Central Railroad of New Jersey No. 774

Central Railroad of New Jersey No. 774, (also known as CNJ No. 774) was a Class L-7as 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" steam locomotive that was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1913 for fast passenger service on the Central of New Jersey Railroad (CNJ).
This type of locomotive is often referred to as a "Camelback" or "Mother Hubbard". It gets that name from the engineer's cab being located in its center, above the boiler. This is due to the wide firebox needed to burn the hard anthracite coal mined from Pennsylvania. To burn properly this coal has to be in a very thin layer compared to more common soft coal, leaving no room for a cab in the normal location. A separate shelter is provided at the rear of the tender deck for the fireman with limited protection from the elements.. 
No. 774 served on the railroad until the end of steam in the early-to-mid 1950s and was officially withdrawn from revenue service in 1954. Instead of being scrapped right away, it was selected to run several fan trips along with CNJ No. 113.
A railfan by the name of Don Wood tried to convince the CNJ to donate the locomotive for preservation after it was retired from pulling excursion trains but CNJ, who had already donated another Camelback, No. 592, and an early Boxcab Diesel, No. 1000, to the B&O Railroad Museum, felt that they had already done enough when it came to preservation. The CNJ did offer to sell the engine to Wood for $5,000 but he was unable to raise the money in time leaving No. 774 to be ultimately cut up by 1956.
==Trivia==
* No. 774 became the last Camelback to run on any main line, and was the last steam engine in service on the CNJ.
==Gallery==
File:CTR 1CNJ774.jpg
File:Central Railroad of New Jersey 774.jpeg
==References==
*https://www.steamlocomotive.com/types/camelback/cnj.php
*https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=4-6-0&railroad=cronj#6727
Category:CNJ locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:Baldwin locomotives
Category:Standard gauge locomotives
Category:Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
Category:Camelbacks
Category:Camelback Locomotives
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Built in 1913
Category:American steam locomotives
Category:American locomotives
Category:4-6-0 steam locomotives
Category:4-6-0 locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Passenger locomotives
Category:United States
Category:4-6-0
Category:Ten-Wheeler Locomotives
Category:Six-coupled locomotives
Category:Scrapped steam locomotives
Category:Scrapped excursion locomotives