Firebox heating surface included 137 sq ft in 3 thermic syphons. The first 3 engines -- 4500-4502 -- were oil-fired and used for passenger service. They were painted blue and white with red letters proclaiming their duty as pulling the Meteor.
The other 12 in the first batch -- 4503 to 4514 -- used coal fuel and pulled freight. Boiler pressure and hence TE varied slightly. Ten more came from Baldwin in August 1943 (69731-69740); these were fitted with trailing-truck boosters that soon appeared on the earlier engines.
The web site for the restored 4500 gives slightly different measures for heating surfaces.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Class | 4500 |
| Locobase ID | 277 |
| Railroad | St Louis-San Francisco (SLSF) |
| Whyte | 4-8-4 |
| Road Numbers | 4500-4524 |
| Gauge | Std |
| Builder | Baldwin |
| Year | 1943 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase | 19.25' |
| Engine Wheelbase | 46.50' |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheebase | 0.41 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) | |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) | 70620 lbs |
| Weight on Drivers | 280000 lbs |
| Engine Weight | 462500 lbs |
| Tender Light Weight | 241300 lbs |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight | 703800 lbs |
| Tender Water Capacity | 18000 gals |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) | 24 tons |
| Minimum weight per yard of rail on which locomotive could run | 116.67 lb rail |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter | 74" |
| Boiler Pressure | 255 psi |
| Cylinders (dia x stroke) | 28" x 31" |
| Tractive Effort | 71188 lbs |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 3.93 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Firebox Area | 544 sq. ft |
| Grate Area | 88 sq. ft |
| Evaporative Heating Surface | 4766 |
| Superheating Surface | 1530 |
| Combined Heating Surface | 6296 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 215.72 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 22440 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 27893.18 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 172430.55 |
| Power L1 | 30258.56 |
| Power MT | 952.98 |
| This page last modified: . | [Contact] | All material © 1999-2008 SteamLocomotive.com |