The Illinois Central's first 4-8-2s were the fifteen locomotives erected in 1923 by the American Locomotive Company. As delivered they had 73½-inch drivers and cylinders measuring 28x28 inches, and sustained 225 p.s.i. of boiler pressure. They weighed 362,500 pounds minus tender and exerted a tractive force of 57,120 pounds. With a grate area of 75.4 square feet, they had 4643 square feet of evaporative heating surface and 1227 square feet of superheating surface. In 1944 the railroad's Paducah Shops rebuilt several members of this group, including No. 2413 shown here, increasing the boiler pressure to 275 p.s.i. and the evaporative heating surface by 50 square feet; the rebuilt engines developed 69,813 pounds of tractive force and their weight was increased to 384,500 pounds. At the same time this group was renumbered into the 2300 series, No. 2413 becoming No. 2303. No. 2413 appears here at Centralia, Illinois in August 1941, before rebuilding; as the photo suggests, the 2400s were the IC's principal main line passenger power before the inrroduction of diesels. The photographer responsible for this image, acquired through an eBay vendor, is unknown. All members of the 2300-series group went to the torch in 1960.