Built in 1914, Pennsylvania Railroad’s class E6s Atlantic type locomotive No. 460 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the last surviving engine of its class. Primarily pulling passenger trains in the Northeast corridor, No. 460 was retired from service in 1955 and saved for preservation by the Pennsylvania Railroad for their historic relic collection stored in Northumberland, PA. In 2016, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania completed restoration of the engine.
No. 460 is often called “the Lindbergh Engine” in reference to one of its most memorable trips. On June 11, 1927, Charles Lindbergh was honored for making the first solo, nonstop, transatlantic flight. This event in Washington, D.C. was filmed by several news companies – many of whom sent their film by airplane to theaters in New York City. One company, the International News Reel Corporation, sent their film by railroad. The train, pulled by engine No. 460, raced toward New York City at a top speed of 115 miles per hour. Even at that speed, it was still beaten by the airplane. However, the films delivered by airplanes still needed to be developed, while the films aboard the train were processed en route and were shown in theaters first.