The main line ran from Fort Worth, through Wichita Falls, Childress, Amarillo, and Dalhart, to Texline, where it connected with the rails of its parent company Colorado and Southern Railway.
The FW&DC took delivery of its first "Mikado" type locomotives in 1915 with the delivery of ten 2-8-2s built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. These locomotives were designated as Class E-4A1 and assigned road numbers 401 through 410. They had 64" diameter drivers, 27" x 30" cylinders, a 170 psi boiler pressure, exerted 49,400 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 273,125 pounds. The firebox was 200 square feet, the evaporative heating surface was 3,488 and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 4,322 square feet.
In 1919, the USRA allocated five "Mikado-Heavy" locomotives to the FW&DC. The locomotives were built by Baldwin and they were designated as Class E-4A2 and given road numbers 451 through 455. They had 63" diameter drivers, 27" x 30" cylinders, a 190 psi boiler pressure, exerted 59,800 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 325,000 pounds. The firebox was 279 square feet, the evaporative heating surface was 4,257 and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 5,250 square feet.
In 1920, Baldwin delivered five heavy "Mikados" which were designated as Class E-4A-3 and they were assigned road numbers 456 through 460. These locomotives 64" diameter drivers, 28" x 32" cylinders, a 180 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 59,995 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 315,000 pounds. The firebox was 346 square feet, the evaporative heating surface was 4,426 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 5,457 square feet.
Another five Baldwin-built "Mikados" were added to the roster in 1922. They were designated as Class E-4A4 and given road numbers 461 through 465. These locomotives were very close copies of the Class E-4A-3 locomotives delivered in 1920. They did weigh 5,075 pounds more and with a higher boiler pressure of 200 psi they exerted 66,640 pounds of tractive effort.
There is a locomotive on display at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, TX. The locomotive is a representative of FW&D number 401 but it is actually Colorado & Southern number 4994. The Burlington Railroad Lines, which owned the Fort Worth and Denver, provided the locomotive. It was brought out of storage and restored with its markings changed to represent the locomotive as one used in West Texas, the Fort Worth and Denver 401.
Number 410 was bought by the T&P in 1958 to work in flood protection standby service and was renumbered T&P 400. It suffered a mechanical breakdown, which was deemed too costly to repair and was retired and put on display in the city park in Marshall, Texas in 1963. It has since be moved to an indoor location at a depot in Marshall, TX
| Class | Qty. | Road Numbers | Year Built | Builder | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-4A1 | 10 | 401-410 | 1915 | Baldwin | 1 |
| E-4A2 | 5 | 451-455 | 1919 | Baldwin | 2 |
| E-4A3 | 5 | 456-460 | 1920 | Baldwin | 3 |
| E-4A4 | 5 | 461-465 | 1922 | Baldwin | 4 |
Data from FW&DC 8-1942 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 51, pp. 77+; and "New Locomotives for the Burlington, Colorado and Southern, and the Ft. Worth and Denver", Railway and Locomotive Engineering, Volume XXVIII [28], No 8 (August 1915), pp.262-264. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 14 March 2018 email giving the tender's original oil capacity.) Baldwin works numbers were 42097-42101, 42121-42125 in June 1915.
Said to have been inspired by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy O-1s described in Locboase 11020, these Mikes had higher boiler pressure, more large flues and fewer small tubes and more superheater area. Drury (1993) comments that this oil-burning class led the way for the Fort Worth & Denver City, which eventually converted all of its engines to oil firing. The tender's original oil capacity was 3,050 US gallons (11,544 litres), resulting in a loaded weight of 161,150 lb (73,096 kg), boiler originally set to 180 psi (13.17 bar), and the firebox was credited with 215 sq ft (19.97 sq m) of heating surface area. This class operated until 1955-1960.Data from FW&DC 8 - 1942 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers from 51650-51652, 51701 in April 1919; 51725 in May 1919.
Typical USRA Heavy Mike (Locobase 41) with the slight variation of oil-firing, to which the class was converted in March-May 1921. Firebox heating surface includes 51 sq ft (4.75 sq m) of combustion chamber. 453 was wrecked on 13 August 1948 at Raymond, Tex. 455 was retired in May 1955, 452 in October 1956. 451 and 454 remained in service almost as long as any mainline steamer in the US before their joint dismissal on 31 March 1960.Data from FW&DC 8 - 1942 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Vol 67, pp. 116+. Works numbers were 53165 in April 1920; 53230-53232, 53250 (A-3) in May; and 55516, 55562-55564, 55617 (A-4) in July 1922.
A year after the FW&DC took delivery of five USRA Heavy Mikados (Locobase 9467), the railroad went back to Baldwin in 1920 for a slightly larger quintet and a repeat of the class in 1922. In addition to a larger firebox with more (up to 69 sq ft/6.4 sq m) combustion chamber area, the superheater grew a little, the cylinders were bored out by an inch, and the drivers stood an inch taller. Piston valves measured 14" (356 mm) in diameter. Three of the five A-4s from 1922 were identical except for a small increase in adhesion weight. Delivered with boilers pressed to 180 psi (12.4 bar) and a nearly perfect factor of adhesion of 3.99, the class later operated at 200 psi as shown in the specs. That led to weight increases both on the drivers and overall. The last two of the class were identical except for the provision of feedwater heaters. As this was the time that US railroads began to show serious interest in the fuel savings to be derived from preheating boiler water, the FW&DC bought 464 with a Worthington feedwater heater and 465 with an Elesco. The 464 weighed 247,235 lb (112,144 kg) on the drivers while the 465's adhesion weight reached 248,685 lb (129,131 kg). These higher weights generated higher F/As (3.71 in 464 and 3.73 in 465). Engine weight was 190 lb (86.2 kg) higher in 464 than 465, reaching 334,635 lb (151,788 kg). The whole class served to the end of steam and was scrapped in the late 1950s.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | E-4-A-1 | E-4-A-2 | E-4-A-3/E-4-A-4 |
| Locobase ID | 1341 | 9467 | 9468 |
| Railroad | Fort Worth & Denver City | Fort Worth & Denver City | Fort Worth & Denver City |
| Country | USA | USA | USA |
| Whyte | 2-8-2 | 2-8-2 | 2-8-2 |
| Number in Class | 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Road Numbers | 401-410 | 451-455 | 456-460, 461-465 |
| Gauge | Std | Std | Std |
| Number Built | 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Builder | Baldwin | Baldwin | Baldwin |
| Year | 1915 | 1919 | 1920 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert | Walschaert | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |||
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 16.75 / 5.11 | 16.75 / 5.11 | 16.75 / 5.11 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 33.79 / 10.30 | 36.08 / 11 | 35.75 / 10.90 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.50 | 0.46 | 0.47 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 65.96 / 20.10 | 71.62 / 21.83 | 69.75 / 21.26 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | |||
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 213,425 / 96,808 | 238,575 / 108,216 | 243,485 / 110,443 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 273,125 / 123,888 | 319,500 / 144,923 | 327,755 / 148,667 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 174,000 / 78,925 | 170,000 / 77,111 | 196,600 / 89,176 |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 447,125 / 202,813 | 489,500 / 222,034 | 524,355 / 237,843 |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 8200 / 31.06 | 10,000 / 37.88 | 10,100 / 38.26 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 4050 / 15,329 | 4300 / 16,276 | 4300 / 16,276 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 89 / 44.50 | 99 / 49.50 | 101 / 50.50 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |||
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 64 / 1626 | 63 / 1600 | 64 / 1626 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 200 / 13.80 | 200 / 13.80 | 200 / 13.80 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 27" x 30" / 686x762 | 27" x 32" / 686x813 | 28" x 32" / 711x813 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 58,092 / 26350.12 | 62,949 / 28553.22 | 66,640 / 30227.43 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 3.67 | 3.79 | 3.65 |
| Heating Ability | |||
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 200 - 2.25" / 57 | 247 - 2.25" / 57 | 264 - 2.25" / 57 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | 34 - 5.5" / 140 | 45 - 5.5" / 140 | 45 - 5.5" / 140 |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 21 / 6.40 | 19 / 5.79 | 18.62 / 5.68 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 200 / 18.58 | 279 / 25.92 | 385.40 / 35.80 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 54.20 / 5.04 | 70.30 / 6.53 | 78 / 7.25 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 3703 / 344.14 | 4257 / 395.63 | 4465 / 414.96 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 834 / 77.51 | 993 / 92.29 | 1031 / 95.82 |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 4537 / 421.65 | 5250 / 487.92 | 5496 / 510.78 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 186.27 | 200.71 | 195.75 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |||
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 10,840 | 14,060 | 15,600 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 12,791 | 16,731 | 18,564 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 47,200 | 66,402 | 91,725 |
| Power L1 | 13,102 | 14,445 | 14,656 |
| Power MT | 541.36 | 533.93 | 530.81 |
