St Clair Tunnel Company 0-10-0 Type Locomotives

Class 598 (Locobase 2850)

A double ended camelback with small drivers, no guiding or trailing trucks, long water tanks and a center cab could only have one of a few purposes. This beast's job was to haul freight trains through the tunnel that connects Detroit, Michigan with Sarnia, Ontario on a ruling grade of 2%. Typical trains amounted to 25-33 loaded cars.

(Alexander, Iron Horse, pl 81). Data from Railroad Gazette (7 Jan 1898). (Alexander gives boiler pressure of 210 psi.)

William E Miller's website dedicated to the history of the St Clair Tunnel -- http://www.trainweb.org/elso/stclair.htm (2 July 2003) -- gives the Baldwin works numbers as 11586, 11589, 11590 & 11595. Although completed as camelback tank engines, they were later given tenders to increase capacity. The side tanks were removed in 1898 ( when the locomotives were renumbered 1301-1304). 1301 and 1304 later had conventional cabs fitted behind the firebox.

Miller adds that by 1908 they were relieved of tunnel duty (because of the suffocation hazard), but soldiered on for a few more years and one more renumbering (2650-2653 in 1910. 2652 was scrapped in 1916 and the others in 1920.

Specifications
Class598
Locobase ID2850
RailroadSt Clair Tunnel Company
Whyte0-10-0T
Road Numbers598-601
GaugeStd
BuilderBurnham, Williams & Co
Year1891
Valve GearStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase18.42'
Engine Wheelbase18.42'
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheebase1
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender)39.87'
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle)
Weight on Drivers180000 lbs
Engine Weight180000 lbs
Tender Light Weight
Total Engine and Tender Weight180000 lbs
Tender Water Capacity1800 gals
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal)3 tons
Minimum weight per yard of rail on which locomotive could run60 lb rail
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter50"
Boiler Pressure160 psi
Cylinders (dia x stroke)22" x 28"
Tractive Effort36861 lbs
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.88
Heating Ability
Firebox Area193 sq. ft
Grate Area38.60 sq. ft
Evaporative Heating Surface2412
Superheating Surface
Combined Heating Surface2412
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume195.79
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation6176
Same as above plus superheater percentage6176
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area30880
Power L13655
Power MT223.83

Credits

Introduction and specifications provided by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media.

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