Chicago Great Western 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Type Locomotives

Class G1 (Locobase 4184)

See http://www.geocities.com/zvwrr/chicago_great_western_steam.html for the original 1917 railroad diagrams. Works numbers were 18375-18376, 18386, 18406-18408 in November 1900 and 18443-18444, 18479-18480 in December.

According to the diagram, firebox heating surface included 24 sq ft of arch tubes. These entered CGW service as Vauclain compounds with two 17" HP and two 28" LP cylinders, but were soon (1903-1907) converted to simple expansion.

205 and 307 were sold to locomotive reconditioner Birmingham Rail and Locomotive in December 1916. BR & L sold ex-305 to Eagle Pass Lumber of Eagle Pass, Texas in October 1920 and ex-307 to Petroleo Mexicano in June 1921.

304 and 306 were sold to the Illinois Southern in December 1910 and February 1911, respectively; the IS RR in turn sold them to the Missouri Illinois as 401-402 in December 1919. (The M-I ran trains on both banks of the Mississippi south of Saint Louis and included the older Mississippi River & Bonne Terre. It was absorbed by the Missouri Pacific in 1929.)

306 was converted to an 0-8-0 switcher, but the M-I sold the 304 back to the IS and the IS sold it to the Chicago, Indianapolis & Western as their 322 -- which is how it wound up on the Baltimore & Ohio in 1927 as E-43 class #436. The B & O scrapped 436 in December 1928.

303 and 308 were rebuilt as class J-1 0-8-0 switchers in 1909 & 1917 and scrapped in 1932 and April 1930, respectively.

Class G3 (Locobase 3090)

Data from Railway Age 30 October 1914 (Vol 57, No. 18). Also see http://www.geocities.com/zvwrr/chicago_great_western_steam.html for the original 1917 railroad diagrams. Works numbers were 33892-33895, 33924-33925, 33934-33935, 33938-33939, 33945, 33949-33957 in October 1909; 35120-35123, 35156-35158 in August 1910; 35200-35210, 35289-35290 in September.

Firebox heating surface included 28 sq ft of "water tubes." According to the diagram, firebox heating surface included 13 sq ft of arch tubes, considerably less than the surface shown in RA.

Sizable Consolidations with relatively tall drivers. 12 were rebuilt in 1927-1930 with 26" cylinders, which raised their tractive effort to 54,700 lb, and larger fireboxes. They were then designated G-4; see Locobase 6123. The first retirement came in 1930, the last in 1950.

See G3s for superheated conversions.

Class G3s/24 (Locobase 4183)

See Railway Age 30 October 1914 (Vol 57, No. 18). Also see http://www.geocities.com/zvwrr/chicago_great_western_steam.html for the original 1917 railroad diagrams. According to the diagram, firebox heating surface included 13 sq ft of arch tubes. Drury's (1993) comment that the G4s came from increasing cylinder size in G3s to 26" in the late 1920s appears to refer to 12 of these superheated G3s.

Class G3s/24.5 (Locobase 4181)

See Railway Age 30 October 1914 (Vol 57, No. 18). Also see http://www.geocities.com/zvwrr/chicago_great_western_steam.html for the original 1917 railroad diagrams. According to the diagram, firebox heating surface included 13 sq ft of arch tubes. Drury's (1993) comment that the G4s came from increasing cylinder size in G3s to 26" in the late 1920s appears to refer to 12 of these superheated G3s that had originally been upgraded to 24 1/2" cylinders.

Some of these were later fitted with 54 sq ft of thermic syphons as well.

Class G3s/26 (Locobase 4182)

These conversions from the basic G3, which was delivered in 1910, increased cylinder size by 2" and added superheat.. See http://www.geocities.com/zvwrr/chicago_great_western_steam.html for the original 1917 railroad diagrams. According to the diagram, firebox heating surface included 13 sq ft of arch tubes.

A Railway Age article of 30 October 1914 describes the superheated G3, but not the later version with syphons shown in the 1943 diagram book supplied by Allen Stanley. This variant, reflected in the data, was created in the 1920s. After the retrofit, the firebox heating surface included both 13 sq ft of arch tubes and 54 sq ft of thermic syphons.

Class G4 (Locobase 6123)

Data from 1943 CGW diagram book supplied by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection in March 2004.

This was a subclass of former G3 locomotives that were superheated in the late 'teens and all were fitted with thermic syphons in the late 1920s. As a result, firebox heating surface now included 13 sq ft of arch tubes and 65 sq ft of syphons.

Specifications
ClassG1G3G3s/24G3s/24.5G3s/26G4
Locobase ID418430904183418141826123
RailroadChicago Great Western (CGW)Chicago Great Western (CGW)Chicago Great Western (CGW)Chicago Great Western (CGW)Chicago Great Western (CGW)Chicago Great Western (CGW)
Whyte2-8-02-8-02-8-02-8-02-8-02-8-0
Road Numbers300-309320-359600-611
GaugeStdStdStdStdStdStd
BuilderBurnham, Williams & CoBaldwinCGWCGWCGW
Year190019101915191519151919
Valve GearStephensonWalschaertWalschaertWalschaertWalschaertWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase15.09'17'17'17'17'17'
Engine Wheelbase23.42'25.67'25.67'25.67'25.67'25.67'
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheebase 0.64 0.66 0.66 0.66 0.66 0.66
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender)51.52'58.50'58.50'58.50'58.50'59.54'
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle)
Weight on Drivers160200 lbs198850 lbs198850 lbs198850 lbs199850 lbs218300 lbs
Engine Weight178400 lbs222650 lbs220500 lbs220500 lbs230500 lbs240500 lbs
Tender Light Weight111800 lbs149000 lbs149000 lbs149000 lbs149000 lbs150000 lbs
Total Engine and Tender Weight290200 lbs371650 lbs369500 lbs369500 lbs379500 lbs390500 lbs
Tender Water Capacity6000 gals8000 gals8000 gals8000 gals8000 gals8000 gals
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal)10 tons15 tons15 tons15 tons15 tons14 tons
Minimum weight per yard of rail on which locomotive could run67 lb rail83 lb rail83 lb rail83 lb rail83 lb rail91 lb rail
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter55"63"63"63"63"63"
Boiler Pressure185 psi200 psi200 psi200 psi180 psi200 psi
Cylinders (dia x stroke)20.5" x 30"24" x 30"24" x 30"24.5" x 30"26" x 30"26" x 30"
Tractive Effort36046 lbs46629 lbs46629 lbs48592 lbs49251 lbs54724 lbs
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.44 4.26 4.26 4.09 4.06 3.99
Heating Ability
Firebox Area206 sq. ft199 sq. ft184 sq. ft184 sq. ft238 sq. ft286 sq. ft
Grate Area31.50 sq. ft49.50 sq. ft49.50 sq. ft49.50 sq. ft49.50 sq. ft70 sq. ft
Evaporative Heating Surface245937133003300330993083
Superheating Surface619619619619
Combined Heating Surface245937133622362237183702
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume214.56236.38191.18183.45168.10167.24
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation5828990099009900891014000
Same as above plus superheater percentage5828990011583115831042516380
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area381103980043056430565012366924
Power L15163629412693121801010911487
Power MT284.21279.12562.90540.15446.06464.03

Credits

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