Guide to North American Steam Locomotives

452 Pages·1993·61.88 MB·English

by  George H. Drury

INCLUDING
orth American Railroad-by-
railroad histories
omptives and rosters
History and development of steam power since 1900
COMPILED BY GEORGE DRURY
H.
AINS
From the publishers of
j\
-
>t '**#:
.
iAILROAD REFERENCE SERIES NO.
id all but di
it'd from North Amp '.ids hut m
i
itIt'S lat --till afflOng tin
lost fa inating machirw rJe\ Ised \m.
i enthusiasts steam r (mains the numl
topic of interest, and tin- general public still
railroading with steam locomotive
Why' Wh.it lay behind the romance? Mr. m
mot • machinery of transportation
industrial technology that was vtsib
one Who built them'' Why did railroads
I
many
k
locomotives differ from railroa to
j I i
What did all tin- parts and plumbing
This hi ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ipment <»t team l< tcomotrves; George m Drury ki SenkM Editor In the Books \><
1 i Ited States, ( anada, ai d Mexi o durtag the meat oi Kalmbach Publishing ( o n<- Iim icrved on\ tin-
ith ntur> stall at kalinbaih Mine l!»7l.' and v\as its railroad Ufa
I (
i.ui troiii llt7") to ll»'»_' He lias traveled extensive!)
train in North \iu«rua and Europe and is well known
lor Ins artii l«s on rail travel in Trains Magazine His
otlit-r books Include ///<• hum Watcher's (,md< i<> \<>titi
\merican Railroads, The Historical Guide fo Nor///
American Railroads, and the Guide r<> luunst Raiinnids
and Railroad Museums M«* hat also written and put>
hsiicd railfan guides toSwitzerland and Austria
STO jnL^iJiill9M!g.Ty.PUBLICLIBRARY
m
MM.u e to North American _ v^w^
-
-"
Steam Locomotives 9e H
RAH.R0AD REF Qu i de :to North American
steam locomotives
COMPILED BY GEORGE DRUURRYY
H.
INTRODUCTION
.../..£.+ 3
RAILROADS, LOCOMOTIVE BUILDERS, AND
LOCOMOTIVE EQUIPMENT
APPENDIX
...432
INDEX
Editor: Bob Hayden Copy Editor: Terrence Spohn Layout: Sabine Beaupre Cover Design: Mark Watson
On the cover: Norfolk & Western 1218. a class A 2-6-6-4 built by N&W at Roanoke, Virginia,
in 1943. and Nickel Plate 587. a USRA light 2-8-2 built by Baldwin in 1918 for the Lake Erie
& Western, pose for photographers on July 21, 1989, at Asheville, North Carolina, during
the convention of the National Railway Historical Society. Photo by Mason Y. Cooper.
kalmbach(J1books
DEDICATION
Iins volume is dedicated to the memory <>i David P Morgan, Edi-
tor ot Trains Magazine from 19 Shortlj before ins death
he wrote thai he envied me tins project; the task> ol resean ii and
writing would have been both richer and easier with ins counsel
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Drury. George H.
Guide to North Ame—rican steam locomotives George H Drury.
p. cm. (Railroad reference series: no. 8)
Includes index.
ISBN 0-89024-206-2
—
1 Locomotives—United States. 2. Locomotives Canada. 3 Locomotives-
Mexico I. Title. II. Series
TJ603.2.D78 1993 93-41472
625.2'61'097—dc20 CIP
1993 by Kalmbach Publishing Co. All rights reserved This book may not be repro
duced in part or in whole without written permission from the publisher, except in the
case of brief quotations used in reviews Published by Kalmbach Publishing Co 21027
Crossroads Circle, P. O Box 1612. Waukesha. Wl 53187 Prin.ted in
U S A Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 93-32940 ISBN: 0-89024 206 2
Allen County Public Library
9o0n0.nWfoK<;4 8UWI To order additional copies of this book or other
P0 BOX 2270 Kalmbach books, call toll free at [phone]
Fort Wayn§, IN 46801-2270
INTRODUCTION
The steam locomotive is the most fascinating machine yet boiler with firebox at the rear and smokebox and stack at the front,
devised. It was the first piece of industrial technology thai was on horizontal cylinders ahead ofthe drivingwheels and usuallyoutside
public display: Steam locomotives came right into every town, and the frames, a cab to shelter the engineer and the f—ireman at the rear,
all their working parts were open to view. The men who ran them and, behind thecab, acarcarryingfuelandwater thetender.
were visible and accessible, whether inspecting and oiling the The typical locomotive of the 1860s and 1870s was a4-4-0 weigh-
machinery during a stop or seated in the cab. The romance of the ing about 30 tons. It had a deep, narrow firebox (about 33 inches
locomotive was almost unbearable. The engineer's seat was at a wide) set between the driving axles, and a low-mounted, tapered
throne-like height above ordinary people, and the train was a link to boiler. Slide valves actuated by Stephenson valve gear routed satu-
exotic places (at theveryleast, the next town). rated steam to the cylinders. It was a simple machine, sufficient for
The romance has been explored and explained by others. What most duties. Other types in common use, usually for freight service,
lies behind the romance is the development of a technology. Steam were the Ten-Wheeler (4-6-0), essentially a 4-4-0 with a third pair of
locomotives were the machinery of transportation factories, and drivers, and the Mogul (2-6-0). Locomotives were little changed from
— —
each factory each railroad had its own ideas about the machin- the designs of 1850, because there had been little need for change.
ery it needed; and rarely did two of them agree about the proper Train length and weight were limited by the strength of couplers,
design. This book explores those designs and explains how they draft gears, and underframes. Primitive brakingsystems andthelack
developed. of signals kept trains speeds low. During that period there was con-
Locomotive development until 1900 siderable experimentation with various aspects of locomotive
The first locomotives, likeStephenson's Rocketof 1829, were con- design.Theneteffectofmost ofitwastoprovewhatwouldn'twork.
traptions. They had boilers, cylinders, and wheels, but each pioneer- Until about 1880railroads generallybought locomotivesdesigned
ing builder had his own ideas about placement of the components. by the builders. Then different lines began to need specialized loco-
By 1840 the conventions had been established: horizontal firetube motives, first choosing from designs offered by the builders, then
1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904
CB&Q2-4-2 CB&Q2-6-2 2-8-0withwide MP4-6-2 AT&SF2-10-2 B&O0-6-6-0
Steelunder- Oilasfuel firebox Vauclain C&O0-8-0 Stoker
framesfor Steelcars Alcoformed balanced PRRtestplant
compound
cars
TIME LINE: Significant innovations in steam locomotivetechnology
developing their own. The result was that Alio and Baldwin could 7 to8 feet, required that it be located entire!) above thedrivers. The
build Identical 2-8-0* for Boston & Maine, hut those 2-8-0s would dif- width also required that the engineer's cab be placed ahead of the
fei greatl) from 2-8-Os bulH for the Pennsylvania Railroad and the firebox astride the boiler, resulting in the ( amelback or Mother Hub-
Denver iV KioGrande. bard configuration
In the 15 years before 1900 railroad technology made several \ fireboxentire!) above the timers was prai in al on low-drtv—ered
major advances The Master Car Builders Association adopted the locomotives but not on high-drivered passenger loCOffnOtlveS it
Janney automatic knuckle coupler in 1887 and the Westinghouse would raise the renter ol gravitv too high I he solution was to plai e
automatic air brake in 1889 Automatic block signals were coming the firebOXentirely behind thedrive wheels
into use Steel was replacing wood for car underframes and, within a Baldwin Introduced the 2-4 2 at the Columbian Exposition In
few years, foi entire i an Chicago in 1893 \ medium-Size trailing wheel instead of a third driv-
Faster. Stronger, more powerful locomotives were needed ing axle allowed a deeper firebox In 189S Baldwin built an experi
Increased tractive effort could be achieved b\ increasing the weight mental 2-4 2 lor the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. Number 590 hail
on the drive wheels, but leu railroads had track tfiat could support imers and a wide firebox over the trailing wheels Most 2-4-2s
fiioh axle loads. For most railroads a heavier locomotive required and 1 1 _'s built during the 1890s were , li.iiai teri/eil by a non-swivel-
more wheels to spread the weight. In turn, a larger locomotive need- ing trailing axle and a narrow firebox. The trailing truck evolved
«ii greater steaming capacity — a largei Brebox gradually, beginning with provision for lateral movement. The 2-4-2,
Wide fireboxes and trailing trucks intended for fast, light passenger trains, was unstable at high speeds
By 1890 locomotive fireboxes were located above the frames and was quickly superseded by the4-4-2, but the 2-4-2 wheel arrange-
instead of between them, making possible an increase in width of ment found a niche in logging and industrial servire as a tank engine,
approximately 8 inches a firebox above the frames could also be essential!) an 04-0 with guiding wheels fore and aft (and also in
longer, but the length was limited by how t.u a tireman could fling thousands ol Lionel "Scout" electric train sets, which are beyond the
coal with a shovel s,opt' o! this book).
One development ol a regional nature that was a step toward Development from 1900to 1918
Increased steaming capacity was the Wootten firebox, shallow and B) 1900 the elements ol larger steam loiomotives were ready for
wide for the best rombustion of slow-burning anthracite It was combination: the wide firebOX and the swiveling trailing truck. That
introduced on tin- Philadelphia & Reading Railroad in 1N77 Its width. yeai the i Imago. Burlington & Quincy built the lirst four 2-<>-2s at lis
1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914
Superheater GN2-6-62 Erie0-88-0 Flexiblestay SP288-2 Alco4-6-2 PRRsimple Boosterengine
NP2-82with bolt No 50000 28-8-2
widefirebox Powerreverse C&O4-82
Burlington, Iowa, shops. The 2-6-2 appeared in passenger and freight The other and ultimately more significant trend in locomotive
versions, differing in driver size, but the type tended to be rear- development was Lima's Super-Power concept. The basic premise
heavy. The four-wheel lead truck of the 4-6-2 provided more stability was that a large fireboxsupported bya four-wheel trailingtruckwas
at passenger-train speeds; the 2-H-2. which combined the deep fire- necessary to provide sufficient steam at speed. The first Super-
box of the 2-6-2 and the four coupled axles of the 2-8-0. had better Power wheel arrangement was the 2-8-4, quickly followed by the
weight distribution. The 4-6-2 and the 2-8-2 soon became the most 2-10-4. The 4-6-4 was a natural development for passenger service.
common passengerand freight locomotive types on North America's The 4-8-4 was initially a passenger engine, but like the 4-8-2 it was
railroads. On some railroads they were the limit of motive power just as useful for freight, and can beconsidered the ultimate modern
development. locomotivetype.
Addinga drivingaxle to the4-6-2 and the 2-8-2 produced the4-8-2 Articulated locomotives
and the 2-10-2 for passenger and freight service, respectively. The The compound articulated locomotive, designed byAnatole Mal-
4-8-2 proved to be as good for freight serviceas it was for passenger let, appeared in 1903. The rearengine received steam fromthe boiler
trains.The2-10-2was usuallya ponderous machine, pressingthe lim- and exhausted it to the cylinders of the front engine. The first type
itsof piston thrust and rod weight. It could pull almost anything, but built, the 0-6-6-0, was unstable for road service but sufficient for
not veryfast. pusher and hump-yard work. The 2-6-6-2 was more successful, pro-
Development after 1920 ducingabout thesameoutput asa2-10-2 but betterabletonegotiate
Locomotive development in the mid-1920s took two directions. curves and remain to stable at freight-train speeds. The last of that
The American Locomotive Company advocated three-cylinder loco- type were built in 1949. The 0-8-8-0, first built in 1907, had the same
motives. Splitting the power output of the boiler three ways instead characteristicsasthe0-6-6-0. The2-8-8-2appeared in 1909,and itwas
of two meant pistons and rods could be lighter. The extra weight of builtuntil 1950.
the third cylinder almost always required a four-wheel lead truck; In the mid-1920s the simple articulated appeared, with all four
4-6-2, 4-8-2, 4-10-2, and 4-12-2 were the common wheel arrangements. cylinders receiving steam directly from the boiler. The four-wheel
The third cylinder and main rod were located between the frames, trailing truckwas first applied to an articulated in 1928, creatingthe
making maintenance difficult, but where thre—e-cylinder power was 2-8-8-4. The 2-6-6-4 appeared in 1935 and the 4-6-6-4 in 1936, both
the rule, not theexception, it performed well witness Union Pacif- designed forfast freightservice.Thelatterreceivedwideacceptance
ic's904-12-2s. andwasthebestarticulated locomotivedesign.
1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924
Casttrailing USRAcontrol Virginian USRAcontrol NYC H-10 One-piece C&Osimple
truck began 2-10-10-2 ended 2-8-2 enginebed 2-8-8-2
Reading4-4-4 Dec.26 March 1 Lima2-8-4
Other types of print Dealers specializing In out-of-print railroad books advertise
Locomotive development include* a number ol types thai **ere in Trains Magazine; your local publk library maj be able to obtain
built for only one or two railroads Some win- experimental, and such books through Interilbrary networks The two best sources ol
some were built in large quantities (a few types were experimental steam locomotive rosti-is are Issues of Railroad Magazine from the
and built in quantity) Among the wheel arrangements art- 4-10-2, mid-19308 to the mid-1950s and the twice-yearrj Bulletin ol the Kail
t4-h1e2-s2,mo2-k1e0b-1o0x-2.1-28--68-*24ii you start at thIeithyeoaudlistgahrtt),coaunndti4n-8g-8w-h4eeIlnsthsei Cw.hia\ngAedLotocoRmaioltriovaedHHiissttoorryiwciatlhSioscslueetjNo(t1h2e7)title ol the magazine
t1i-c4u-6l-a4temdainddu1p9l1He-tx6s--4dt-rh4ie—vPeelnponlcusosymlovtainvi-easRaoilitlsereaovamedrtaIulnrvbteiysnpteeesdl—ohceao6vmi4oht4ji6vm,e4no4Bna4latri4--, I sugFTgoheresftSurwtahemrLroecaodminogtiovnesmteAammelroiccoamoit—>\iveUfdreevde\l%opBmreuncte,aspuablwihsohleed
more i\ Ohio had a single duplex-drive 1444 None <>t the duplex- in 1952 by \s \\ Norton \ Company a technical history of the
drives could Of |udged a success Foui railroads experimented with steam locomotive
steam turbines, in most i ases as the prime mover ol a steam turbine- The Evolution otthe Steam Locomotiie, by Frank M. Swengel, pub-
electric locomotive — lished in 1%: bs Midwest Kail Publications, P Boa 578 Daven
About the information in the book and beyond port. l\ 52805 (LC< I inlzed chronologically and with
Entire books have been written about single classes of locomo- out an index but containinga remarkableamount ol Information and
tives; any book that attempts to explain the locomotives ot an entire insight.
cdoenpttihneCnotnsitnra1i4n8ts81<>tItibmye~a>!ndI sppaagceesmWeiallntemspohmaesitzopeicbs,reeavdetnhaovteerw LinnMo1d1elWeRsatiClOrtota,depruCbylcilsohpeeddiai,n IV9o6l0umbeyIK—aSlmtbeaacmh LPoucbolmiosthiivnegs,Cobj
rgaoitlrloeasdss,inkhatdhatnoortehmearisn—unienxfpolromraetdioSnojmusetrwaaislnr'otadasvaainldablloecoOmvoetrivtehse 2391002247-0C0r1o-s9s)ro—adHs()CirscclaeleRdr<)a.wBionxgs16o1l2,moWraeuktehsahna12\.\1ls5t3e1a8m7 l(oISCBONHlO
years much has been made ol some landmark locomotives; I have tlves copiously illustrated with black-and-white photos, phis good
tried to bring some balance to the topic I welcome corrections and explanations of iii.iiiv tacets ol tlie steam locomotive
additions Steams Finest Hoar, by David R Morgan, published In 1990 (set
For those who want further information on specific railroads I ond edlton) by Kalmbach Publishing Co 21027 ( rossro—.uis l in le
What I think is the best book Mall\ ol those books .lie out C box 1612,Waukesha.WI53187(ISBN0-89024-002-7) anexplo-
1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934
T&P2-10-4 UP4 12-2 NYC4-6-4 NP4-8-4 Shelter Last2 10-2 D&S2-10-0 Weldedboiler
SPandUP LastCamel Erie2-8-4with requiredfor built onlyengine
4-10-2S backsbuilt 70"drivers Camelback delivered
Last4-4 built firemen
ration of the best locomotives built after the mid-1920s, with photos
and specifications foreach. CLASSIFICATION, NOMENCLATURE,
Articulated Steam Locomotives <>t North America, by Robert A. AND NUMBERING
LeMassena, published in 1079 by Sundance Pu—blications. L'.")!) Broad-
way, Denver. CO 80203 (ISBN 0-913582-26-3) a history of all the As locomotives developed therearoseaneed foraclassifica-
articulateds. tion system,and numberand arrangementofwheelsworkedout
Acknowledgments to be the best way to do it. The Whyte system that was eventu-
wreesrtIeWcw.oruiBltedtcnek'ntubmhy.aoJvrt.e.heCcrhosamrwpliheloseBdk.nCteahwsettnbheoerno.kJsouahbljnoenc(eti.rsuAbfearrn.ubJemtobtheenrrSt.ohfIanneglnIe:tsrF,ioerFs.- tatBlihalvelyedslswoweictinottmlhLoeodtacioovnenmu,omtseairevaeferlmasscdteWoinoobornvtkiiisonn,udgsif,ctoarhbteueintxtgoatimtatprlwlaineal,usimncgbplreaasenrscdieoffdlieeewdadhdeitbetsyrlulscooktuchsnoedmr(e'os/r-.4
SWc.haAKfinenrdg,,reaJnwr.d,MJCcihBamrrSilcedrseibKsbripanetsnz.t,IAmwlaabnserygtlhaMod.utrLosahnkgaleveyeyb,tohaJerri.d.rianDsgsailsretoasRtnoecbrees.r,tsg,iviBinlgl tffoorrruc2tk.r)a,Dilafinonrgd3ta,rueltcectk.t)ea.rnAgdiPvlaiecnaigdfittchreuwcanks;umc'/lb:saesfrosreodftrd1a2ri-liiVvn4ig-nDgt,rafuxoclrkesebxu(atBmpnflooer.l1e,aCd
me a head start on writing about those railroads. William D. Edson A clearer, easier system was developed by Frederick
and HenryA. Rentschlercheerfullyand quicklyanswered several vex- Methven Whyte, a New York Central mechanical engineer.
ing questions. Throughout the project Bob Hayden and Terry Spohn Numerals represented the number of wheels in each group,
not only contributed clarity to what wrote but offered ideas and starting at the front end: lead truck, drivers, trailing truck. For
encouragement. I thankthem all. I adrritviecrusl.atTehdelnoucmoemroatilvsewseraensuempearraaltewdasbyuhsyepdhefnosr.each group of
Most wheel arrangements were given names derived from
GeorgeH. Drury the first user of that wheel arrangment. The derivations are
explained intheentries fortheindividual types.
Waukesha,Wisconsin Type Name
September 1993 0-4-0 Four-wheelswitcher J(X)
0-6-0 Six-wheelswitcher ^OOO
0-8-0 Eight-wheelswitcher JQOOO
1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944
P&WV2-6-6-4 UP4-6-6-4 B&Oduplex- ICC requires Electro-Motive UP4-8-8-4 PRR4-4-4-4 PRRturbine
CP4-4-4 drive4-4-4-4 power FTNo. 103 C&O2-6-6-6
Last4-4-2built reverse
GEturbine
0-10-2 Union OOOOOo Some railroads chose then own names i"i wheel arrange-
2-4-2 Columbia ^oOOo ments eithei officially or unofficially. New York ( entral, which
22--66--02 MProagiurile ^^ooOOOOOOo cdoenssitgannattleydrietsmiin-md-e_'ds pMaoshsaewnkgse,rsnotthaiMoitunwta.smtihse WaantderitsLeWve4lsRowuetree,
222---888---024 CMBoeinrkskaosdlhoiidraetion ^^.oooOOOOOOOOOOOOooo tNihaegIaWIrka-arsMnBMoetthNwaoedretnhmeoTrrnhesenaMmaetsesthwaenraenystioltlhefrretsyhpe.inM1e9m3o0riwehse"ni
2-10-0 Decapod ^oOOOOO Nashville, Chattanooga A St Louis ("The Dbde Line") chose Dixie
22--1100--24 STeaxnatsaFe .. ooOOOOOOOOOOooo iPnosttoemaadcofcalNloerdthitesrink-tIosr GIetsneria*lsisanRdiGcohvmeornndorsFraendderniacmkesdbutrhgeAm
224--684---680--64 AYAlemlleelrgoihwcesantnyo,neEight-Wheeler ...ooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoOoOooo oILnoncdaitlvhiedriuBvaoallslrtyyontmoarAjCMohaenifnreeedsep—roantsteihbelgyeenwfeeorrrae2l-sB8-ea4isnkdbsehViuinergsgiknoninoawtgnhoevaespranLraotlrmlsae.sl
4-4-2 Atlantic ^ooOOo Boston & Mhany During World War ll aim lapanese sentiment
4 4-4 Jubilee _ooOOoo caused some railroads to renametheir Mikados to MacArthurs.
4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler ^ooOOO isionauy r.ulroads renamed enlarged or Improved versions
46-2 Pacific ^ooOOOo ot a wheel arrangement The New Haven, (or example, Introdui ed
4-6-4 Hudson _ooOOOoo its ^-cylinder \-H-2s as the New Haven type, and the Atlantics built
4-8-0 Twelve-Wheeler ^ooOOOO Alrwaukee Road s Hiawatha were dubbed the Milwaukee type
4-8-2 Mountain ^ooOOOOo Such names seldom stuck.
4-8-4 Northern .ooOOOOoo Railroad classes
4-10-0 Mastodon ^ooOOOOO Railroads needed a convenient wav to icier to groupsof similar
44-1102--22 SUonuitohnePranciPfaiccific.Overland ..ooooOOOOOOOOOOoOo alrobciotmraortiilvyestoMeoascthrwohaedesleavrenrtaunaglelymeanstsiugsnueadllayhwtittehi amonruemboerilestso
4-6-6-4 Challenger . ooOOOOOOoo note siucessive groups oi different si/es ol a type, and sometimes
4-8-8-4 BigBoy .ooOOOOOOOOoo with a letter after the numher to indicate variations Ior example,
1945 1946 L1a9s4t74-6-6-4 L1a9s4t84-6-2. L1a9s4t92-84. L1a9s5t04 84 1951 1952 L1a9s5t3steam N19&5W4 turbine
C&Oturbines 4A-l6c-o4,st4e8am2. 2B-a1l0d-w4i.nLima. bluoicltomboytiNv&eW
locomotive steamloco
motives
• i