Class B-4-A - Cooke (Locobase 7684)

Data from C & S 7 -1939 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

The Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf took delivery of these little Cooke Consolidations (builder's # 1478-1487, 1494-1503) and numbered 198-216. The C & S took over the UP, D & G in 1899 and renumbered them 37-56. John Crandall's roster -- http://home.att.net/~nginfo/roster.htm#b4a, accessed 13 July 2006 -- credits 37-40 to Baldwin.

Class B-4-C (Locobase 6752)

Data from C & S 7 -1939 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

Very light-rail Consolidation freight engines that served the branch lines of the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf as numbers 261-268. The C & S took over the UP, D & G in 1899 and renumbered them as shown in the specs

Compared to the Moguls of two years earlier (Locobase 6751), these were smaller and lighter locomotives. A look at the photograph from Ted Kiercey's collection shown on http://www.narrowgauge.org/images/tkcok/m00158.jpg, accessed 13 July 2006, shows a variety of "field modifications": A tall pipe led from the rhomboid spark-arresting cap on the stack itself down to the trackbed. It turns out that the stack is a patented apparatus is called the Ridgway Stack. http://home.att.net/~nginfo/locodetails.htm, also accessed 13 July 1913, gives full details of the design. The purpose was to keep any stray cinders from setting fire to the highly combustible right of way.

John R Crandall, editor of the nginfo site, comments on why he thinks the extra pipe was added: "The most novel aspect of this cinder catcher is the pipe running down the side which deposits the hot cinders along the side of the track, where in theory, they would do the least amount of harm. It seems, however, that if these new cinder catchers had been all that they seemed to be cracked up to be, they would have been adapted to more railroads than the C&S. The top did fold over and can be seen this way in many photos of engines in yards or in snow covered areas, where the threat of fire was greatly reduced. Perhaps there were problems with the screens becoming clogged and reducing the draft."

Between the two old-style steam domes are two cylindrical tanks laid side-by-side across the boiler.

All but one had been scrapped by the end of the 1920s; for some reason, 58 avoided the torch until April 1939.

Class B-4-D (Locobase 6753)

Data from C & S 7 -1939 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

A continuation of the Rhode Island engines of 4 years before, this Baldwin octet were somewhat heavier and had a 2"-longer cylinder stroke. Otherwise, they were built to the same design. The Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf numbered them 266-273. The C & S took over the UP, D & G in 1899 and renumbered them as shown in the specs.

By the 20s, the railroad had moved on to larger, more powerful 2-8-0s. 64 was sold in Sept 1921, 3 more -- 66 (Sept 1923), 67 (Feb 1927), and 63 (May 1929) -- were dismantled. A decade followed with no more scrap dates, the subtraction resumed with 65 (April 1939) and 68 (May 1939).

Class B-4-E (Locobase 6754)

Data from C & S 7 -1939 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

Seven years after the first Baldwin Consolidations came to the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf, the builder followed with this trio (works #15142-15144). The boiler and grate dimensions were unchanged, but the former was pressed to a higher extent. For some reason, cylinder diameter was cut by 1/2". Weight kept growing, which increased axle loading.

According to Mike Trent, whose account of the B-4-F class appears on Rio Grande Southern Railroad Technical Information Page (Vol 3, # 2 - July 1999)

http://users.viawest.net/~bdwhite/74b.htm (visited 1 Feb 2004), these engines had limited power: "The B-4-E's tractive effort was listed at 19,848 lbs., or 120 tons on a 4%

grade. (One loaded car was rated at 25 tons on a 4% grade.) This meant that one engine could pull only 4 loaded cars up a 4% grade." Trent adds that engine crews prized the Denver, Boulder & Western engines (see Locobase 2635 & 2636, where they're shown as Colorado & North West locomotives) because they steamed well in addtion to putting more tractive effort into the climb.

Because the C & S usually had little or no money for new locomotives, these little Consolidations soldiered on into the 1940s.

Class B-4-F - pv (Locobase 2636)

Data from 1899 Brooks Catalogue.

Builder info from B.Rumary, 25 Kingscombe, Gurney Slade, Radstock, BA3 4TH, ENGLAND and Jeremy Lambert as supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004. Works #2969-2970 manufactured in June 1898.

Same data as the Colorado & NorthWestern's #30 (Locobase 2635), but with a different "Code Word" (for use in telegraphy). #30 was Quidam, #32's is Quiddit. The only discernible difference is a change in the shape of the valve chest from a simple slide valve to perhaps a patent version of a piston valve.

Locobase's hunch -- suggested in 2002 -- was borne out by the Rio Grande Southern Railroad Technical Information Page (Vol 3, # 2 - July 1999) on #74 by Mike Trent, published on

http://users.viawest.net/~bdwhite/74b.htm (visited 1 Feb 2004). He notes that the problems of the outboard-canted slide valves on the first engine of the trio led to the adoption of the inboard piston valves. Trent comments that piston valves tended to "wear out" rather than wearing in (as slide valves did because of the constant pressure on only one side) they needed replacement more often. Even so, the piston valve was better suited for higher-pressure applications.

Both of these locmotives had long careers. The Denver, Boulder & Western sold them to Morse Brothers Machinery & Supply Co, which in turn sold them to the Colorado & Southern as road #75-76. Eventually the pair ended up on Cerro de Pasco Copper Co of Lima, Peru in 1948 and served that producer until the mid-1960s.

Class B-4-F - sv (Locobase 2635)

Data from 1899 Brooks Catalogue.

Builder info from B.Rumary, 25 Kingscombe, Gurney Slade, Radstock, BA3 4TH, ENGLAND and Jeremy Lambert as supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004. Works #2951 produced in April 2004.

See 2636 for the other 2 locomotives in this order.

A year after the Colorado & NorthWestern's first engine -- a Brooks-built 2-6-0 --, we see this burlier Consolidation with even smaller drivers. The driving wheel base gains only 4 inches to permit this more powerful locomotive to work on light, curvy track.

See the full account of engine #74 as it passed through several transformation on Rio Grande Southern Railroad Technical Information Page (Vol 3, # 2 - July 1999) by Mike Trent, published on

http://users.viawest.net/~bdwhite/74b.htm (visited 1 Feb 2004). Trent says that 30 represented an odd, short-lived choice of valve-chest layout: "In order to set the steam chests containing the engine's flat, or slide, valves under the large 60" diameter smokebox, the chests were canted outboard. This peculiar Brooks design had been applied to some of Brook's recently built standard gauge engines. Unfortunately, increased steam pressure made possible by new boiler technology and size caused an unbalanced load on the old-fashioned slide valves. This in turn caused damage and excessive wear to the traditional Stephenson valve gear, which was "standard" at that time. Also, the sloping nature of the steam chests caused major lubrication problems"

The outboard cant was abandoned in the other two locomotives in favor of inboard piston valves, but 30 kept her difficult-to-operate slide gear for some time. In 1926, says Trent, salvation came in the form of the Colorado & Southern's George Lundberg of the mechanical department, who "designed a distinctive, customized Walschaerts valve gear for No.74" that worked to free up the Johnson bar and greatly ease the engineer's job.

Class B-4-J (Locobase 7366)

Data from Wichita Valley 1 - 1915 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection. Roster information from Connelly's list.

Works numbers for the October 1889 batch were 10360-10361, 10363-10365 and for November 1889 10431, 10433-104310436.

At least one of these went to the Wichita Southern as that railway's #9.

Class B-4-M (Locobase 8322)

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

This class was dismantled in the late 1920s.

Class B-4-P (Locobase 1335)

Data from C & S 7 -1939 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

The result of a trial of three builders' locomotives in which Rhode Island outdid Baldwin (B-4M #428, the last of a 7-engine run) and Cooke (B-4N; works #2510). Drury (1993) describes the winner as having a higher boiler and taller drivers. These left service between 1937 and 1946.

Class B-4-R (Locobase 1337)

Data from C & S 7 -1939 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection

Juiced-up versions of the B-4Ps ordered a year earlier, these were considerably bigger. Rhode Island built the first 10, Richmond followed a year later (1902) with 15, and Brooks supplied 19 in 1906. Baldwin's 6 B-4R1 engines (1907) had slide valves instead of piston valves and sported other changes in the smokebox and cab.

Many of the class were later superheated. The class operated until 1960, although retirements began as soon as the later 1920s.

Class B-4-R1 (Locobase 6760)

Data from C & S 7 -1939 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

Baldwin delivered this sextet in three groups (works #30996, 31017-31018, and 31066-31068) as saturated-steam engines similar to the B-4-R, but had slide valves instead of piston valves (the Fort Worth & Denver bought 5 more as 310-314). Sometime later, all but 649 were superheated and fitted with piston valves.

The class left service over a long period, the first in 1934, the last in 1960.

Class B-4-S - compound (Locobase 6759)

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

Firebox heating surface included 12.3 sq ft of arch tubes.

These tandem compounds were among the most successful compounds in US service, Drury (1993) notes, and weren't converted to a simple-expansion configuration shown in Locobase 8323 until 1924-1926. Indeed, they were superheated first and retrofitted with 12" piston valves.

Class B-4-S - simpled (Locobase 8323)

Data from C & S 7 -1939 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

Firebox heating surface included 12.3 sq ft of arch tubes.

As noted in Locobase 6759, the tandem compounds purchased by the C & S in 1903 proved so satisfactory that they were superheated first. Only in 1924-1926 were they converted to the simple-expansion layout shown in the specs and given outside Walschaert radial valve gear to supply the new cylinders. After their conversions, the former compounds retired over a long period of time, the first leaving in 1939, the last in 1956.

Class D (Locobase 5478)

Data from the locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/D/d1old.tif (accessed 22 March 2003). Clearly a very old Consolidation given the boiler pressure, the small cylinders, the diameter of the boiler and several other points.

Class D-1 (Locobase 5481)

Data from the locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/D/d287.tif (accessed 22 March 2003). Corbin & Kerka's (1960) description of all the early Consolidations covers several batches, but overall, this seems to be the best fit between the diagram marked "D old" and their information.

Class D-2 (Locobase 5479)

Data from the locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/D/d287.tif (accessed 22 March 2003). These larger Consolidations had Belpaire fireboxes. The first 25 were built by Baldwin in 1887-1888 with the Burlington shops at Aurora and West Burlington adding 5 more. Almost all were converted to G-4 class 0-8-0 switchers, many before 1910. 3 served out their days as 2-8-0s and were retired in 1922.

Class D-3 (Locobase 5484)

Data from the locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/D/d37193b.tif (accessed 22 March 2003).

Locobase is puzzled by this diagram. It's clearly different from the other D3 (see Locobase 3278), which appears as "pre-1912" in Beck's series.

This was a much larger Consolidation than the Burlington had operated before. Its grate, boiler dimensions, number of tubes (though not length), axle loading -- all pointed to a more powerful freight hauler. Although the class had a Belpaire firebox, however, its volume was not remarkably high.

Class D-4 superheated (Locobase 425)

Delivered to CB&Q subsidiary Hannibal & St Joseph by Alco-Schenectady (first 75) and Baldwin (last 25). Originally completed as saturated-steam engines with 430 2" tubes and a total heating surface of 3,760 sq ft; see Locobase 5485.

Soon fitted, however, with Emerson superheater and inside Stephenson valve gear. Railway Gazette lists superheating surface and "total heating" surface,which Locobase takes to mean evaporative and superheat combined. Firebox heating surface includes 32 sq ft of arch tubes. This is confirmed by the locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/D/d4a.tif (accessed 22 March 2003).

Class D-4A/D-4B (Locobase 5485)

Delivered to CB&Q subsidiary Hannibal & St Joseph. This entry represents the original, saturated-steam version. D-4A produced by Alco-Schenectady (first 75) and D-4B by Baldwin (last 25).

Data from locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/D/d4b7194.tif (accessed 22 March 2003). 12" piston valves

Drury (1993) comments that these engines proved less well-suited to requirements than the lighter Prairies or the 2-8-2s that followed shortly afterward.

Class D-5 (Locobase 5486)

Data from the locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/D/d5511.tif (accessed 22 March 2003). This was a design for a Consolidation that was never actually built, according to Corbin & Kerka (1960).

Class D-6 (Locobase 5487)

Data from the locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/D/d6512.tif (accessed 22 March 2003).

Like the D5, the sketch is of a design for a Consolidation that was never actually built, according to Corbin & Kerka (1960).

Class D-7 (Locobase 7691)

Data from CB&Q 3 - 1953 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection and from the locomotive diagram published on Vernon Beck's website -- http://home.earthlink.net/~vnlbeck/D/d77194b.tif (accessed 22 March 2003).

Delivered to the I & StL before its takeover by the Burlington, this pair of light Consolidations were quite modest in their design and performance. Baldwin built them as single units (works# 22390, 22408). Like the parent road's 2-8-0s, they were not really well suited to the Burlington's freight requirements and both were out of service in November 1928.

Class Q / D3 (Locobase 3278)

These engines were described in the 26 August 1898 Railroad Gazette as being headed for the Black Hills. The B&MR was part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and the latter's Superintendent of Motive Power was credited with the "direction" of this design. Its capacity was to be 50% greater than the engines then in use, making it capable of pulling 15 loads where the others could only manage 10.

Drury (1993) comments that the Consolidation didn't get much use on the CB&Q, the railroad preferring their Prairies for light freight service.

Builder information from B Rumary list supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004. Works numbers were 1845-1848 (August 1898).