Illinois Central 4-8-2 2542 had been built at the railroad’s shops at Paducah, Kentucky in February 1942 using the boiler from 2-10-2 2906. It has 30x30-cylinders, 70-inch drivers, a boiler pressure of 240 pounds and weighs 409,500 pounds. The 2452 was retired October 1960, following the delivery of the railroad’s first order of GP18’s 9400-9414, and in 1962 it was placed on display in McComb, Mississippi’s EDGEWOOD PARK, where the photo was taken. In 2000 it was transferred to the McCOMB RAILROAD MUSEUM and moved to a sheltered site on the north side of the former IC depot. The 2542 is one of only two preserved IC Mountains, the other being the 2500 at Centralia, Illinois. |