Class A-1 (Locobase 2566)

Data from a locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/A/a17191a.tif (accessed 22 March 2003). A note on the 1912 diagram says that engines 108 & 109 of this class "carry 160# of steam." Other measurements indicate that at least some of this class ran on 64" drivers.

Corbin & Kerka (1960, p 185) show a slightly larger heating surface area -- 1,245 sq ft -- but otherwise identical numbers.

Class A-2 (1868) (Locobase 5449)

Data from a locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/A/a2d2.tif (accessed 22 March 2003).

The builder and numbers come from Corbin & Kerka (1960), p 258.

Class A-2 (1870) (Locobase 5551)

Data from Corbin & Kerka (Steam Locomotives of the Burlington Route, 1960, p. 28). Aside from noting the wagon-top boiler and 28" steam dome over the firebox, their description counted the rocking grates, injector, two brass feed pumps, and diamond stack with a 16" minimum diameter.

They were later grouped with a heterogeneous assembly of contemporary locomotives in the A-2 class.

Class A-2 - 109 (Locobase 8835)

Data from a locomotive diagram published by Vernon L Beck on his CB & Q website -- http://www.home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/A/ok109.tif, last accessed 24 October 2007.

Class A-3 (Locobase 5451)

Data from a locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/A/a2d2.tif (accessed 22 March 2003). Rupert Gamlen's roster (accessed 29 March 2003) tells us that 27 of these were built from 1870 to 1887. The diagram shows that at least two of them originally were numbered 110-111 and came from the Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City Railway, a predecessor railway that was known as "The OK Route".

Corbin & Kerka's (1960, p 261) summary shows a wide variety of builders and dates -- Baldwin, Danforth Cooke, Manchester, and several Burlington shop locations (Galesburgh, Plattsmouth, Beardstown). Four originally operated with the Burlington & Missouri River (as 26, 79, 115, 139; later 414, 420, 422, 423).

Class A-5 (Locobase 8513)

Data from CB&Q Asstd Steam Loco Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

This designation covers several different locomotives rebuilt by the CB & Q in 1879, 1884, 1885, & 1896.

Class C-2-E (Locobase 7362)

Data from the Wichita Valley 1 - 1915 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

The Wichita Valley Railway was an 1890 brainchild of Morgan Jones and Grenville Dodge; the latter partner had overseen the construction of the Union Pacific's transcontinental line in the 1860s. The termini for the WVR were more modest, but still considerable -- a main line from Wichita Falls 300 miles west to Seymour at the state line. It's not clear from the Handbook of Texas account -- http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/WW/eqw17.html (accessed 2 Jan 2005) -- how far the builders actually got. In 1905, the Colorado & Southern gained control and when the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy snapped up the C & S in 1908, the WVR became a separately operated subsidiary. At that time, the WVR leased the Wichita Falls Railroad and the Abilene & Northern to connect Abilene and Wichita Falls.

Most of the locomotives in the diagram book were purchased from other railroads. The diagram page shows that #3 was originally OC number 13. These locomotives came from a relatively early time in the life of the Schenectady Works and had works #2120 & 2117, respectively. #2, which was produced 4 years later, had a slightly larger firebox and four more tubes (186) and a 3" longer spread between the drivers.

It was "obsolete" and "dismantled" before the book was published on 1 Jan 1915.

Class C-2-J-1 / C-2-H (Locobase 7363)

Data from the Wichita Valley 1 - 1915 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

These were produced a year after the Schenectady engines shown in Locobase 7362 and were very similar. Their power dimensions were identical except for the Cooke locomotives' 3" smaller drivers. The boilers had a few fewer tubes and the grate was a bit smaller as well.

Locobase notes that No. 10 originally served the Fort Worth & Denver as its #9, but that its characteristics are essentially identical to those of the 4-5.

By 1915 all three were characterized as "obsolete".

Class C-2-L (Locobase 7685)

Data from C & S 6 -1941 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

From the data on the table at the beginning of the diagram book, this Eight-wheeler was bought new by the C & S and appears to have been part of a larger class of possibly 5 locomotives or more. It was later modified as an inspection engine. A small house was mounted on the long pilot (cowcatcher) to house one or two inspectors as they looked over the track and right of way.

Class M / A-6 (Locobase 7690)

Data from CB&Q 3 - 1953 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection. The present entry refers only to the six Pittsburgh-built locomotives (works# 1829-1834) that much later were designated A-6. the first 4 went to the Hannibal & St Joseph as 633, 636, 645, and 653; these later became the Kansas City & Council Bluffs. The St. Louis, Keokuk and Northwestern Railroad took the other two as 746-747.

By the time the 1953 diagram book was published, the single survivor of the 1890s class supplied by Pittsburgh was marked VOID in large letters. The diagram notes that the boiler might be pressed to 160 psi (tractive effort 15,300 lb) or 170 psi as shown; the design used a Belpaire firebox. The dome sat over the first driven axle.

Throughout its career, the essentials of this saturated-steam, Stephenson-valve-gear actuated Eight-wheeler remained intact, except for the front truck. Originally delivered with wheels measuring 37 1/4" in diameter, the A-6 later ran on 33" wheels.

Retirements began with one in December 1922 (197), followed by two in June 1927 (196 & 198), one in August 1927 (199), one in July 1928 (194), and the last in July 1929 (195).