Class 12/C-31 - 50" (Locobase 9109)

Data from RI 1 - 1942 Locomotive Class & Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 21, p. 81. Works numbers were 15597 in November 1897, 16069 in July 1898, 16108-16109 in August; 16223 in September, 16402-16403 in December, and 17084-17986 in September 1899.

Compared to the 1895 Consolidations shown in Locobase , these engines had more tubes in the boilers and put about eight tons more on the drivers. Baldwin's specs show two were sent to subsidiary Choctaw & Memphis as their 117-118; when they were taken into the CO&G, they took reserved numbers 21-22. The same specs showed that the last 20 received longer-stroke cylinders and taller drivers; see Locobase 7217.

All but one of the 50" engines were scrapped in 1935-1936; 1846 retired in 1933, but not scrapped until 1945.

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Class 2 (Locobase 12104)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Vol 19, p. 99. Works numbers were 14001 in April 1894.

The loss of the first #2 Consolidation through a boiler explosion didn't go without remedy for long. This slightly bigger replacement arrived in the same year. Only months later in October 1893, the CC & Rwy was reorganized as the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf. In 1903, the CO & G renumbered 2 and a year later passed into the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific's system.

The Rock Island renumbered 201 as 1802 and dropped it into many classes over time, but it was as C26 that the eninge was scrapped in October 1940.

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Class 20 / 1807 (Locobase 12524)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 24, p. 49. Works numbers were 19360-19361 in August 1901 and 19510-19511 in September.

The C&N was a subsidiary of the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf and these four Consolidations were similar to the 1895 2-8-0s delivered to the CO & G and described in Locobase 8359.

The C & N engines were taken into the CO&G in 1902; they received numbers 207-210 in 1903. The CO & G merged with the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific in March 1904 and the Rock Island renumbered the class with 1807-1810.

NB: Locobase estimates the evaporative and direct heating surfaces of this quartet by comparing the dimensions and counts given in the specs (where none of the areas are explicitly stated) with those of Baldwin's 1892 Consolidation. This latter engine was delivered to the the West Virginia Central & Pittsburgh and is described in Locobase 12019.

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Class 37/C-27 (Locobase 7190)

Data from DeGolyer, Volume 21, p. 81 and Volume 23, p. 275. See also RI to 1951 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 17087-17089 in September 1899; 17108-17109, 17135-17136 in October; 18409-18410, 18445, 18478 in December 1900; 18601 in January 1901; 18966-18969, 19007-19012, 19069-19070 in May; 19689-19690, 19706-19708 in November.

The CO&G explored enhancements to the 21" x 26" Consolidation design in three phases. The first phase appears in Locobase 9109, which was the first group to have a 26" stroke, but retained an earlier class's 50" drivers. The last 20 of that batch, shown here, increased the driver diameter and added 6" to the tube lengths, but kept the 160 psi boiler and the narrow firebox. Another batch appeared in 1901.

For some reason, 1830 vanished from the roster some time between 1908 and 1911. 1822 was scrapped in December 1929. Most of the rest of the class was disposed of in the early to mid 1930s.

The Rock Island diagram, last updated on 2 March 1938, revealed very few changes by the engines that still remained on the roster.

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Class C-26 (Locobase 8359)

Data from RI to 1951 Combined Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 19, p. 203 and J F Holden, "The Story of an Adventure in Railroad Building," Oklahoma Historical Society's Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 11, No. 1 (March 1933), pp.637-666 at []

Works numbers were 14218-14219 in January 1895, 14321-14322 in June. A later batch of four was delivered with a slightly larger boiler to the Choctaw & Northern in 1901; see Locobase 12524. The original Baldwin specifications called for 215 fire tubes, eight fewer than the count shown in Locobase's specs.

The CO&G was a Oklahoma railroad that began as the Choctaw Coal and Rail Company, which completed a line from Wister to McAlester in 1890. Over the next eight years the CC&R connected McAlester to Oklahoma City and El Reno to Weatherford. It also bought the Little Rock & Memphis, which began in 1854 and by the time of the purchase had linked Memphis, Tenn and Little Rock, Ark. And finally, the Little Rock to "Indian Territory" border segment was completed while the Oklahoma portion was extended up to meet it.

The C&N was bought by the Rock Island System on 1 April 1904. These small, lightweight Consolidations were part of the booty. The class served an enduring purpose as branch-line freight locomotives and were retired only gradually. The first was gone in 1934, but the last remained in service until 1952.

1802 fell in class C26, but was much smaller when delivered; it is described as second #2 for the Choctaw Coal & Railway in Locobase 12104.

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Class C-28 / MP-70b (Locobase 8360)

Data from RI to 1951 Combined Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 15, p. 170. Works numbers were 10277 and 10281

This pair of small Consolidations weathered the renaming of the CC&R to the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf, but soon after the reorganization, #2 suffered a boiler explosion and was scrapped in 1894. Its replacement was supplied by Baldwin in that same year; see Locobase 12104

3 was inherited by the Rock Island when it took over the CO&G. After fifteen more years, the 1811 was cut up in October 1919.

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Class C-31 - 56" (Locobase 7217)

Data from RI 1 - 1942 Locomotive Class & Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 24, p. 248. Works numbers were 20422, 20439, 20475-20476, 20490, 20508 in May 1902; 20809-20810, 20823-20824, 20874-20875 in August; 20887 in September; 21212-21213, 21292, 21295-21296, 21309-21310 in November; 21414, 21418 in December; 21473-21474, 21492, 21549 in January 1903.

Locobase 7190 shows the 56" (1,422 mm) version of a small Consolidation that the CO&G bought first. They went back to Baldwin two years later for these larger variants that had a few more tubes, a much wider grate in a shallower firebox, and higher boiler pressure. Another small innovation was the inclusion of fire brick tubes, which added 17.2 sq ft (1.6 sq m) to the 160 sq ft (14.86 sq m) firebox heating surface area.

When the CO&G was absorbed by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific in 1904, the class was redesignated C-31 (power classification MP-71c) and renumbered 1852-1878. Tender capacity increased to 5,900 US gallons (22,332 litres) of water and 13 tons (11.8 tonnes) of coal; fully loaded, the car weighed 122,570 lb (55,597 kg)

Most of the engines were retired and scrapped in the late 1930s. Five engines held on into World War II: 1858 was scrapped in November 1941, 1861 went in December 1942, 1855 and 1864 were scrapped in July 1944, and 1863 ended the class with its scrapping in December 1947.

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Class C-31 - Vanderbilt boiler (Locobase 16213)

Data from DeGolyer, Volume 24, p. 249. Works number was 20422 in May 1902.

This single locomotive was part of the much larger C-31 class, but had the Vanderbilt boiler. Locobase 4104 fully describes the circular firebox that 4"(102 mm) corrugations to expand heating surface area and eliminate the need for stays.

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Class C-31 - camelback - compound (Locobase 10763)

Data from Angus Sinclair, Twentieth Century Locomotives (New York: Railway and Locomotive Engineering, 1904), pp.580-582. See also DeGolyer, Vol 23, p. 274; and Works numbers were 20280-20283, 20295-

20296 in April 1901, 20608 in June 1902, 20700, 20710 in July 1902, 20820 in August 1902.

Rare camelback west of the Mississippi River. The C O & G bought these as a variation to the C-31s they'd purchased at the same time. Sinclair explains that these were described as "dirt burners", locomotives that burned very-low-calorie brown coal.

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Class C-31 - camelback - simpled (Locobase 14464)

Data from RI to 1951 Locomotive Diagrams Combination of Books supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley.

While the Rock Island was more than ready to scrap the Vauclain compound cylinder system delivered with these camelbacks in 1901-1902 (Locobase 10763), the railroad still retained the dirt burners" big eight-foot-wide Wootten firebox to burn very-low-calorie brown coal. As part of the simplification of expansion, the Rock lengthened the tubes by 6 inches (152 mm), but reduced the count by two. Boiler pressure also decreased by 20 psi (1.4 bar), a common practice, but one that the Rock Island pursued assiduously in most of its design.

But the Rock was not yet done with this class; see Locobase 14465.

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Class C-31 - camelback-simpled (Locobase 7230)

Data from RI 1 - 1942 Locomotive Class & Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Delivered as Vauclain compounds in 1901-1902 (Locobase 10763), this class was latered simpled and superheated. After the Rock Island bought out the CO&G, their shops rebuilt some of the class in 1919-1920 as switchers with a conventional cab, sloped tender, and new boiler and grate.

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Class C-34 (Locobase 7218)

Data from RI 1 - 1942 Locomotive Class & Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Lima works numbers were 1125-1126 in November 2010.

A subsidiary of the Rock Island system, the StP&DM bought these Consolidations from a builder who was just then venturing into mainline steam construction.

According to the diagram, these locomotives were rebuilt in 1921-1922 and the specifications likely reflect the rebuild.

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Class C-39 (Locobase 14458)

Data from "Simple Consolidation, Locomotive, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway," Railway and Locomotive Engineering, Vol 21, No. 5 (May 1908), p. 206 See also RI to 1951 Combined Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Almost identical to the large batch of Baldwin Consolidations delivered in 1906 (Locobase 5380), this group had a subset of ten engines that were delivered with Allfree system of pistons and valves. See Locobase 7820 for an extensive description of this two-valve system. The C-39s were at the time the largest locomotives Alco had delivered to the Rock Island.

Locobase 7219 shows the extensive remodeling done to the class when they were superheated in the late 19teens.

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Class C-39 / S-39 (Locobase 5335)

Data from "Rock Island Consolidation (2-8-0) locomotive" Railroad Gazette, Volume XXXV [35], No 16 (16 April 1903), pp. 276, 278. Works numbers were 28020-28050 in January 1903, 28051-28089 in April, 28100-28119 in November, 29517-29526 in April 1904.

At the time of their introduction, these Consolidations were described as the "heaviest and most powerful" locomotives "yet produced for the "Rock Island. They had inside valve gear with piston valves. Angus Sinclair, in his 1902 Twentieth Century Locomotives mentions that this engine had "...many familiar Brooks details ...the band-like spring hanger and the reach rod of a 2-in. extra heavy wroght iron pipe."

Virtually all of them were redesignated S-39 (as switchers) and retired in that role from 1936-1942.

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Class C-43 (Locobase 5380)

Data from "Simple Consolidation, Locomotive, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway," Railway Master Mechanic (June 1906) pp. 186 and DeGolyer, Volume 29, pp. 40+. See also RI to 1951 Combined Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers in 1906 were:

March 27788-27791, 27800-27805, 27834, 27838

April 27848-27851, 27922, 27942-27943, 27984

May 28053-28054, 28076, 28096-28097, 28129, 28160-28161, 28191, 28199, 28227-28228

June 28302-28303, 28311-28314, 28370-28372, 28391-28394, 28442, 28468-28469, 28470

July 28577

August 28892-28895, 28912

September 28948, 28966-28967, 28973-28974, 28994-28995, 29012-29013, 29030-29031, 29062-29063, 29110-29111, 29131-29133, 29139, 29164-29165, 29187

October 29207, 29212-29213, 29220-29221, 29307

This large class had the same power dimensions as the 1903 batch, but used a smaller boiler and the unusual combination of Walschaert's gear and slide valves. The assortment of diagrams in the 1951 diagrams show a slightly smaller boiler with 334 tubes and a total heating surface area of 2,879 sq ft. Otherwise, they show the same locomotive as the one described in the original RMM article.

Baldwin's specifications shows that the first 25 and the last 33 engines had their tenders lettered for the parent CRI&P. The other 25 (road numbers 1726-1750) had tenders with RIA&L, which stood for subsidiary Rock Island, Arkansas & Louisiana Railroad

In the 1920s, the 1700s were superheated and rebuilt -- the increase to 200 psi resulting in an increase in tractive effort to 43,000 lb (thus, C-43); see Locobase 8357.

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Class C-43 (Locobase 7221)

Data from RI 1 - 1942 Locomotive Class & Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

The Schenectady engines shared some characteristics with other Rock Island Consolidations, most of all being the grate area. But their fireboxes were bigger at 183 sq ft (17 sq m).

Some of this class retained their saturated-steam boilers even into the early 1940s. Unusually, these engines also received the firebox upgrade that included 57 sq ft of thermic syphons in their direct heating surface.

The superheated Schenectadies are shown in Locobase 7222.

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Class C-43 - 1901 - s (Locobase 7219)

Data from RI 1 - 1942 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

The Brooks Consolidations had provided a good measure of power even when delivered in 1907 in their saturated-steam form. When superheated beginning in 1918, however, they gained a good deal more. Some were rebuilt with arch tubes, which contributed 30.3 sq ft (2.8 sq m) to an overall direct heating surface of 198.3 sq ft. Others, whose data is shown above, were supplied with 57 sq ft (5.3 sq m) of thermic syphons.

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Class C-43 - 1931 - s (Locobase 7220)

Data from RI 1 - 1942 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were

A slight tweak to the basic Brooks Consolidation design as it had been delivered to the Rock Island in 1907 resulted in a much longer run of 2-8-0s from the same builder in 1909. Boiler pressure was set at 185 psi. These had 336 tubes that were 15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) long and firebox heating surface area of 168 sq ft (15.6 sq m) for a total of 2,710 sq ft (251.8 sq m).

Not too long after their delivery, the railroad began fitting superheaters to this class and by 1942 had upgraded virtually all of them.

The heating surfaces shown in the specs represent the firebox as retrofitted with 57 sq ft (5.30 sq m) of thermic syphons. The firebox with 30.3 sq ft (2.84 sq m) of arch tubes had a direct heating surface area of 198.3 sq ft (18.42 sq m) and a total evaporative heating surface of 2,356 sq ft (218.88 sq m) .

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Class C-43 - s - 1701 (Locobase 8357)

Data from RI to 1951 Combined Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Like most other early-1900s Consolidations on major US roads, the C-43s that appeared in such numbers on the Rock Island were later superheated. For this particular variant, see the original, saturated Consolidations at Locobase 5380.

And as usual, the substitution of flues for tubes (in this case 30 flues for 144 tubes) meant a drop in evaporative heating surface. But the Rock Island also saw an opportunity to increase direct heating surface by putting 58 sq ft of thermic syphons in the firebox and it boosted power by increasing the cylinder diameter by an inch.

The result was a satisfactory workhorse that served the railroad for the rest of the steam era with the last retiring in 1953.

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Class C-43s (Locobase 7222)

Data from RI 1 - 1942 Locomotive Class & Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Upgrades to the Schenectady C-41s (Locobase 7221) followed a typical Rock Island pattern in which the shops somehow found more room in the boiler than most other programs would turn up. In fact, Locobase is just a touch suspicious of the resulting numbers. But the figures are repeated in the 1951 Combined Diagrams book. All but four of the class would be treated to the overhaul.

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Class C-46 (Locobase 9107)

Data from "Consolidation Locomotive," The Industrial Magazine, June 1907, pp.590-591; and "New Consolidation Locomotive for the CRI & P", Railway and Engineering Review, Volume 47, (25 May 1907), pp. 440-441.. See also DeGolyer, Volume 29, p. 200. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 24 November 2023 email correcting the valve gear and build years and resolving the apparent discrepancy in boiler pressure amontg sources.) This single engine (works 30562) came from Baldwin in 1907 as road #1799 (later 2200, then 1784).

This single engine had a long-stroke motion and a large grate. It was one of Baldwin's first experiments with superheaters. The device used in the 1799 was a smokebox variant of Baldwin's own design.Another unusual feature was the large-diameter cylinders for a Consolidation; these would be reduced in size to 24" when the locomotive was reconfigured with a Schmidt superheater - see Locobase 8358.

Chris Hohl settled the question between the Baldwin specs' safety valve setting of 180 psi vs the other sources' use of 163 psi. If one peers closely at the handwriting,, one will find a comment in the spec that says "Boiler test plate to read 160 psi working pressure, steam test pressure 200 psi, water test pressure 240 psi."

Locobase had recorded 1799 earlier (Locobase 2795) with the following information:

"Although ordered for the Rock Island, this engine, then #1799, never actually went into service there. It was soon sold to the NYS&W. The data is from a June 1908 table in American Engineer and Railroad Journal." That was in fact a different locomotive; see Locobase 2795.

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Class C-46 - superheated (Locobase 8358)

Data from RI to 1951 Combined Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

This single engine came from Baldwin in 1907 as road #1799 (later 2200, then 1784). It had a long-stroke motion and a large grate, which may explain why the Rock Island went to the trouble of superheating in 1921. Only rarely did such upgrades change the power dimensions, but this one locomotive saw a cut in cylinder diameter of 4 inches from its saturated-biler state.

According to the diagram, the 1784 was "cut up" on 8 June 1939.

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Class S-32 (Locobase 14465)

Data from RI 1 - 1951 Locomotive Class & Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Locobase 14464 describes the simpled Camelback that the Rock Island converted from the earlier Vauclain compound version. In 1919-1920, the Rock's shops made the engines over again as conventional-cab switchers and it's difficult to tell what major components they retained. The cylinder volume remained the same and driver diameter didn't change, but the tubes were bobbed by ten inches and the firebox changed completely. Four of the slope-back tenders had cast steel frames while the others were built on structural frames.

Adhesion and engine weights taken from the diagram for the 1891, which was converted to oil-firing. There seem to have been no significant differences between this and the other engines in the class with the exception of a tender that carried 1,540 US gallons (5,829 litres) of oil instead of coal.

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Class S-41 (55 As) (Locobase 8356)

Data from RI to 1951 Combined Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Locobase 5335 describes a large class of saturated-steam Consolidations and notes that some of them later became switchers. That large contingent was later divided into two groups, one with superheaters, one without (this latter group differed among themselves in having arch tubes or not). The superheated engines all had the 26 sq ft (2.4 sq m) of arch tubes as part of their firebox heating surface area.