Figure 71.—Operable model of a British locomotive of about 1905.
An operable model (figure 72) of locomotive No. 146 of the Ferrocarril Oeste of Argentina was presented to the Museum (USNM 310585) in 1933 by Frank A. Wardlaw and Frank A. Wardlaw, Jr. The 22-inch-long model has a gauge of 2½ inches. Gasoline carried in the tender is used as fuel. The builder is not known.
Figure 72.—Operable model of a British locomotive, 1905.
The original locomotive No. 146, a 4-4-4-T type with a cowcatcher and outside cylinders, was built in 1905 by Beyer, Peacock & Co., Ltd., of Manchester, England. The locomotive and tender have a common frame. According to a small plate affixed to the model, the original was the first locomotive to be fitted with “Wardlaw’s composite clackvalve.” This invention of the elder Wardlaw was installed at Buenos Aires in January 1908, according to the legend on the plate.
The original Greyhound was locomotive No. 302 of the London and North-Western Railway Co., built in 1905 at the Crewe works of the company. Of the 4-4-0 type, the locomotive had inside cylinders and was the first in Europe to be fitted with “Wardlaw’s composite clackvalve.” This was done in August 1910.
The model of the locomotive and its 6-wheeled tender (figure 73) is 29 inches long and has a gauge of 2½ inches. It is operable, using gasoline carried in the tender as fuel. The builder is not known.
The donors, Frank A. Wardlaw and Frank A. Wardlaw, Jr., presented the model (USNM 310586) to the Museum in 1933.
Figure 73.—Operable model of British locomotive Greyhound, 1905.
The Atlantic-type steam locomotive is represented in the Museum collection by a nonoperable model (figure 74) lent to the Museum in 1922 by E. Howard Askew of Baltimore, Md. Constructed by the lender, the model (USNM 307949) is 32 inches long and has a gauge of 2½ inches.
It represents the Pennsylvania Railroad class E3sd No. 5127, a 4-4-2 steam locomotive with Walschaert valve gear. The original locomotive was built at the railroad’s Juniata shops, Altoona, Pa., in August 1907, construction No. 1734. Originally a class E3d locomotive, it was converted to an E3sd in June 1913 by the addition of a superheater in the Wilmington, Del., shops of the road.
Figure 74.—Model of Pennsylvania Atlantic-type locomotive, 1907.
In a letter to Askew (Dec. 14, 1922) the chief of motive power of the Pennsylvania System, J. T. Wallis, stated that the cylinders of the original had a bore and stroke of 22 and 26 inches. The drivers were 80 inches in diameter and the boiler carried a steam pressure of 205 pounds. The boiler had a minimum (internal) diameter of 65½ inches, and it contained 170 2-inch flues and 24 5½-inch flues, while the superheater consisted of 96 1½-inch flues. The distance between flue sheets was 180 inches and the total heating surface was 2,571 square feet. The grate was 111 inches long and 72 wide.
The total weight on the drivers was 127,200 pounds, on the engine truck 35,500 pounds, and on the trailer truck 33,900 pounds—or a total of 196,600 pounds in working order. The weight of the tender in working order was 134,000 pounds. The tractive force of the locomotive was 27,409 pounds.
In his letter Wallis also made the following statement to explain the significance of the modification of this class of locomotive:
The Atlantic, or 4-4-2, type locomotive was developed in an effort to retain the desirable features of the American, or 4-4-0, type of locomotive and at the same time to produce a locomotive in answer to the demand for greater power. To do this, the firebox was increased in area by making it considerably wider, so that a greater amount of soft coal could be burned. The diameter of the barrel of the boiler was increased to allow for greater heating surface, which, of course, increased the weight on the drivers.
To make room for the driving wheels without unduly increasing the length of the tubes in the boiler, the driving wheels were moved forward, the main driver being in the rear instead of in front as in the American type locomotive. In order to carry the weight of the firebox, which, with the new driving wheel location, overhangs the rear driver too much to be properly supported, a two-wheel trailer truck was used. This trailer truck, which is fulcrumed a short distance back of the main driver, is so designed that it has lateral motion, and provision is made for ash pan as well as firebox clearance.
By the use of higher steam pressure, larger heating surface and grate area, the use of passenger locomotives of the three-coupled type, with the troubles incident to the use of long parallel rods, was put off for a decade.
A detailed and exquisitely made operable model of the New York Central class T-3A electric locomotive No. 1173, now No. 273, was constructed by W. Howard R. Parsons, and was donated by him in 1952 to the Museum (USNM 314237).
The model (figure 75) is powered by eight electric motors, as is the full sized original, one for each axle, but because of space limitations and power requirements the model’s drive is through gears rather than direct. The model operates on 12-volt direct current. Its length is 43 inches and its gauge is 3½ inches.
The New York Central System purchased 10 class T-3A locomotives in late 1926 at a cost of $100,000 each. These supplemented an earlier group of 10 T-1’s and 16 T-2’s built for the New York Central from 1913 to 1917 at the Erie, Pa., plant of the General Electric Co. Of this total of 36 locomotives only one, No. 270 (formerly No. 1170), had been stricken from the records as of December 1954. The remaining 35 still perform routine passenger service between New York and Harmon, and New York and North White Plains. The numbers in the group now run from 247 to 282 (formerly 1147 to 1182), with the exception of the scrapped No. 270.
Figure 75.—Operable model of General Electric locomotive, 1926.
With an operating weight of 292,600 pounds, the locomotives of the T-3A class develop 1,908 horsepower continuously, with a tractive force of 12,750 pounds, and they can develop 2,488 horsepower for 1 hour, with a tractive force of 18,440 pounds. The maximum speed of a T-3A is 75 miles an hour. These locomotives operate on 660-volt direct current, usually obtained from a third rail. The pantographs are used only when crossing certain complicated crossover switches. Each of the eight axles is driven by its individual gearless motor. The overall wheelbase is 46 feet, 5 inches, the overall length 56 feet, 10 inches.
During the winter of 1936-1937, The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Co. conducted in conjunction with the magazine “The Model Craftsman” a contest among model builders for the construction of a model of the railroad’s Washington-to-Jersey City lightweight, streamlined train, the “Royal Blue,” first placed in operation on June 24, 1935.
Figure 76.—Model of B & O Hudson-type locomotive Lord Baltimore, 1935.
The contest, with a first prize of $500, was won by Fletcher G. Speed of New Rochelle, N. Y., and his prize-winning train (figure 76) was presented by the Baltimore and Ohio in 1937 to the National Museum (USNM 311191). The train consists of the Hudson-type, or 4-6-4, steam locomotive Lord Baltimore and tender, together 2 feet long, plus five cars. Beautiful in workmanship, and powered with a small electric motor, the model is built to a scale of ¼ inch to the foot.
The original locomotive Lord Baltimore was designed by the Baltimore and Ohio, and was constructed at the company’s Mount Clare shops in Baltimore. The weight of the locomotive and tender in working order was 527,000 pounds, and the tractive force was 38,000 pounds. The driving wheels were 84 inches in diameter, and the driving wheelbase was 178 inches. The bore and stroke of the cylinders were 20 and 28 inches, respectively, Walschaert valve gear was used, and a steam pressure of 350 pounds per square inch was employed. The fuel was bituminous coal.
On September 11, 1935, an average speed of 59.28 miles an hour was obtained between Washington and Jersey City while pulling a dynamometer car and five other cars. Although designated as No. 2 when built in 1935, the locomotive was changed to No. 5340 in 1942. As it was not designed to handle standard weight trains, the locomotive was later removed from service, and after being in storage for several years was scrapped on July 19, 1949.
A black, red, and orange nonoperable model (figure 77) in the collection represents the Southern Pacific Co. No. 4410, the first of the many such streamlined 4-8-4, or Northern-type, steam locomotives built for that line. This model of No. 4410 and its tender, about 27 inches long, is built to the scale of ¼ inch to the foot. The gift of the Southern Pacific Co. in 1937, it was made early in that year especially for the Museum’s collection (USNM 311340).
The first group of this type of streamliner, which was the conception of George McCormick and Frank E. Russell of the Southern Pacific, was completed by the Lima Locomotive Works in January 1937. The first run with one of these streamliners was made on March 21 with the “Coast Daylight” passenger train between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Of the total of 50 essentially similar locomotives of this streamlined class, the Southern Pacific still had 49 in November 1954, only No. 4414 having been authorized for scrapping. At that time, these locomotives had averaged approximately 13,000 miles a month since being placed in service, although many had completed over 15,000 miles in particularly productive months. The earlier ones, represented by this model, developed 4,500 horsepower at 55 miles an hour and had a top speed of 90 miles an hour, although 75 was the highest allowable operating speed. They were able to maintain a 9¾-hour schedule between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Figure 77.—Model of Lima Northern-type locomotive, 1937.
The locomotive and tender are 108 feet long, and weigh 835,000 pounds in operating condition. The fuel is bunker type C oil. A boiler pressure of 250 pounds per square inch is employed. The cylinder bore is 27 inches, the stroke 30. The eight drivers are 73 inches in diameter, and the driving wheelbase is 20 feet. The later streamlined 4-8-4’s of the Southern Pacific develop 5,500 horsepower at 55 miles an hour, and operate on a boiler pressure of 300 pounds per square inch.
A nonoperable model (figure 78) of the first of six 2-C+C-2 streamlined electric locomotives built by the General Electric Co. for The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co. was made especially for the Museum collection (USNM 311880) by the builder of these locomotives. The model, constructed in the Bridgeport, Conn., plant of the General Electric Co. and presented to the Museum in 1940, is of plaster painted green and black, with gold trim. It is 31 inches long and has a gauge of 1¾ inches.
The electric locomotives represented by this model were built in 1938 at the Erie, Pa., plant of the General Electric Co. for passenger service between New Haven and New York. Originally numbered from 0361 to 0366, they are now numbered from 360 to 365.
Figure 78.—Model of General Electric locomotive, 1938.
On the New Haven tracks these 77-foot-long locomotives operate on 11,000-volt, single-phase, 25-cycle, alternating current obtained from an overhead trolley system. On the New York Central tracks they operate on 660-volt direct current obtained usually from a third rail, but occasionally from an overhead supply at some crossover switches. For this latter purpose a small auxiliary pantograph is used. Control equipment is, of course, provided for both types of power supply.
The fully loaded weight is 433,200 pounds, of which 272,400 pounds is on the twelve 56-inch drivers. While operating on alternating current, the continuous tractive force is 24,100 pounds, and the continuously available horsepower 3,600. The maximum available horsepower from the six twin-armature, 12-pole motors is 7,600. Slightly different results are obtained while operating on direct current. The maximum safe speed is 93 miles an hour.
Development of the original Hudson-type locomotives began in 1926 when the New York Central System decided it needed a new type of passenger locomotive to meet the demands of high-speed, long-distance runs. The type was named after the river along which it would run. In late 1937 and in 1938, 50 Hudsons of an improved design, built by the American Locomotive Co., were placed on the New York Central. These locomotives, Nos. 5405 to 5454, had larger boilers than their predecessors, had greater tractive force, and were fitted with roller bearings. In addition, Nos. 5445 to 5454 were streamlined.
A nonoperable model (figure 79) in the Museum collection (USNM 313162), gift of the New York Central System in 1947, represents No. 5429. The model locomotive and tender are 2 feet long and are accompanied by a train of six streamlined cars. The entire train is painted silver, with black trimming on the locomotive and tender. Built to a scale of ¼ inch to the foot, it was especially made for the Museum, the builder being Edwin P. Alexander of Yardley, Pa.
Figure 79.—Model of American Locomotive Co. Hudson-type locomotive, 1938.
The original No. 5429, constructed in 1938, was streamlined in 1941 in the West Albany shops of the New York Central, and in December of that year was placed back in service on the Empire State Express with an entirely new streamlined train of specially designed stainless-steel cars. When the Empire State Express was ultimately dieselized in 1945, No. 5429 was put to other uses, and the streamlining was removed in 1950. As of October 1955 it was still in service.
In streamlined condition, as represented by the model, the locomotive and tender together weighed 681,900 pounds and their length was a few inches over 97 feet. The diameter of the driving wheels was 79 inches, the bore and stroke of the cylinders were 22½ and 29 inches, respectively, and the total tractive force was 53,960 pounds. A steam pressure of 265 pounds per square inch was used.
A radical departure from the usual design for a coal-burning steam locomotive, and the first of its type built in this country, was the noncondensing geared steam-turbine locomotive built jointly by The Baldwin Locomotive Works and the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. Constructed in 1944 at Baldwin’s Eddystone plant (Westinghouse manufactured the turbines and gears), it was designated Pennsylvania Railroad Co. class S-2 locomotive No. 6200.
This locomotive, combining the work of two pioneers in the railroad equipment field, is represented in the Museum collection by a nonoperable model (figure 80) made especially for the Museum (USNM 312935) and presented to it by The Baldwin Locomotive Works early in 1946. The locomotive and tender, together 30 inches long, were built to a scale of ¼ inch to the foot by Minton Cronkhite of Pasadena, Calif.
Two steam turbines, similar to the type that drive the larger fighting ships of the U.S. Navy, powered the original locomotive. The more complex and powerful of the two, the forward-drive turbine, developed a maximum of 7,250 horsepower and was at all times engaged with the wheels. (Although 6,500 horsepower has usually been the quoted figure for the forward-drive turbine, 7,250 was actually developed on October 22, 1946, at the Altoona Locomotive Testing Plant.) The simpler one, for reverse only, developed 1,500 horsepower and was normally disengaged from the driving wheels except while actually being used.
The boiler, frame, trucks, and driving wheels were of the conventional type, the most notable visible difference between the locomotive and those of other types being the absence of cylinders, valve motion, and their accompanying parts. Because of the elimination of piston rods and other reciprocating parts it was possible to balance almost perfectly the driving wheels, thus permitting a higher operating speed than normally practical with a conventional locomotive.
The weight of the locomotive alone was 580,000 pounds, and its forward tractive force was 70,500 pounds. A 6-8-6 wheel arrangement was employed, the driving wheel diameter was 68 inches, and a speed of 100 miles an hour was possible. The working steam pressure was 310 pounds per square inch. Bituminous coal served as the fuel. A detailed and well illustrated description of this locomotive appears in the magazine “Baldwin” (for the fourth quarter of 1944).
The locomotive covered 103,050 miles in passenger service, and was then set aside on June 11, 1949, because it was in need of repairs to the firebox and flues, and also to the turbines, oil pumps, and gears. At that time all passenger service on the Pennsylvania was being changed to diesel-electric operation, so the locomotive was ultimately scrapped on May 29, 1952.
Figure 80.—Model of Baldwin-Westinghouse geared steam-turbine locomotive, 1944.
A nonoperable model of a diesel-electric locomotive (figure 81) was given to the Museum (USNM 313163) by the New York Central System in 1947. This gray and black model, which is 33 inches long and is built to a scale of ¼ inch to the foot, represents the General Motors 2-unit diesel-electric No. 4000-4001 of the New York Central, a type placed in service with the Empire State Express in 1945 to replace the Hudson-type steam locomotives described on page 99. The model was especially built for the Museum’s collection, the builder being Edwin P. Alexander of Yardley, Pa.
The overall length of the two full sized units is just over 140 feet and their combined weight is 646,000 pounds. Each end of each unit is supported by a 6-wheeled truck, and the wheel diameter is 36 inches throughout.
Each unit is equipped with two General Motors 12-cylinder V-type 2-cycle diesel engines having a bore of 8½ inches and a stroke of 10 inches, and developing 1,000 horsepower at 800 revolutions per minute, a total of 4,000 horsepower for the two units combined. Each engine is directly coupled to a generator that supplies direct current to the two traction motors, geared, respectively, to the front and rear axles of its corresponding truck. No power is applied to the center axle, which is for weight distribution only. The joint tractive force of the two units is 108,950 pounds.
Figure 81.—Model of General Motors diesel-electric locomotive, 1945.
The author wishes to express his appreciation for the help given him by the many individuals, including railroad officials, librarians, and museum curators, who provided answers to many questions and confirmed many conjectures.
Special thanks are tendered A. B. Lawson and Lawrence W. Sagle of The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Co., F. V. Koval of the Chicago and North Western Railway System, W. F. Kascal and Harry B. Spurrier of the New York Central System, H. T. Cover of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., Harry E. Hammer of the Reading Co., K. C. Ingram of the Southern Pacific Co., Elizabeth O. Cullen of the Association of American Railroads, D. M. MacMaster of the Museum of Science and Industry at Chicago, H. D. Watson of the University of Maine, George M. Hart of George School in Bucks County, Pa., and Robert R. Brown of Lachine, Quebec—to name a few of those whose contributions have helped bring together the facts here presented.
It is fitting also at this time to refer to the late Charles B. Chaney, who collected over a period of almost 60 years an immense number of photographs, negatives, drawings, lithographs, and books dealing with railroading. Upon his death in 1948, he left this entire collection to the United States National Museum, of the Smithsonian Institution, confident that in the Museum it would be put to the widest possible use and would, therefore, carry forward his lifelong work of research in the history of locomotives and railroads.
His confidence was well founded. The Chaney collection of railroad material has been an invaluable source of information for the present work.
To acknowledge the contribution of Thomas Norrell of Silver Spring, Md., is likewise a pleasure. He graciously consented to read the manuscript of this work, and his authoritative comments have greatly enhanced its comprehensiveness and accuracy.
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