Pennsy Power: Steam and Electric Locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1900-1957

328 Pages·1962·53.3 MB·English

by  Alvin F. Staufer

$14.00
POWER
PENNSY
9k
"Dieselization was >- iple+e by +h^ end of 1957.
Steam locom'- ' ..ed their final trains on
Middle ar ..^uehanna Divisions, and in New Jer-
sey, '-snd yet there remained one Belpaire boiler in
steam: 0-6-0 switcher no. 5244 was leased to the 14
mile long Union Transportation Co. at Egypt, N.J.
^nm^
That stalwart little B6sb class holdout lasted until July iral
of 1959 when she chuffed sedately into Camden Ter-
minal and was subsequently relayed across Delair
Bridge to West Philly Enginehouse on her final run.
When 5244's fire was dropped, a 13 year steam his- anit ^^
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tory that embraced nearly twenty-five thousand loco- %^i>^^
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—
motives was at an end" This is the story of that era;
the time when the Nation's largest railroad presided
over the largest and most unique fleet of steam mot-
ive power in the land.
This picture-word study is clearly subdivided by
locomotive classifications with 260 of its pages devot-
ed to steam and 60 to electric.
Added flavor is furnished by railroad "art" in-
cluding the famous Pennsy calendars.
ALVIN STAUFER
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POWER
PENNSY
STEAM AND ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES OF THE
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD
1900-1957
BY ALVIN STAUFER
F.
text writing by B£RT PE3NNYPACKER research by MARTIN FLATTLEY
copyright 1962 by Alvin F. Staufer
printed in the United States
first printing
Library of Congress Catalog No, 62-20878
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FOREWORD
To know and understand the Pennsylvania Railroad is
to grasp the significance of countless superlatives that liter-
ally become monotonous in their description of this Colossus
among rail transportation plants. The uncanny genius and
know-how of gifted men, stretching through the years since
1846. have effected the amalgamation of many railroad com-
panies into the gigantic Pennsy— AMERICA'S LARGEST
RAILROAD. Its 1946 Centennial Year statistics speak for
them.selves: 10,690 main track miles; 26,109 total miles lo-
cated in thirteen states; $1,670,000,000 total financial capit-
alization; $2,981,000,000 total property investment; 4,848
locomotives (in 1924 there were 7556, and in 1910 the total
was 6600); 240,293 freight cars; 7299 passenger cars;
$983,800,000 total operating revenues; 63,812,000,000 gross
freight ton miles; and 14,920,000,000 gross passenger train
miles. The foregoing figures represent a late year of almost
total steam-electric operation, with very few diesels.
And so it goes. Besides sheer overall size, PRR opera-
tions remain astronomical in scope, even when its coagulat-
Pennsylvania Railroad
ed segments are broken down and considered separately.
Greatest main line traffic density in the World rolls over
the four-tracked New York Division. Its fleet of tuscan
red, Blue Ribbon Limiteds (and lesser trains) haul more myth when the record is bared: first steel passenger cars,
passengers than any other railroad. Famed Enola Yard, outstanding electric locomotive development, pioneer in cab
near Harrisburg, with 145 miles of tracks and total car signals and trainphone, user of heaviest rail (152 lbs. per
capacity of 9,900, clears 16,000 cars on a busy day. Ultra- yard), inventor of hundreds of locomotive improvements and
modern and larger (12,000 car capacity) Conway Yard, just designs,first to scoop water on the fly, pioneer in position
north of Pittsburgh, cost Pennsy $35 million and was open- light signaling, classification hump yards and many other
ed in 1957 at the close of the steam era. All-time loco- innovations throughout the years.
motive roster of nearly 25,000 engines tops all other rail- Regarding locomotive specifications quoted herein, the
roads. So do electrification totals which include (1947 weights and tractive efforts are representative figures in
figures listing) 671 route miles, 2,248 total miles, 272 locomo- every case, since it is impossible to record all minor changes
tives, and 432 electric multiple-unit passenger cars. No that occurred through the years.
other railroad ever had 3,335 locomotives of just one wheel In preparing this volume we fully realize the magni-
—
arrangement on its roster at one time that was Pennsy's tude of our task and the limitations imposed by a 320-page
almost unbelievable 2-8-0 total back in 1924. Most other book. Our purpose is to preserve a living image of the
types were used by the hundreds, such as 601 Atlantics, glamor and excitement that was Keystone-heralded steam
579 Mikados, nearly 700 Pacifies, 598 Decapods, and so on. and electric railroading, together with a high degree of fact-
Successful bigness wasn't achieved without surmount- ual information.
ing obstacles just as big, and to Pennsy men this meant This is by no means a technical manual, nor is it our
standardization of everything from locomotive steam guages purpose to editorialize or pass judgement upon operating
to entire boilers. The slogan was "DO IT YOURSELF", and successes or failures of various designs. It would of course be
it was done to the tune of ten thousand home-built engines ridiculous to assume there were no lemons among nearly
planned and constructed at the World's largest railroad 25,000 locomotives, and where information scources pointed
shops, Altoona, under the capable direction of men like to shortcomings, the issue is faced squarely.
Vogt, Gibbs, Wallis, and Kiesel. Compared to many rail- The years 1900 through 1957 were selected as our cov-
roads. Keystone methods spelled unconformity in capital erage span because they represented the Golden Years of
letters. A retired special duty man who worked in the SteamRailroading; the years that most of the well-remem-
motive power department for many years, put it this way: bered locomotives were built. The cut-off year of 1957 was
"Our engines weren't very fancy, but they did a darn good steam power's last year of service, although electrics remain
job out on the road", and that sums it up very well. and will probably continue for many years. In this respect,
Pros and cons regarding the railroad's methods and some electric data has been included (in brief form) to
policies aren't hard to find. "The Standard Railroad of the bring that section to the current year of 1962. More im-
World" (Pennsy) has often been stamped with an "ultra- portantly, steam memories and nostalgia are preserved
conservative" brand name which doesn't exactly hold water. herein, and may they live long in the hearts of those who
True, it is a highly unusual road with its own ways, but knew and thrilled to stack music and steam whistles.
no other rail carrier had to plan for traffic volumes pro- Alvin F. Staufer
duced by the fabulous industrial and residential complexes Martin Flattley
served by Pennsy. The word "conservative" becomes a Bert Pennypacker
CONTENTS
Pennsylvania Railroad
Sivitchers and Mallets 14
F class Moguls 28
H
class Consolidations 32
L class Mikados 50
I class Decapods 64
N
class Santa Fe 82
J class Texas 88
D class Americans 102
G class Ten Wheelers 116
E class Atlantics 124
K
class Early Pacifies 142
K
4s class Pacific 158
K
5 class Pacific 190
M
class Mountains 194
T class Duplex 216
S and Q class Duplex 226
ELECTRIC SECTION 246
DDl 248
class
FFl class 254
256
Li5 class
Bl 260
class
Ol 264
class
P5 class 266
Li6 class 276
GGl 278
class
DD2 class 298
FF2 299
class
E2 & E 3 class 300
E44 302
class
Calendar Paintings 304
Acknoivledgments 319
O?
JimShaughncssy
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MEN
PENNSY
I
Axel S. Vogt
Mechanical Engineer from
J. M. Symes A. J. Greenough March 1887 to retirement in
February 1919. He served as
Chairman of the Board President an advisor to Baldwin till
his death, November 11, 1921.
One of the greatest factors directing the course of the
Pennsylvania Railroad is that PENNSY MEN have always 19th Century are: John P. Laird, Master Mechanic 1862-
been RAILROAD MEN. While other railroads have had 1866, developed the balloon stack and Laird Guide; Theodore
their share of stock manipulators, financiers, and politicians N. Ely, Chief of Motive Power 1893-1911 who put Science
(with varying degrees of success), the Pennsy has had an into locomotive development; and F. D. Casanave, Supt. of
unbroken line of management succession that was "up from Motive Power Lines East from 1893- 1901, who supervised
the ranks". Greatest representation has been from the the design of the famous D16 and other classes.
Engineering, Motive Power and Transportation depts. Enthusiasts of locomotives tend to look upon them as
STANDARDIZATION would not have reached such com- if they were living, self-created objects; this is not so.
pleteness or the Railroad such greatness had it not been They are the product of MAN.
for great presidents like W. W. Atterbury and Alexander Thousands are responsible for the development of any
J. Cassett. (both former motive power men). given class of motive power but these are the ten leaders
In addition to the present President and Chairman of most responsible for Pennsy Power: W. W. Atterbury, John
the Board, we have pictured here the five men most re- P. Laird, Alexander J. Cassett, Theodore N. Ely, F. D.
ferred to in this volume. Three others who must be men- Casanave, Axel S. Vogt, Alfred W. Gibbs, James T. Wallis,
tioned even though they served most of their time in the William F. Kiesel Jr., and J. V. B. Duer.
I
Penniylvsni* Railroad