Class L1 (Locobase 88)

Described in 7 December 1917 Railway Age Gazette with supplementary data from WAB 1 - 1929 and WAB 1 - 1946 locomotive diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

Boiler was Extended Wagon Top (EWT). Although Railway Age credited the design with 1,129 sq ft of superheater in 1917, by 1929, the same flues were credited with the heating surface area as shown. Also the firebox heating surface area, given as 389 sq ft in 1917, was reduced to the 361 sq ft; this included 47 sq ft of arch tubes.

Used on the Decatur Division between St Louis and Chicago, pulling an average 5,000 tons (compared to the Mikado's 3,500 tons). The RG article noted a performance in which an L-1 pulled up to 30 passenger cars in a troop train at speeds of 35 mph.

Two eventually wound up on the C&O as class B-3 after passing through the Pere Marquette. Most of the rest were withdrawn by the end of World War II and the remaining seven had been disposed of by 1950-1951.

Class L1 - syphons (Locobase 8490)

WAB 1 - 1929 and WAB 1 - 1946 locomotive diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

Locobase 88 tells us about this class of big Santa Fes as they entered service in World War One. During decades of use, however, most classes of road engines in US service underwent some sort of upgrade and this entry is intended to show which pieces and parts were modified or added and to what effect.

The two locomotives represented by this entry had slightly different makeovers. 2515 received a Worthington 4-B-2 feedwater heater, which added 5,000 pounds to total engine weight. Both operated Duplex D1 stokers and both were equipped with Nicholson thermic syphons which contributed 79 sq ft to the firebox heating surface for the loss of 2 arch tubes. The remaining 3 arch tubes added 25 sq ft to the firebox heating surface. 2719 had received its syphons by 1928. Locobase is not sure which locomotives received the appliance or when.

By the end of World War II, only 7 remained in service; they were all withdrawn by 1951.