10
January
-
Announcement
to members : There is now a form in NETS
for you to use if you make an error in the Time
Taken section of a time slip that you have
submitted. Example - if you accidentally enter a
time of 15.3 instead of 1.5 on a time slip, you can
submit this new form with 1.5 in the Adjusted Hours
box. We also ask that you put a reason for the
adjustment. When you press the Submit button, the
form is emailed to the Human Resource Director, who
will then check the time slip and make the
adjustment.
-
On the
Other
Downloads page: Route-Riter version
6.1.95. From the developer's website:
"Cleaned up a bit more code and placed some more
informative help messages."
By the
way, don't forget that, if you have any questions
about Route-Riter, there is a forum in the NERR
forums dedicated to Route-Riter that is moderated by
the program's developer, Mike Simpson.
-
Here
is the third of the series on the
types
of steam locomotives , categorised by
their wheel arrangement as defined using the Whyte
system - these are the locomotives with
4
leading wheels . I am aware that almost
all of the information relates to North America. The
only justification for that is that most of our
members live there. We will publish any information
sent to us about other parts of the world.
|
Wheel Arrangement |
Common Name |
Notes |
|
4-2-0 |
Six-wheeler,
Jervis |
The first
was the Experiment (later named the Brother
Jonathan) for the
Mohawk & Hudson Railroad
in
1832
by the
West Point Foundry
based on a design by
John B. Jervis.
The builders patterned the boiler and valve
gears on locomotives built by Stephenson of
England, as a few examples were already in
operation in America. The design is a
modification of the
0-4-0
design, which proved to be too rigid for the
tracks, often derailing on the tight curves and
quick elevation changes. For this, Jervis
designed a four-wheel leading truck under the
smoke box, that swiveled independently from the
main frame. The pistons powered a single driving
axle at the rear of the loco, just behind the
firebox. This design resulted in a much more
stable loco that was able to guide itself into
curves more easily than the 0-4-0. It was so
effective that many of the early 0-4-0s were
rebuilt as 4-2-0s. The 4-2-0 excelled in its
ability to stay on the track. But with only one
driving axle, the loco's weight was spread over
a small proportion of the powered wheels, which
meant its total power was substantially reduced.
In the late 1830s, more American railroads were
experimenting with the new
4-4-0,
so the 4-2-0 fell out of favor - the 4-4-0 could
pull larger loads. 4-2-0s were built into the
1850s,
but their use was restricted to light-duty
trains. |
|
4-2-2 |
Bicycle |
US example and a
UK example. |
|
4-2-4 |
- |
- |
|
4-2-4T |
- |
Inspection
locomotives. |
|
4-4-0 |
American,
Eight-wheeler |
Almost
every major
railroad
that operated in
North America
in the first half of the
19th century
owned and operated locos of this type. The
famous loco named 'The
General' was a
4-4-0. First developed by
Henry R. Campbell,
chief
engineer
for the
Philadelphia, Germantown &
Norristown Railway.
He received a
patent
for the design in February
1836
and built the first one. His was a giant among
locos. Its
cylinders
measured 14
inches
in diameter with a 16 inch
piston
stroke. It had 54-inch driving wheels, could
maintain 90
lb/in²
of steam
pressure
and weighed 12
tons.
It was estimated to be able to pull a 450-ton
train at 15
mph
on level track, beating the strongest of
Baldwin's
4-2-0s
in tractive effort by around 63%. However, the
frame and driving gear of his loco proved too
rigid for the railroads, and was too prone to
derail.
Eastwick & Harrison
was building its own 4-4-0, named Hercules -
completed in
1837
for the
Beaver Meadow RR.
It had a leading bogie separate from the loco's
frame, making it much more suitable to tight
curves and quick grade changes. The company
remained the sole builders of this type of loco
until 1839, when
William Norris
built their first one, followed by
Rogers,
Locks & Canals,
and
Newcastle
in
1840.
Henry Campbell sued the other manufacturers and
railroads for infringing on his patent. Baldwin
settled with Campbell in 1845 by purchasing a
license to build 4-4-0s. Through the 1840s and
1850s, they grew larger in size and capacity. In
the
1850s
they began to look like the locos that are
preserved today; less than 40 survive, not
counting reproductions. 60% of Baldwin's locos
from that era were 4-4-0s, and about 85% of all
locos then in operation in the USA were 4-4-0s.
But they were soon replaced by bigger ones -
2-6-0s
and
2-8-0s,
even though the 4-4-0 was still favored for
express services. The widespread adoption of the
4-6-0
and even larger locos quickened its demise. By
1900, the 4-4-0 was obsolete in the USA,
although they continued to serve
branch lines
and private industry into the 1950s. The last
built was a tiny Baldwin in
1945
for the
United of Yucatan Railways. |
|
4-4-2 |
Atlantic |
2 examples were
built in 1887 and 1888. In 1895 this arrangement
was used on the 70mph express train of the
Atlantic Coast Line. |
|
4-4-2 |
Chautauqua |
Brooks Locomotive
Works. |
|
4-4-2 |
Milwaukee |
Milwaukee Hiawatha. |
|
4-4-4 |
Reading |
1915 - Reading. |
|
4-4-4 |
Jubilee |
Canadian Pacific. |
|
4-4-4 |
Lady Baltimore |
Baltimore & Ohio. |
|
4-4-4-4 |
Baltimore & Ohio |
The only 4-4-4-4s
ever built were duplex locos, with two sets of
cylinders driving two sets of driven wheels in
one rigid frame. First was the Baltimore &
Ohio's only class N-1 #5600 'George H. Emerson'
in 1937. To reduce the fixed wheelbase, it had
the two sets of cylinders at opposite ends, so
that the rear pair were beside the firebox - a
poor design, as it restricted the firebox size
and exposed the cylinders to dust and dirt,
causing premature wear. The loco was not
considered successful enough to duplicate. Next
were the Pennsylvania Railroad's 52 class T1s.
They had the cylinders in front of the wheels
they drove, so that the rear pair were between
the two sets of drivers. They were impressive
performers but suffered from wheel-slip and
severe reliability problems, and did not last
long in service. |
|
4-4-4-4 |
Duplex |
1942-45 - 52
examples by the Pennsylvania Railroad. |
|
4-4-6 |
Four-coupled
double ender |
- |
|
4-4-6-2 |
- |
1909 - Santa Fe
(two examples). |
|
4-4-6-4 |
- |
- |
|
4-6-0 |
Ten-wheeler |
First built in
1847 by the Norris Brothers - the 'Chesapeake' -
for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad.
Baldwin's first was not until 1852. Through the
1860s and into the 1870s, demand grew as more
railroads switched from purchasing a single,
general-purpose type of loco (then, the 4-4-0),
to locos for specific purposes. Both the
Pennsylvania Railroad and the Baltimore & Ohio
were early adopters of the 4-6-0, using them for
fast freight and heavy passenger trains. |
|
4-6-2 |
Pacific
 |
1901 - built by
Baldwin for New Zealand Railways; 1902 -
Missouri Pacific & St. Louis, Iron Mountain &
Southern. Pacifics were the predominant steam
passenger power in America in the 20th century.
They were the main passenger locos, although
they were replaced on the premier services on
many RRs later on by larger 4-6-4s, 4-8-2s, or
4-8-4s as train weights increased. About 7000
built for US and Canadian railroads. The largest
user was the Pennsylvania Railroad, with 697,
including 425 class K4s, the largest single
class of loco built in the USA. The success of
the design can be attributed to the presence of
a 4-wheel leading truck, which made for
stability at speed, six driving wheels allowing
the application of more power compared to the
earlier 4-4-2 design, and a two-wheel trailing
truck which permitted the firebox to be behind
the high driving wheels, allowing it to be both
wide and deep. It was developed into the 4-6-4
and the 4-8-2.
The NERR has one. |
|
4-6-4T |
- |
Two converted in
1902 from 4-8-0s; 70 built in New Zealand
1910-1919. Canadian National Railways (6) and
Central of New Jersey (6) had all-American
examples. A number of 4-6-4 tank locos were
built for British railways. The London, Brighton
& South Coast Railway built seven Remembrance
Class tank locos between 1914 and 1922; these
high-speed tank locos hauled the famous
'Southern Belle' until electrification in 1933,
after which they were converted into N15X class
4-6-0 tender locos, remaining in service until
1957. |
|
4-6-4 |
Hudson |
It was best
suited to high-speed running across flat
country. It had fewer driving wheels than
carrying wheels, and so a smaller % of the
weight was available for traction compared to
other types. For starting heavy trains and
slogging on gradients, it needed a booster
engine, and for sustained long grades, more
pairs of driving wheels are better. First built
in 1927 by Alco for the New York Central
Railroad, and to the NYC's design. It was very
successful and was named after the Hudson River.
The NYC bought 275 Hudsons, the largest fleet in
North America. The second-largest buyer in North
America was the Canadian Pacific Railway, with
65. They were highly successful on the
transcontinental routes. The newer CPR Hudsons
were called 'Royal Hudsons' and were
semi-streamlined. Royal permission was given for
these locos to bear the royal crown and arms
after one of them hauled King George VI's train
across Canada in 1939. 20 railroads in North
America owned 4-6-4s; including the Santa Fé,
Baltimore & Ohio, Boston & Albany, Big Four,
Canadian National, Chesapeake & Ohio,
Burlington, Chicago & North Western, Lackawanna,
Illinois Central, Maine Central, Michigan
Central Railroad, National Railway of Mexico,
New Haven, Nickel Plate, Frisco, and Wabash.
The only 4-6-4 tender loco in Great Britain was
LNER #10000, built in 1930 as an experimental
high-pressure compound loco with an experimental
water-tube boiler, and known as the "hush-hush"
loco because of the great secrecy with which it
was built. It was not very successful. In 1936
it was rebuilt as a streamlined LNER Class A4
Pacific, though it kept its wheel arrangement -
the only one in class W1. |
|
4-6-4 |
Baltic, Milwaukee |
Milwaukee Railroad. The Milwaukee Road could
have produced the first 4-6-4; its design was
earlier than the NYC's, but financial
constraints delayed the project, and Milwaukee's
emerged later - the Baltics. The initial order
of 14 class F-6 was joined by 8 more of class
F-6a in 1931, and in 1938 the road acquired 6
streamlined F-7 Baltics with shrouds designed by
the industrial designer, Otto Kuhler. These took
over the
Milwaukee's crack Hiawatha expresses from
the A-1 class 4-4-2s and were among the fastest
steam locos ever. Schedules of many of them
required extended running above 100 mph. |
|
4-6-4 |
Shore Line |
New Haven. |
|
4-6-4-4 |
Duplex drive |
1942 -
Pennsylvania Railroad (one built). |
|
4-6-6 |
- |
|
|
4-6-6T |
- |
|
|
4-6-6-2 |
Cab Forward |
1911 - Southern
Pacific. |
|
4-6-6-4 |
Challenger |
1936 - Union
Pacific. |
|
4-8-0 |
Twelve-wheeler,
Mastodon |
1882 - Central
Pacific (one built, named Mastodon). Also built
in
Australia and
New Zealand. |
|
4-8-2 |
Mountain
 |
1907 - New
Zealand. This type, a development from the
4-6-2
Pacific, was first built by
Alco
for the
Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad
in
1911.
It combined the traction of the
2-8-2
Mikado with the excellent tracking qualities of
the Pacific. The C&O named the class after the
Allegheny Mountains
it was built to tackle. Although intended for
passenger service, they proved ideal for the
new, faster freight services. Many were built
for dual service. They were built for 41
American railroads; approximately 2200 were
built. The largest users were the
New York Central Railroad
with 435 of what they named the
Mohawks;
the
Pennsylvania Railroad
with 224 class
M1
and M1a locomotives, used for fast freight
service; the
Florida East Coast
with 90 passenger locos; the
New Haven
with 70; and the
Southern Railroad
with 58. Outside of the
United States,
they were rarer. Britain had two 15-inch gauge
examples on the
Romney, Hythe and
Dymchurch Railway,
though a number of double-Mountain (4-8-2+2-8-4)
Garratts
were built for export. In France, these locos
(known as the 241 type) were more common. The
Czech railways also employed a 4-8-2.
The NERR has one. |
|
4-8-2 |
Mohawk |
New York Central. |
|
4-8-2 |
New Haven |
New Haven
3-cylinder. |
|
4-8-4 |
-
 |
1921 - Santa Fé.
The
4-8-4 was a development from the 4-8-2 and
the 4-6-4 types, combining the 4-8-2's ability
to have more weight on the driving wheels
(leading to greater traction, and allowing a
larger, more powerful loco) and the 4-6-4's
larger firebox supported by a 4-wheel trailing
truck, allowing for freer steaming, particularly
at speed. First built in 1927 by Alco for the
Northern Pacific Railway, and so named the
"Northern" type. Southern railroads didn't like
this name, so they chose other names for their
4-8-4s. This type was the best choice of for
both express passenger and fast freight service,
but not heavy drag freight. Given that the 4-8-4
was a late development, and Northerns were often
the 'name' passenger power at the time of
steam's demise, many were saved from the
scrapper's torch and are now preserved in
museums, or in the case of a lucky few, kept in
running condition.
The NERR has
one. |
|
4-8-4 |
Northern |
1926: Northern
Pacific. |
|
4-8-4 |
Confederation |
Canadian
National. |
|
4-8-4 |
Dixie |
Nashville,
Chattanooga & St. Louis (and other Southern
Roads). |
|
4-8-4 |
Golden State |
Southern Pacific. |
|
4-8-4 |
Greenbrier |
Chesapeake & Ohio |
|
4-8-4 |
Montana |
Great Northern. |
|
4-8-4 |
Niagara |
New York Central. |
|
4-8-4 |
Pocono |
Lackawanna. |
|
4-8-4 |
Potomac |
Western Maryland. |
|
4-8-4 |
Wyoming |
Lehigh Valley. |
|
4-8-4 |
Generals,
Governors |
Richmond,
Fredericksburg & Potomac. |
|
4-8-8-2 |
Cab Forward |
1928 - Southern
Pacific. |
|
4-8-8-4 |
Big Boy
 |
This was the
nickname universally applied to the Union
Pacific Railroad's 4000 class built by Alco in
1941-44. Often said to be the largest steam
locos ever built - that title is quite
controversial as there were heavier locos and
possibly more powerful locos. However, without
tender, the body was the longest ever, and fully
loaded with water and fuel it was the heaviest.
It certainly could be said to be the most
successful of the giant locos. They were the
only locos to have the 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement
in the Whyte notation. Their purpose was power
at speed. They were created because of Union
Pacific's need for a loco that could pull a
3600-ton freight train over the long 1.14% grade
of the Wasatch. Helpers were needed for this
grade, but adding and removing them, crewing
them, etc. slowed the movement of trains.
However, for such a loco to be worthwhile, it
had to be more than just a slow mountain lugger;
to avoid loco changes, it would have to be able
to pull that long train at speed - 60 mph - once
it was past the mountains. They were designed to
be stable at 80 mph, so they were built with a
heavy margin of safety. Few previous articulated
locos were capable of such speed. 25 were built,
split into two groups (of 20 and 5). All were
coal burners, with large grates to burn the low
quality Wyoming coal. One loco, #4005, was
temporarily converted to oil firing, but unlike
the experiences on the smaller Challengers, oil
firing was not successful, and it was soon
rebuilt back to standard. They did very good
service in World War II, especially as they
proved so easy to fire that even a novice could
do a fair job. Since many men who were unsuited
to combat service were instead drafted into
railroad service to replace crewmen who joined
up, this proved essential. Like all steam locos,
postwar increases in the price of both coal and
labor meant that their life was limited, but
they were among the last steam locos taken out
of service. The last train hauled by a Big Boy
was in July, 1959. Most were stored operational
until 1961, and four remained in operational
condition at Green River, Wyoming until 1962. It
is one of the best represented of preserved
steam locos in the USA. 8 of the 25 still exist,
but there are currently no serviceable Big Boys
and no plans to restore one to operating
condition. Even if one were restored, its size
and weight mean it would be very hard to find
anywhere to run it. The giants of steam produced
near the end of the steam age were not general
purpose machines; they could not roam whole
railway systems but were generally confined to
certain routes that could handle their size and
weight. Overall length: 132' 9¼". Total weight
with tender: 1,200,000 lb (540 tons). Tractive
effort: 135,375 lb (600 kN). Cylinder
dimensions: 23¾ inches (600 mm) diameter × 32
inches (800 mm) stroke (4 cylinders). Boiler
pressure: 300 lb/inch². Driving wheel diameter:
68 inches. Tender coal capacity: 28 tons. Tender
water capacity: 24,000 US gallons. Top speed: 80
mph.
The NERR has one. |
|
4-10-0 |
Mastodon |
1883 - Central
Pacific (1 built, named El Gobernador). |
|
4-10-2 |
Southern Pacific |
1925 - Southern
Pacific (#5000). |
|
4-10-2 |
Overland |
1925 - Union
Pacific (#8800). |
|
4-12-2 |
Union Pacific |
1926 - Union
Pacific (88 built) |
|
