File:Pennsylvania Railroad - 5741 steam locomotive (G5s 4-6-0) 2 (26866938410).jpg

This is a coal-burning steam locomotive built in November 1924 by the Pennsylvania Railroad. It is a class G5s 4-6-0 engine. It weighs about 118 tons and is about 70 feet long, including the tender. This unit was retired in December 1955 and is now on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in the town of Strasburg.

Museum info.: "In 1923, the Pennsylvania Railroad designed a new class of steam locomotives for its commuter trains. Combining the need for high-speed service with the demands of frequent starts and stops, these locomotives needed to be both fast and powerful. Chief Engineer William Kiesel set out to design a locomotive compact in size, yet capable of rapid acceleration with a heavy train. Customary to Pennsylvania practices, Kiesel used an existing boiler design and a conventional 4-6-0 "ten wheeler" wheel arrangement to create a successful new locomotive. The resulting G5 class were the most powerful 4-6-0s ever built and became the standard commuter power for the Pennsylvania Railroad for the next twenty years.

Originally planned for service in the Pittsburgh area, the class soon spread to Philadelphia, Chicago, Long Island, and Grand Rapids. As diesels and electrics bumped the G5s out of commuter service, they found work system wide on branch lines pulling passenger, freight, and other local trains. From big cities to small towns, the G5 became a part of the daily routine for millions.

Built in the road's Juniata Shops in 1924, the Pennsylvania Railroad intiially assigned No. 5741 to the Pittsburgh area. No. 5741 later worked on the eastern end of the Commonwealth, in both passenger and freight service on the Schuykill Branch of the Wilkes-Barre Division.