New York Central & Hudson River 0-6-0 "Switcher" Locomotives in the USA


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 10/1904 (Locobase 16251)

Data from NYC 8 - 1917 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

See the main entry on the West Side Line's "Death Avenue" in Locobase 16246. Fleshing out the 51", six-coupled steam dummies was this single example, which served for 18 years before being retired in 1932.


Class 12/1906 (Locobase 16246)

Data from NYC 7 - 1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also Christopher Gray, "When a Monster Plied the West Side", New York (22 December 2011), archived at [link], last accessed 23 December 2016.

The 12 was one of a series of converted six-coupled switchers of approximately the same size. Rebuilt from a B-11 switcher, the 12 was the first of three B-11 and B-11a conversions. The other two appear in Locobase 16247, but, other than an increase in boiler pressure, were essentially the same. All disguised their conventional boiler, firebox, and stack with a housing similar to other street-transiting steam dummies pulling tram cars.

Eleventh Avenue on Manhattan's West Side, one of the main surface freight lines through the city, was known for decades as "Death Avenue" because of the trains that shuttled freight cars along it. Although the train followed a man on horseback waving a red flag (day) or red light (night), pedestrians still ran afoul of the New York Central tracks. Gray reported in his detailed and well-written history that in the 56 years from 1852 to 1908, 463 pedestrians were killed, many in the gloom of winter and some mutilated

The New York Central responded, quasi irrelevantly, that it brought 3 million pounds of food into New York annually. But, Gray notes, each new gruesome accident reinforced the evil reputation of "Death Avenue". Although an NYC proposal to spend $65 million to fix the problem in exchange for a perpetual franchise, it wasn't until 31 December 1929 that a later agreement led to the first spike being pulled from a rail on Eleventh Ave.

The 12, renumbered 1906 in 1922, remained in service until 1932, when the High Line began replacing the at-grade alignment.


Class 13/1907 (Locobase 16248)

Data from NYC 7 - 1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

See the main entry on the West Side Line's "Death Avenue" in Locobase 16246. In the same year that the 12 entered service, the 13 also underwent conversion. Its base was a smaller locomotive with less cylinder volume; the 14 began operation in 1908. The 11 joined the pair in 1913 and was essentially identical. Each of the three had a different weight: 14 was lightest at 115,000 lb (52,163 kg), the 13's weight (shown in the specs) came in the middle, and the 11 added two tons and weighed 122,400 lb (55,520 kg).

All three were retired in 1924.


Class 15/1909 (Locobase 16247)

Data from NYC 7 - 1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

See the main entry on the West Side Line's "Death Avenue" in Locobase 16246. The 1907 locomotive described there was a unique for eleven years before the railroad converted another pair with the same specs in 1918.

Like the 12, the 15 and 16 were retired in 1932.


Class 2/1900 (Locobase 16250)

Data from NYC 8 - 1917 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

See the main entry on the West Side Line's "Death Avenue" in Locobase 16246. One of the smallest of the conversions from six-coupled switcher to West Side Line dummy was this ex-B-7 class engine.

It also had one of the shortest careers on the West Side Line, running for ten years before being retired in 1922.


Class 5/1907 (Locobase 16249)

Data from NYC 7 - 1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

See the main entry on the West Side Line's "Death Avenue" in Locobase 16246. Clearly, the New York Central saw value in continuing to convert six-coupled switchers to the steam dummies that pulled the short freights along Eleventh Ave. This pair had a few more fire tubes than the 15-16, which were added in the same year (see Locobase 16247), but each tube was shorter and the cylinder diameters measured an inch shorter.

5 ws retired in 1924 while 6 remained operational until 1932.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
Class10/190412/190613/190715/19092/1900
Locobase ID16251 16246 16248 16247 16250
RailroadNew York Central & Hudson River (NYC)New York Central & Hudson River (NYC)New York Central & Hudson River (NYC)New York Central & Hudson River (NYC)New York Central & Hudson River (NYC)
CountryUSAUSAUSAUSAUSA
Whyte0-6-0T0-6-0T0-6-0T0-6-0T0-6-0T
Number in Class11321
Road Numbers10/190412/190613-14, 11/1907-1908, 190515-16/1909-19102/1900
GaugeStdStdStdStdStd
Number Built
BuilderNYCNYCNYCNYCNYC
Year19141907190819181912
Valve GearStephensonStephensonStephensonStephensonStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)12 / 3.6611 / 3.3511 / 3.3511 / 3.3512 / 3.66
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)12 / 3.6611 / 3.3511 / 3.3511 / 3.3512 / 3.66
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase11111
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)12 / 3.6611 / 3.3511 / 3.3511 / 3.3512 / 3.66
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)133,000 / 60,328126,000 / 57,153118,500 / 53,751126,000 / 57,153120,600 / 54,703
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)133,000 / 60,328126,000 / 57,153118,500 / 53,751126,000 / 57,153120,600 / 54,703
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)2100 / 7.951500 / 5.681900 / 7.201500 / 5.682000 / 7.58
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)2 / 2 3.50 / 32 / 2 3.50 / 32 / 2
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)74 / 3770 / 3566 / 3370 / 3567 / 33.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)51 / 129551 / 129551 / 129551 / 129545 / 1143
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)160 / 1100145 / 1000150 / 1030160 / 1000160 / 1100
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)18" x 24" / 457x61018" x 24" / 457x61017" x 24" / 432x61018" x 24" / 457x61017" x 20" / 432x508
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)20,736 / 9405.7018,792 / 8523.9217,340 / 7865.3020,736 / 9405.7017,468 / 7923.36
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 6.41 6.70 6.83 6.08 6.90
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)196 - 2" / 51200 - 2" / 51154 - 2" / 51200 - 2" / 51169 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)10.50 / 3.2011 / 3.3511 / 3.3511 / 3.35 9.88 / 3.01
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)114.90 / 10.67129.50 / 12.0394 / 8.73129.50 / 12.0389.80 / 8.34
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)19.70 / 1.8322.50 / 2.0920 / 1.8622.50 / 2.0914.90 / 1.38
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1184 / 1101273 / 118.26974 / 90.491273 / 118.26957 / 88.91
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1184 / 1101273 / 118.26974 / 90.491273 / 118.26957 / 88.91
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume167.47180.06154.36180.06182.29
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation31523263300036002384
Same as above plus superheater percentage31523263300036002384
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area18,38418,77814,10020,72014,368
Power L133833348291836943214
Power MT168.23175.74162.86193.90176.26

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
Class5/1907
Locobase ID16249
RailroadNew York Central & Hudson River (NYC)
CountryUSA
Whyte0-6-0T
Number in Class2
Road Numbers5-6/1901-1902
GaugeStd
Number Built
BuilderNYC
Year1913
Valve GearStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)11 / 3.35
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)11 / 3.35
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase1
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)11 / 3.35
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)135,000 / 61,235
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)13,500 / 6124
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)1800 / 6.82
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)2 / 2
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)75 / 37.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)51 / 1295
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)160 / 1100
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)17" x 24" / 432x610
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)18,496 / 8389.65
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 7.30
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)204 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)10.50 / 3.20
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)114.90 / 10.67
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)19.70 / 1.83
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1228 / 114.08
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1228 / 114.08
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume194.61
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation3152
Same as above plus superheater percentage3152
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area18,384
Power L13885
Power MT190.33

Photos

All material Copyright © SteamLocomotive.com
Wes Barris