Indiana Eastern H13 Pack
The H13 was a class of 4-8-2 "Mountain" (4-8-2s were known as Hoosiers on IER) steam locomotives built by Alco starting in December 1949 and ending in May 1951. Patterned after PRR’s successful M1 class engines, the class would reach a maximum of 26 locomotives spanning the numbers of 1300 to 1325. The H13s were built for express passenger service, but like the M1s, they were perfectly capable of slugging long freight trains along. They were a bit stronger than the M1s, with 70,600 pounds of tractive effort (compared to the M1s, of which the M1b was the strongest with 69,700 pounds of tractive effort) and a total weight of 386,500 pounds (193.25 tons). The locomotives would often be assigned to the Cleveland-Cincinnati, Louisville-Indianapois-Detriot-Toronto, and Indianapolis-Chicago lines hauling the Cassius Clay (Louisville-Chicago), River-Runner (Cincinnati-Louisville), and the Snowbelt Limited (Dayton OH-
Cleveland). Other than this, the H13s would serve a pretty normal life on IER. However, two of the engines would have something special about them. 1300 (the first of the class) would take the then named Windy City Limited from Louisville, KY to Chicago, IL in 1957- the train that Cassius Clay took to his first Golden Gloves Championship. After Clay’s victory, the train was renamed to the "Cassius Clay" in commemoration of the winner. 1310 was at one point leased to the Eastern Pacific (Cbug’s fictional railroad), and would be demonstrated against
a leased SP MT-4, a Southern PS-4, and an AC&S I2-d. While the I2-d won, 1310 would be sent to the AC&S to test whether it would be more economical to make a new class of Mountains (the I4 class) or to build new Pacifics. The Pacifics won for AC&S’s needs, but the 4-8-2 was perfect for IER’s terrain. However, by 1959, the H13s were nearing their end, as GP7/9s and SD9s were slowly taking over the jobs the 1300s would’ve had. The Kentucky Railway Museum tried to preserve one of the engines, but alas they failed and they were all sold for scrap.
However, there was still hope. IER sold 1300 to a different scrapyard than where the rest of the H13s were sold for economical reasons, and it just so happened that the one they sold 1300 to went out of business just after buying the engine. Seeing as everything there was literally scrap value and was just junk, no-one would buy it. But in 1971, the Fort Worth Railway Historical Society (the now owners of NKP 765) bought 1300 and restored it cosmetically. The engine was then towed to IER’s main corporate offices/headquarters in Indianapolis and put on static display in front. 1300 (now christened "The Cassius Clay" with a bottle of champagne post-restoration) would stay in front of the offices until 2001, when the Ohio Central made an offer to buy the engine for $175,000. IER accepted, and the money they got would go to the restoration of S1 105. OC would restore the engine to operational condition along with 4070. In
2009, 1300 was sold to the Indiana State Railroad Museum (my fictional one) after Ohio Central stopped their Steam Program, and would stay there for several years.
In 2020, IER wanted to restore another engine for the steam program. Seeing as there was a pandemic and less people out to leak the project (along with less people to pay since many had quit), they would purchase back 1300 from the ISRM for $150,000. After raising donations post-annoucement, IER would restore the engine to
operational condition, along with a 1945 vintage caboose. However, just days after M15 class No. 1500 came back to home trackage after its IRM trip, they announced they wouldn’t be keeping 1300! What this means is at the moment
unclear, but it likely means a donation of sorts to someone.
H13 1300
H13 1300 (no sound for towing)
H13 1301
H13 Tender for all engines
Model by Missy
Edits by me
Whistle from Youtube, bell recorded by me
Check out my group to talk more about IER and other fictional railroads!- https://steamcommunity.com/groups/RollingLineFics
