Metropolitan Street Railway 0-4-2 Locomotives in the USA


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 6 (Locobase 11603)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines, 1903, as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Vol 26, p. 123. Works number was 9785 in January 1889. 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 .

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. For later, larger dummies in Metropolitan service, see Locobase 11712.

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, Baldwin's 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."


Class 7 (Locobase 11712)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines, as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Vol 16, p. 149. Works numbers were 10040 in June 1889, 10923 in January 1890, 11411 in October, and 11420 in November.

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 #6 that had arrived only a few months earlier.

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.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
Class67
Locobase ID11603 11712
RailroadMetropolitan Street RailwayMetropolitan Street Railway
CountryUSAUSA
Whyte0-4-2T0-4-2T
Number in Class14
Road Numbers67-10
GaugeStdStd
Number Built14
BuilderBurnham, Williams & CoBurnham, Williams & Co
Year18891889
Valve GearStephensonStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) 4.50 / 1.375 / 1.52
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) 9.67 / 2.95 9.25 / 2.82
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.47 0.54
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) 9.67 / 2.95 9.25 / 2.82
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)23,570 / 10,69132,000 / 14,515
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)29,940 / 13,58138,000 / 17,237
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)300 / 1.14500 / 1.89
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)20 / 1027 / 13.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)35 / 88939 / 991
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)130 / 900130 / 900
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)10" x 14" / 254x35612" x 18" / 305x457
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)4420 / 2004.887344 / 3331.19
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 5.33 4.36
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)100 - 1.5" / 38133 - 1.5" / 38
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m) 6.03 / 1.84 5.55 / 1.69
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)25.48 / 2.37
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)9 / 0.8410.10 / 0.94
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)314 / 29.18
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)314 / 29.18
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume133.05
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation11701313
Same as above plus superheater percentage11701313
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area3312
Power L11580
Power MT217.71

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