decor. In vibrant yellow with gray and black accents, the Lionel Trains 1361 Pennsylvania K4 steam engine decoration is made of die-cast metal with wheels that turn.

Series Information: Hallmark Cards' Collector's Series is a series of Christmas tree ornaments from its Keepsake Ornament range.

Model Information: As part of its Keepsake Ornament range, Hallmark Cards offers replica in 1:160 scale of Lionel train models of the past. These die-cast metal items are - obviously - not motorized as they are meant as ornament for Christmas trees.

Prototype History: Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The 4-6-2 locomotive became almost globally known as a Pacific type. The type is well-suited to high speed running. The world speed record for steam traction of 126 miles per hour (203 kilometres per hour) has been held by a British Pacific locomotive, the Mallard, since 3 July 1938.

The Pennsylvania Railroad's K4s 4-6-2 "Pacific" (425 built 1914–1928, PRR Altoona, Baldwin) was their premier passenger-hauling steam locomotive from 1914 through the end of steam on the PRR in 1957.

Attempts were made to replace the K4s, including the K5 and the T1 duplex locomotive, but none was really successful, and the K4s hauled the vast majority of express passenger trains until replaced by diesel locomotives. The K4s was not powerful enough for the heavier trains it often pulled from the mid-1930s onward, so they were often double or even triple headed. This was effective, but expensive—several crews were needed. The PRR did have the extra locomotives, many having been displaced by electrification.

From Wikipedia

Road Name History: The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR) was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy," the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The PRR was the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the U.S. for the first half of the twentieth century. Over the years, it acquired, merged with or owned part of at least 800 other rail lines and companies. At the end of 1925, it operated 10,515 miles of rail line; in the 1920s, it carried nearly three times the traffic as other railroads of comparable length, such as the Union Pacific or Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroads. Its only formidable rival was the New York Central (NYC), which carried around three-quarters of PRR's ton-miles.

At one time, the PRR was the largest publicly traded corporation in the world, with a budget larger than that of the U.S. government and a workforce of about 250,000 people. The corporation still holds the record for the longest continuous dividend history: it paid out annual dividends to shareholders for more than 100 years in a row.

In 1968, PRR merged with rival NYC to form the Penn Central Transportation Company, which filed for bankruptcy within two years. The viable parts were transferred in 1976 to Conrail, which was itself broken up in 1999, with 58 percent of the system going to the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), including nearly all of the former PRR. Amtrak received the electrified segment east of Harrisburg.

Brand/Importer Information: Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In addition to greeting cards, Hallmark also manufactures such products as party goods, gift wrap, and stationery. In 1973, Hallmark Cards started manufacturing Christmas ornaments. The Hallmark Keepsake Ornament collection is dated and available for just one year.