Chuck Sartor posted:I have to disagree with Jack on this. Very few K4s had stokers retrofitted. I would say 90% were hand fired to the end. Pennsy had in excess of 400 K4's, and as fugal as the Pennsy was, installing 400 stokers was not in the cards.
I have no idea where you obtained such "information" but you are totally wrong! All the various K4s locomotives that I "volunteered on" and learned/worked on at South Amboy, New Jersey, which were assigned to the New York and Long Branch commuter service (1956/1957), ALL were equipped with stokers. As the PRR rotated various K4s locomotives in and out of South Amboy, they ALL were equipped with stokers. Besides, the Federal ICC MANDATED that stokers be installed on such large steam locomotives.
