Case Study: PRR T1 5550 builds the world’s fastest steam locomotive with SOLIDWORKS

SOLIDWORKS is Helping Build the World’s Fastest Steam Locomotive

PRR T1 5550, the Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s ambitious preservation project, set out to rebuild the world’s fastest steam locomotive and bring back a long-lost piece of American rail history. Using SOLIDWORKS, the volunteer-driven nonprofit faced the challenge of turning original archival drawings and blueprints into accurate digital models for a complex, high-speed steam locomotive.

SOLIDWORKS helped the T1 Trust convert more than 1,200 scanned PRR T1 mechanical drawings and blueprints into 3D CAD models, enabling the team to design and manufacture critical components such as the Boxpok driver. The result was a major milestone: the first Boxpok driver cast in nearly 70 years, moving PRR T1 5550 closer to completion and eventual mainline steam excursion service.

PRR T1 5550