0-4-2 Steam Locomotives in the USA

Class 5 (Locobase 11603)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 14, p. 124; and Volume 15, p. 48. See also H H Windsor, "Report of the Committee on Street-Railway Motors Other than Animal, Cable and Electric," Eighth Annual Meeting of the American Street Railway Association. Works numbers were 9540 in October 1888 and 9785 in January 1889.

The Metropolitan Railway briefly operated a steam railway between Atlanta to Decatur for a few years before converting the line to electric service in 1894. The 5 and 6 started the run of Baldwin dummies in Metropolitan service. As Metropolitan ordered more, each pair featured more cylinder volume than the preceding pair. See Locobase 11712 and Locobase 16710 for the later engines.

A succinct statement of the argument that steam-dummy operation on a street railway would, and should, be short-lived appeared in H H Windsor's report:

First, he conceded that "[m]any of the dummies built by the Porter's [sic], Baldwin's [sic] and others are practical, serviceable machines, for years have done and are still doing good work."

"...But they require a separate motor car, a skilled engineer, a self-cleaning rail ; and their repair account increases and general usefulness decreases, in proportion as ilie line grades from a suburban one to the business of a city street. " One reason for this decrease, he argued, is that the grit of the city grinds up any external mechanisms and shortens dummy life considerably.

After describing Chicagoans' favorable reactions when steam was replaced by cable traction, Windsor summarized:

"The use of the dummy is every year becoming more and more restricted. For extensions, dummies may answer for a time and for strictly suburban business are sometimes very popular, but as the territory begins to fill up, and the roadway becomes a traveled thoroughfare, the objections rapidly increase. They scatter ashes, belching smoke, if soft coal is used, and gas and fumes, if steamed from hard coal, which coal also is expensive. Petroleum emits more or less odor.":

He singled out the comments of Metroplitan 's Secretary W . H. Patterson, for what seems to be a balanced view:

"The lines of this Company run into the heart of the city, and we have so far had no great difficulty or serious accident resulting from the use of steam motors. The lines were formerly operated with horses. Since changing to steam the Company has been profitable to its owners ; it never was as a horsecar line. My experience is that steam motors are practicable in cities with from 100,000 to 200,000 inhabitants, but where the population is greater, the danger would be too great for surface roads."

By 1892, Metropolitan Street Railways had given way to Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway. Conversion to electric traction made the class redundant and both locomotives went to new owners. The 5 served several more operators beginning with the Opelika & Auburn for a year, then J M & VM Davis, a lumber company in Luxora, Ark in 1896. Sold to locomotive broker Augustin Goytisolo in December 1904, the 5 wound up with A. B. Wolverton Lumber's Three States Lumber in 1906. Its final stop was the Blytheville, Burdette & Mississippi River.

6 went to Enterprise Lumber.

Class 7 (Locobase 16710)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 16, p. 46. (Thanks to Ivo Rutishauser for his 17 February 2025 email noting the differences between the 9-10 and these slightly earlier steam dummies, which led to creating this separate entry.) Works number was 10040 in June 1889 and 10923 in May 1890.

Baldwin sold over three dozen Baldwin 06/16 1/3C steam dummies that had the same cylinder dimensions throughout the 1880s. This pair joined the slightly smaller #6 (Locobase 11603) in operating Atlanta steam tram line. Constraints such as those outlined in H H Hudson's review of steam street railways soon led successor Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway to electrify its system.

Sketchy information on this pair's second careers tells us very little other than 7's use by a lumber company whose name is uncertainly rendered as "Bonie?" (?).

Class 9 (Locobase 11712)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines, as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 16, p. 149. (Thanks to Ivo Rutishauser for his 17 February 2026 email laying out the details of the three sizes of dummies. This led to a new entry (Locobasee 16710) and revisions to the other two. Works numbers were 11411 in November 1890 and 11420 in December

See HH Windsor's argument that steam-dummy operation on a street railway would, and should, be short-lived summarized in Locobase 11603. While that was certainly true, it didn't mean that the railway wouldn't add to its motive power. In this instance, the Metropolitan bought larger, heavier dummies than the 5-6 (Locobase 11603) and 7-8 (Locobase 16710) late in 1890.

The Metropolitan Railway briefly operated a steam railway between Atlanta to Decatur for a few years. As the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway, the company converted the line to electric service in 1894.

Flovilla & Indian Springs Railway of Ojus, Fla consisted of 3 miles (5 km) of line at the time it opened in 1888 as the shortest incorporated railroad. The F&ISRy bought the 9 in April 1897 to pull a short passenger train for more than 20 years until it closed in December 1918. Photos of the "Dummy" and its train show it later held its water in a saddle tank placed on the boiler.

Locomotive rebuilder/reseller Southern Iron & Equipment next owned the engine as stock #1377 and persuaded copper mining conpany W Y Westervelt of Copperhill, Tenn to buy the 9 in April 1919. Apparently the miner returned the locomotive because SI&E sold the same locomotive to the Central Limones sugar plantation in Cuba.

The 10's second career initially led to supporting marble quarrying for Piedmont Marble, Blue Ridge Marble, Marble Hill Quarrying, and Georgia Marble. In 1917, the 10 joined the 9 on the F&ISRy, but left after three years for Everett P Maule Rock company.