Class G-1 (Locobase 8565)

Data from M Grille & MH Falconnette, Les Chemins de Fer a L'Exposition de Chicago, (Paris, France: E Bernard et Cie, 1894), p 44-47. Brooks builder info from B.Rumary, 25 Kingscombe, Gurney Slade, Radstock, BA3 4TH, ENGLAND and Jeremy Lambert as supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004.

This class was originally delivered with 20" x 24" cylinders. Even with the longer stroke, the cylinder proportions were still at odds with most Twelve-wheelers. Like virtually all Great Northern locomotives, however, these had Belpaire fireboxes.

Batches were produced in October 1891 (works #1972-1981, road 400-409), November 1891 (1998-2002, road 411-415), and, for some reason, March 1893 (2261, road 410). This latter locomotive was sent to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago for display.

Class G-1 (Locobase 8566)

Data from M Grille & MH Falconnette, Les Chemins de Fer a L'Exposition de Chicago, (Paris, France: E Bernard et Cie, 1894), p 44-47. Brooks builder info from B.Rumary, 25 Kingscombe, Gurney Slade, Radstock, BA3 4TH, ENGLAND and Jeremy Lambert as supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004.

This batch of G-1s was produced in November 1891 (1998-2002, road 411-415) for Great Northern's subsidiary.

Class G-2 (Locobase 8847)

Data from GN 1916 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection. Brooks produced these in June (2973-2975), July (2982-2990), August (3045-3048), and September (3049-3052).

Like all GN 4-8-0s, the G-2s had small drivers and Belpaire fireboxes. Very shortly after the ERofM had taken delivery of this class, the railroad was absorbed by the Great Northern. Except for the 701, which was converted to a 2-8-0 and redesignated F-3, these Twelve-wheelers remained essentially unchanged and had 30-year careers.

Class G-3 (Locobase 8816)

Data from GN 4 1946 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

This large order of Twelve-wheelers came at the height of that wheel arrangement's popularity. As with most GN locomotives, this design had the signature Belpaire firebox. The small drivers meant these would always perform in slow-freight duties, but they were serviceable enough for 20 to have been retained through World War II. Some of the class had bigger tenders carrying 15 tons of coal.

At least one was superheated; see Locobase 8817.

Class G-3-S (Locobase 8817)

Data from GN 4 1946 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

Among the 50-odd G-3 Twelve-wheelers were a couple that were later superheated. The H & D superheater is a rarity - notice the small bore of the flues. The gain in effective steam was needed for the railroad increased the cylinder diameter by 4 1/2", while reducing boiler pressure to an anemic 160 psi. 722 had 189 2" tubes as shown while 734 had 185 and a total evaporative heating surface of 1,980 sq ft.

Class G-4 (Locobase 8818)

Data from GN 4 1946 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

The large Rogers order for 50 Twelve-wheelers in 1899-1900 (see Locobase 8816) was followed by this decade from the Dunkirk, New York builder who had made a specialty out of large engines in this wheel arrangement. The boiler certainly was large and must have taxed the relatively small grate in the Belpaire firebox.

Class G-5 (Locobase 191)

Data from 1899 Brooks catalogue and from McShane (1899).

Brooks builder info from B.Rumary, 25 Kingscombe, Gurney Slade, Radstock, BA3 4TH, ENGLAND and Jeremy Lambert as supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004. Works numbers were 2866-28677 in December 1897 and 2999-3004 in July 1898.

Designed by JO Pattee, superintendent of Motive Power for the Great Northern. Not a very attractive engine because of its high Improved Belpaire (aka Player-Belpaire) boiler with its inelegant square-shouldered firebox. (The firebox contained 26 sq ft of arch pipes.) Still, the 16-in diameter piston valves are worthy of notice, as large, McShane noted, as the pistons of many locomotives then in service. Indeed, much about the engine, including a 34-in piston stroke and other "brobdignagian" dimensions, made it a conversation piece of the time.

MC #103 was Brooks's 3,000th engine. When the Great Northern absorbed the Montana Central in 1902, this class was renumbered 800-807. One -- 806 -- was turned into a 2-8-0 in 1905 and redesignated F-10. All were scrapped in the late 1920s - early 1930s.

Two later classes -- G-3 (50 from Rogers) and G-4 (10 from Brooks for the Eastern Railway of Minnesota) were similar, but had 19x32" cylinders.