Preserved at the Wheels o' Time Museum just north of Peoria, Illinois is this class P-31 4-6-2 of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. The last Rock Island steam-powered train to leave Peoria was hauled by No. 886, which the railroad agreed to donate to the city. However, it was discovered too late that No. 886 had already been scrapped. Happily, sister No. 887 was still available and was renumbered 886 for the display, located originally in downtown Peoria. I snapped this digital photo on October 1, 2008.

The P-31 class was erected by the American Locomotive Company's Schenectady Works in 1909. Sources differ regarding the specifications of this class; one source gives their driver diameter as 73 inches, with 200 pounds of boiler pressure and a locomotive weight of 227,000 pounds. Other sources suggest 74-inch drivers or possibly 69-inch, depending on the exact identification of the class; P-31 was not their original designation, as the Rock Island used a different classification system in which its Pacifics were grouped in the 11, 34 and 48 classes. If the P-31 class was not originally superheated, doubtless superheating was later installed along with other modernizing features visible on No. 886 (887) such as the one-piece cast trailing truck (not used on any locomotives as early as 1909) and perhaps the solid, plow-like pilot. Additional information about the dimensions of the P-31 class is welcome.