Data from A&V-VS&P 1 - 1926 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley. See also DeGolyer, Volume 68, pp. 107+. Works numbers were 55578 in July 1922 and 57669 in March 1924.
The A&V's Mississippi River car ferry crossed at Vicksburg, Miss, a spot first made famous for its steep bluffs during US Grant's Union siege in 1862-1863. They were no less daunting for peace-time railroading, so the A&V bought a pair of these big switchers. They had 14" (356 mm) piston valves, 36 sq ft (3.35 sq m) of arch tubes in the firebox. Baldwin agreed to install Gaines combustion walls should these engines be converted to burn coal. (For a full description of the Gaines combustion chamber's intended effect on combustion, see Locobase 4228.)
Their impressive cylinder volume combined with the relatively meager heating surface area to discourage fast running even with the 58" drivers. Like other A&V locomotives of the time, these used Young valve gear .
By 1929, the IC had owned the A&V for three years (and renumbered the engines) and thrown a bridge across the Mississippi. So the two were transferred to the almost-new Chicago-area Markham Yard. They were converted to coal-burning in July 1934 and received new 14-ton capacity tenders.
Obviously, the IC found the type useful as it also converted the A&V's five K-class 2-10-2s (470-474; see Locobase 6083) to 0-10-0s in the 1930s and renumbered them 3100-3104. These trailed cylindrical Vanderbilt tenders instead of the slope-back units used on this pair.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | G8 / 3400 |
| Locobase ID | 12636 |
| Railroad | Alabama & Vicksburg (IC) |
| Country | USA |
| Whyte | 0-10-0 |
| Number in Class | 2 |
| Road Numbers | 430-431 / 3400-3401 / 3600-3601 |
| Gauge | Std |
| Number Built | 2 |
| Builder | Baldwin |
| Year | 1922 |
| Valve Gear | Young |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 20.83 / 6.35 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 61.40 / 18.71 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.34 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 61.40 / 18.71 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | 64,730 / 29,361 |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 303,300 / 137,575 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 303,300 / 137,575 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 154,000 / 69,853 |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 457,300 / 207,428 |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 7000 / 26.52 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 2900 / 10,977 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 101 / 50.50 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 58 / 1473 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 185 / 1280 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 30" x 32" / 762x813 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 78,083 / 35417.90 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 3.88 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 282 - 2" / 51 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | 48 - 5.375" / 137 |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 16 / 4.88 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 282 / 26.20 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 62 / 5.76 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 3707 / 344.52 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 936 / 86.99 |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 4643 / 431.51 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 141.60 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 11,470 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 13,764 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 62,604 |
| Power L1 | 9250 |
| Power MT | 336.18 |