Data from Herbert T Walker, "An Old Braithwaite Engine," Locomotive Magazine, Vol VII (November 1902), pp. 179-180. Boiler pressure is an estimate.
Walker says that Braithwaite's locomotives were named Rocket, Firefly, Spitfire, Dragon, Comet, Planet, Hecla, and Gem. Walker interviewed engineer J Timothy Jackson, who said that the Spitfire would pull 3-coach passenger trains at 22 mph and 150-ton freight trains at 10 mph. As was often the case with these short-coupled engines, the Braithwaites were unsteady at high speed and their short boilers had a fierce draft over a wood fire that quickly induced the adoption of the tall, flared balloon spark-arresting stacks.
"Even with spark arresters," Walker reports, "these short boiler engines when working hard threw sparks and sometimes flame, causing the smokebox and chimney [sic] to get red hot, and occasionally setting fire to the boiler lagging." Withal, Spitfire operated on the Reading until 1849, when it was sold to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western for $3,067.50. The Lackawanna was then a 6'-gauge railroad and the Spitfire had to mount longer axles.
Spitfire was sold in 1859 to the Spencer Coal Company and worked for that firm until 1870 or so. Its boiler was still in use at the Rolling Mill in 1893.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | Spitfire |
| Locobase ID | 10239 |
| Railroad | Philadelphia & Reading |
| Country | USA |
| Whyte | 0-4-0 |
| Number in Class | 8 |
| Road Numbers | |
| Gauge | Std |
| Number Built | 8 |
| Builder | Braithewaite, Milner & Co |
| Year | 1837 |
| Valve Gear | D hook |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 5 / 1.52 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 20,160 / 9144 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 20,160 / 9144 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 17 / 8.50 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 51 / 1295 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 50 / 340 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 9.5" x 16" / 241x406 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 1203 / 545.67 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 16.76 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 86 - 2" / 51 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 440 / 40.89 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 440 / 40.89 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 335.88 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | |
| Power L1 | |
| Power MT | |