Crystal River / Denver & Rio Grande / Denver & Rio Grande Western / Rio Grande Southern 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Type Locomotives

Class 300 / C-17 (Locobase 6824)

Data from D&RGW 12 - 1937 Folio 10 and 1 - 1952 Folio L Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection. Baldwin works numbers were 8563, 8564, 8725, 8629, and 8632 (417, 418, 419, 421, 422 and ultimately 300, 303, 304, 301, 302).

Smudges in the 1937 edition obscured the weight data; fortunately, the 1952 edition still preserved the information and it was clear enough to read.

The illustration shows a straight boiler with two domes shaped like classical urns, a slightly flared stack and big, oil-fired headlight. The small drivers were unevenly spaced with the space between the first two 15" smaller than the other gaps.

http://www.drgw.net/info/index.php?n=Main.C-17 (26 May 2006) says that two other locomotives grouped in the class were the ex-Utah Central #1 narrow-gauger, regauged in 1901, renumbered several times, converted back to narrow gauge in 1918 and ultimately numbered 305 in 1924. It was scrapped in 1927. Great Falls of Canada #3 had a similar history as it migrated to the Utah Central before 1898. It was ultimately scrapped in July 1935.

Class C-25-112 (Locobase 6818)

Data from D&RGW 12 - 1937 Folio 10 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his

extensive collection

Locobase suspects that this locomotive didn't operate at 170 psi when it first went into service with the Crystal River. Also the firebox's syphon (11 sq ft) was probably a later addition.

Class C-26S (Locobase 3045)

The high boiler pressure and tall drivers (relatively speaking) distinguish this set of D&RG Consolidations from the C28s delivered from the same builder in the same years. The C26 dimensions made them the most powerful 2-8-0s on the line for years. According to Metcalf, 4 were delivered with 47" drivers, which boosted tractive effort to 27,778 lb (Oddly, engine weight seems to decreased to 112,000 lb.). By Metcalf's calculations, these engines served their Colorado lines for an average of 36 years.

Bruce A. Metcalf's Colorado Consols web site, Data from D&RGW 12 -1937 Folio 10 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

Class C-28S (Locobase 1453)

Group of very small standard-gauge Consolidations that ran on light track until the late 1930s in some instances. (According to Metcalf, the class average was 42 years of service.) Engine numbers reflect D&RGW renumbering in 1924.

http://www.sound.net/~drgw/history/drg2.htm, data from D&RGW 12 -1937 Folio 10 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

See also Bruce A. Metcalf's Colorado Consols web site.

Class C-38 (Locobase 3948)

This small batch of Consolidations was reported with little fanfare in a 1900 Railroad Gazette (Vol XXXII, Vol 36) article. The review did comment that these locomotives "rank wel up in the list of modern heavy freight locomotives", a mysterious claim given the relatively modest dimensions of this workmanlike design. See the 1901 C-40 entry for a nearly identical cross-compound variant.

Class C-39 (Locobase 1458)

Similar to the 1902 C-38s (probably duplicates except for slightly higher boiler pressure). Retired over a decade from 1936-1946. Engine numbers reflect D&RGW renumbering in 1924.

http://www.sound.net/~drgw/history/drg2.htm . data from D&RGW 12 -1937 Folio 10 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection

Class C-40 (Locobase 1459)

Preceded the C-38/C-39 classes and had less square cylinder dimensions and a higher BP. A disposition oddity: 930-934 were built by Baldwin as 4-cylinder Vauclain compounds, simpled in 1907, and retired in 1945-1946; 940-944 were built by Alco-Richmond as 2-cylinder cross-compounds in the same year, also simpled in 1907, but retired in 1936. Engine numbers reflect D&RGW renumbering in 1924.

http://www.sound.net/~drgw/history/drg2.htm, data from D&RGW 12 -1937 Folio 10 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection

Class C-40 (Locobase 4126)

Massive cross-compounds built for the RGW and profiled in Railroad Gazette 28 June 1901. Very similar simple-expansion engines had been procured a year earlier. RG comments on the deceptive scale of these engines, their real bulk being apparent only when one compares it to an older design. Three items that had shrunk to accommodate the larger boiler in the loading gauge were the dome, the stack, and the headlight. What RG didn't predict was just how much smaller all three would get as engines grew still larger.

These cross-compounds had a very large cylinder volume, with the LP cylinder still not large enough to handle all the HP steam. Although it's not clear from Locobase's sources, these probably reverted to simple expansion in just a few years.

Class C-41-190-superheated (Locobase 1461)

Data from 1937 D & RGW locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

These engines were built as 4-cylinder Vauclain compounds with 17" x 30" HP, 28" x 30" LP cylinders. The D&RG (or Baldwin) rated their TE at 43,200 lb. Compared to the earlier C-41s, these had much larger grates.

They were modified in 1907 as simple-expansion locomotives with 2 21"x30" cylinders and a TE of 40,893 lb. Engine numbers reflect D&RGW renumbering in 1924. They were disposed of in several ways. Most were scrapped over many years, others became 0-8-0s and still others were converted to narrow-gauge operation as K-37 2-8-2s. For these last, see Locobase 9466.

http://www.sound.net/~drgw/history/drg2.htm

Class C-43 (Locobase 1463)

Data from 1952 D & RGW locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

Among the heaviest of Consolidations for the D&RG/D&RGW. These engines lasted for decades, only being retired in 1949-1956. Engine numbers reflect D&RGW renumbering in 1924.

http://www.sound.net/~drgw/history/drg2.htm

Class C-48 (Locobase 430)

Data from D&RGW 12 - 1937 Folio 10 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

These smaller Consolidations were built for predecessor railroads Denver & Rio Grande (48, numbered 1131-1178) and Rio Grande Western (20, numbered 1180-1199). Used in Minturn-Malta (Tennessee Pass), Colorado through-freight service, averaging 942 freight ton-miles per locomotive mile in January 1917 between Denver and Salida (ruling grade 1.42%).

They were replaced in that service by the 2-10-2s described in a Railway Age Gazette article of 3 August 1917.

This wasn't the end of their service, however. In fact, many were superheated and fitted with 58 sq ft of thermic syphons. (Those that didn't have syphons had 212 2" tubes vs the 193 found in the syphon engines.) Heating surface data describes those 21 later fitted with thermic syphons. As rebuilt, 20 had Baker gear, 28 had Walschaert. Thus reequipped, the class carried on until retirement in 1949-1955.

Specifications
Class	300 / C-17	C-25-112	C-26S	C-28S	C-38	C-39	C-40	C-40	C-41-190-superheated	C-43	C-48
Locobase ID	6824	6818	3045	1453	3948	1458	1459	4126	1461	1463	430
Railroad	Rio Grande Southern (D&RGW)	Crystal River (D&RGW)	Denver & Rio Grande (D&RGW)	Denver & Rio Grande (D&RGW)	Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW)	Denver & Rio Grande (D&RGW)	Denver & Rio Grande (D&RGW)	Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW)	Denver & Rio Grande (D&RGW)	Denver & Rio Grande (D&RGW)	Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW)
Whyte	2-8-0	2-8-0	2-8-0	2-8-0	2-8-0	2-8-0	2-8-0	2-8-0	2-8-0	2-8-0	2-8-0
Road Numbers	300-304	103	605	630-691	900	915-925	930-934, 940-944	601	1000-1029	1031-1039	1131-1178,1180-1199
Gauge	3'	3'	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std	Std
Builder	Burnham, Parry, Williams & Co	Burnham, Williams & Co	Burnham, Parry, Williams & Co	Burnham, Parry, Williams & Co	Richmond	Burnham, Williams & Co	several	Richmond	Burnham, Williams & Co	Alco-Schenectady	Alco
Year	1887	1903	1889	1889	1900	1905	1901	1901	1902	1908	1906
Valve Gear	Stephenson	Stephenson	Stephenson	Stephenson	Stephenson	Stephenson	Stephenson	Stephenson	Stephenson	Stephenson	Baker or Walschaert
	Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase	11.33'	11'	13.50'	13.50'	16.67'	15.08'	16.25'	16.25'	15'	15.67'	15.67'
Engine Wheelbase	18.58'	18.33'	21.19'	21.33'		23.42'	25.15'		23.83'	24.50'
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheebase	0.61	0.60	0.64	0.63		0.64	0.65		0.63	0.64
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender)	45'	44.58'	48.73'	45.45'	52.93'	59.79'	58.23'	52.93'	53.63'	59.58'	59.45'
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle)		28700 lbs	25200 lbs						48000 lbs	48750 lbs	52800 lbs
Weight on Drivers	62150 lbs	107400 lbs	100300 lbs	99700 lbs	168000 lbs	165100 lbs	177000 lbs	167450 lbs	163000 lbs	195000 lbs	194100 lbs
Engine Weight	70300 lbs	131500 lbs	113000 lbs	115000 lbs	185000 lbs	185600 lbs	199000 lbs	184400 lbs	182000 lbs	219000 lbs	220400 lbs
Tender Light Weight	53000 lbs		78000 lbs	72000 lbs		140500 lbs	111000 lbs		120000 lbs	157000 lbs	165700 lbs
Total Engine and Tender Weight	123300 lbs	0	191000 lbs	187000 lbs	0	326100 lbs	310000 lbs	0	302000 lbs	376000 lbs	386100 lbs
Tender Water Capacity	2500 gals	3000 gals	3500 gals		5000 gals			5000 gals	6000 gals	8000 gals	8000 gals
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal)	6 tons	6 tons	11 tons	tons	10 tons	tons	tons	10 tons	8 tons	15 tons	18 tons
Minimum weight per yard of rail on which locomotive could run	25.90 lb rail	44.75 lb rail	41.79 lb rail	41.54 lb rail	70 lb rail	68.79 lb rail	73.75 lb rail	69.77 lb rail	67.92 lb rail	81.25 lb rail	80.88 lb rail
	Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter	36"	38"	51"	46"	56"	56"	57"	56"	55"	55"	57"
Boiler Pressure	145 psi	170 psi	160 psi	140 psi	185 psi	190 psi	200 psi	200 psi	200 psi	210 psi	215 psi
Cylinders (dia x stroke)	16" x 22"	18" x 20"	20" x 24"	20" x 24"	22" x 28"	22" x 28"	21" x 30"	28.5" x 30" (1)	21" x 30"	22" x 28"	23" x 28"
Tractive Effort	19282 lbs	24641 lbs	25600 lbs	24835 lbs	38055 lbs	39083 lbs	39458 lbs	45473 lbs	40893 lbs	43982 lbs	47489 lbs
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort)	3.22	4.36	3.92	4.01	4.41	4.22	4.49	3.68	3.99	4.43	4.09
	Heating Ability
Firebox Area	75.20 sq. ft	98 sq. ft	142 sq. ft	160.19 sq. ft	206 sq. ft	193.30 sq. ft	165 sq. ft	206 sq. ft	195.50 sq. ft		245 sq. ft
Grate Area	14 sq. ft	18.70 sq. ft	24.70 sq. ft	24.94 sq. ft	34.70 sq. ft	33.72 sq. ft	49 sq. ft	34.70 sq. ft	46.60 sq. ft	54.20 sq. ft	49 sq. ft
Evaporative Heating Surface	1015	1721	1782	1675	2873	3009	3178	2873	2158	2405	2385
Superheating Surface									495		506
Combined Heating Surface	1015	1721	1782	1675	2873	3009	3178	2873	2653	2405	2891
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume	198.26	292.17	204.20	191.94	233.21	244.25	264.25	259.41	179.44	195.23	177.13
	Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation	2030	3179	3952	3491.60	6419.50	6406.80	9800	6940	9320	11382	10535
Same as above plus superheater percentage	2030	3179	3952	3491.60	6419.50	6406.80	9800	6940	11058.94	11382	12378.90
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area	10904	16660	22720	22426.60	38110	36727	33000	41200	46395.33	0	61894.49
Power L1	2363.78	4041.28	3883.65	3045.29	5470.51	5722.72	6324.17	4122.81	11571.13	0	12384.41
Power MT	335.40	331.82	341.45	269.36	287.15	305.67	315.08	217.12	626.01	0	562.66