Oneida & Western 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Locomotives in the USA


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 20 (Locobase 14351)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Vol 53, pp. 394+. See also Josetta Griffith (ed), "The Oneida & Western Railroad", Scott County, Tennessee FNB Chronicles, archived on the web at []. Works numbers were 43529 in June 1916.

Originally conceived as the Jamestown, the railroad that was intended to open up the "Big Survey" adopted a name change to the Oneida & Western in 1913. The Stearns Lumber Company strenuously resisted the construction of this interloping railway and filed in court to stop it. The court agreed that the railroad's promoters did not have a "proper legal right". On the other hand, observed retired Stearns president Frank C Thomas to Griffith, bringing against "a company called the O&W Railroad, that action made it a corporate body and therefore, as of then, it did exist!"

Griffith suggests this as the reason for a 5 August 1913 charter amendment that changed the name from Jamestown Railroad Company to Oneida and Western Railroad Company. By the time the 20 reached the O&W, 15.2 miles of track linked Oneida to Gernt. When it was completed in 1921, the line covered 30 miles with maximum grades of 4% and 20 degree curves (radii of 288 feet/87.8 m).

The O&W sold the 20 to locomotive rebuilder/reseller Birmingham Rail & Locomotive in July 1937. BR&L found a ready buyer in New Jersey's Rahway Valley, which renumbered the engine #15. Twenty-two years later the RV sold the 15 to Nelson Blount, who sold it to the Monadnock Steamtown & Northern Amusement.

Richard Leonard--in his heavily illustrated, intelligently captioned RailArchive.net--pointed out ([], last accessed 15 October 2019) a peculiarity in his caption to a photograph of the MN # 15: "Oneida & Western No. 20 originally had slide valves, but was rebuilt by Baldwin with piston valves in a rare outside-admission arrangement - notice the two pipes, instead of the usual central pipe, extending from the top of the valve chamber."

Ultimately the engine joined many others in the Bellows Falls (later Scranton) Steamtown collections.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class20
Locobase ID14351
RailroadOneida & Western
CountryUSA
Whyte2-8-0
Number in Class1
Road Numbers20
GaugeStd
Number Built1
BuilderBaldwin
Year1916
Valve GearWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)13.50 / 4.11
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)22 / 6.71
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.61
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)52.46 / 15.99
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)126,000 / 57,153
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)142,000 / 64,410
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)100,000 / 45,359
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)242,000 / 109,769
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)5000 / 18.94
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)10 / 9
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)53 / 26.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)50 / 1270
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)190 / 13.10
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)19" x 26" / 483x660
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)30,317 / 13751.58
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.16
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)250 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)13.42 / 4.09
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)144 / 13.38
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)29.50 / 2.74
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1889 / 175.49
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1889 / 175.49
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume221.45
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation5605
Same as above plus superheater percentage5605
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area27,360
Power L14843
Power MT338.95

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