The 1218-611 doubleheader cools its heels with the 1989 inbound NRHS Convention Special before commencing the last lap into Salisbury, NC. The people alongside give some scale to the gargantuan boiler of the Class A, designed by the NW's John A. Pilcher, Gurdon (not Gordon) P. McGavock, and others. Limited cut-off kept the factor of adhesion reasonable when boiler pressure was raised from 275 to 300, allowing the Class A locomotives to pull fast merchandise freights or 200 cars of coal on favorable gradients. Coal trains and heavy merchandise freights would require helper assistance on certain grades, such as Blue Ridge. (The Class A was not equipped with a booster engine.) Everyone has their opinion on which of the big articulated locomotives was the best, but the Class A certainly has to be very near the top of the list.
