These are considered to be the first of the Mountain type, originally built for the C&O to handle 700 tons over the Clifton Forge Division in the Allegheny Mountains. The 540's number was 318 at first.
Eugene L Huddleston, writing in the November 2000 issue of the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Magazine ("C&O's J-1 & K-1"), notes that the J-1s could hit the desired speeds with a heavy train (10 cars). Yet, the design had "ridiculously low drivers" and " extremely long main rods." In addition to the high rpm of such small drivers at high speeds, driving the set on the third axle increased the dynamic augment and hence the stress on the tracks. (Most Mountains, says Huddleston, were driven on the second axle.) A late-1920s solution involved lengthening the piston rod and supporting the longer Alligator crosshead guide with a second yoke.
That the design had power was undeniable -- combustion chamber, superheater, huge boiler, automatic smoker. The trio enjoyed a long career on the two mountain divisions on which they ran because the large boiler meant plenty of steam and the low drivers were less of a liability.
USRA heavy Mountain. Only 15 "Heavy" mountains entered service under the USRA, of which 5 (Baldwin 2, Alco-Brooks 3) went to the Chesapeake and Ohio. Richmond delivered two more sisters in 1923.
| Specifications | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class | J-1 | J-2 |
| Locobase ID | 198 | 1420 |
| Railroad | Chesapeake & Ohio (C & O) | Chesapeake & Ohio (C & O) |
| Whyte | 4-8-2 | 4-8-2 |
| Road Numbers | 540-542 | 543-549 |
| Gauge | Std | Std |
| Builder | Alco-Richmond | Several |
| Year | 1911 | 1918 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert | Baker |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | ||
| Driver Wheelbase | 16.50' | 18.25' |
| Engine Wheelbase | 37.42' | 40' |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheebase | 0.44 | 0.46 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) | 76.11' | 75.70' |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) | ||
| Weight on Drivers | 238000 lbs | 246850 lbs |
| Engine Weight | 330000 lbs | 363550 lbs |
| Tender Light Weight | 219100 lbs | 300000 lbs |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight | 549100 lbs | 663550 lbs |
| Tender Water Capacity | 12000 gals | 16000 gals |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) | 15 tons | 2016 gals |
| Minimum weight per yard of rail on which locomotive could run | 99.17 lb rail | 102.85 lb rail |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | ||
| Driver Diameter | 62" | 69" |
| Boiler Pressure | 180 psi | 200 psi |
| Cylinders (dia x stroke) | 29" x 28" | 28" x 30" |
| Tractive Effort | 58110 lbs | 57948 lbs |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 4.10 | 4.26 |
| Heating Ability | ||
| Firebox Area | 338 sq. ft | 438 sq. ft |
| Grate Area | 66.50 sq. ft | 76.20 sq. ft |
| Evaporative Heating Surface | 4108 | 4727 |
| Superheating Surface | 850 | 1085 |
| Combined Heating Surface | 4958 | 5812 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 191.91 | 221.09 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | ||
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 11970 | 15240 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 14022.14 | 18085.04 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 71270.42 | 103953.41 |
| Power L1 | 11685.32 | 17945.79 |
| Power MT | 432.97 | 641.10 |
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