Chicago & Western Indiana/Belt Railway 2-10-2 "Santa Fe" Locomotives in the USA

The Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad was incorporated on June 6, 1879, to interconnect many Chicago area railroads and belt lines to each other. In 1912, the C & WI acquired the Chicago Union Transfer Railway. Also, On November 1, 1912, a 999 year lease of some of its railroad, equipment and additional trackage rights was granted to the Belt Railway of Chicago. The B. R. of C. was a company owned by 12 connecting railroads to improve the interchange of cars and trains.

The twelve railroads were: Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railway, Chicago & Atlantic Railway, Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway, and Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway, Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad, Illinois Central Railroad, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, and Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. These twelve railroads leased the Belt Division from the Chicago & Western Indiana starting in 1912. The Pere Marquette Railway also joined as owner in 1924.

As of December 31, 1916, Moody's 1917 Railroad Manual reported that the C&W.I. owns an extensive system of terminals and belt lines in and around the city of Chicago; also passenger and freight depots, reality, etc. in the heart of the city, including the DearbornUnion Passenger Terminal.

In 1917, the railroad included: 151.45 miles of line, 99 steam locomotives (86 of which were leased to the Belt Railway of Chicago), and 1,326 freight cars (358 of which were on lease to B. R. of C.), Altogether, they connected to, and offered rentals, leases and trackage rights to, 34 different railroad companies. The company was well diversified and brought in significant profit year after year.

In 1931, the Pere Marquette bought approximately 41 miles of owned/leased lines in South Chicago. In 1933 the company acquired the Burlington, South Chicago Terminal Railroad.

The C&WI was allocated five USRA "Santa Fe-Lights" in 1919. The locomotives were built by the Baldwin Locomotives Works and were assigned road numbers 21 through 25. These locomotives had 57" diameter drivers, 27" x 32" cylinders, a 200 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 69,575 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 352,000 pounds.

There are no surviving C&WI 2-10-2 "Santa Fe" type locomotives.


Roster

QtyRoad NumbersYear BuiltBuilderNotes
521-251919BaldwinThese were USRA allocated "Santa Fe-Light" locomotives.

Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class C-1 (Locobase 14242)

Data from BLT RY CHG 6-1935 locomotive diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Vol 55, pp. 430+. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his extensive research into these engines, which helped Locobase develop this entry.) Works numbers were 47688, 47740-47742 in January 1918; 47866 in February.

Although in some ways these Santa Fes anticipated the USRA Heavy 2-10-2-B (Locobase 90) design in many respects (cylinder volume, valve gear, big 16" (406 mm) piston valves, e.g.) that entered production a few months later, they had shorter combustion chambers and fewer but longer tubes. Instead, the engines reflected prewar practice in their dimensions, although the Belt chose smaller drivers for still more tractive effort created by the large-bore cylinders. The firebox heating surface area included 39 sq ft (3.62 sq m) in five arch tubes, 64 sq ft (5.95 sq m) in the combustion chamber.

Baldwin's specs note that the line had 80 lb/yard (40 kg/metre) rails and 10 degree curves. Special emphasis was given to holding the engine weight to 406,000 lb (184,159 kg) or less. Baldwin estimated adhesion weight at 336,000 lb (152,407 kg) and total engine weight at 405,000 lb (183,705). The Belt's book shows a weight on the drivers that was lower by 6 short tons and an engine weight that came in about 4 short tons less.

Like the C-2s shown in Locobase 14241, these engines were leased immediately to the Belt Railway of Chicago, which they served until they were scrapped in November 1950.


Class C-2 (USRA) (Locobase 14241)

Data from Belt Railway of Chicago 6-1935 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his extensive research into these engines, which helped Locobase develop this entry.) Works numbers were 60060-60064 in December 1918.

Locobase 89 shows the United States Railroad Administration design of which this batch is an example. C&WI was the parent of the Belt Railway of Chicago and leased the engines to the Belt.

Like many USRA engines, this quintet served the Belt for over thirty years. 22-24 were scrapped in April 1950; 20-21 followed in November of the same year.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassC-1C-2 (USRA)
Locobase ID14242 14241
RailroadChicago & Western Indiana/Belt RailwayChicago & Western Indiana/Belt Railway
CountryUSAUSA
Whyte2-10-22-10-2
Number in Class55
Road Numbers1-520-24
GaugeStdStd
Number Built55
BuilderBaldwinAlco-Brooks
Year19181918
Valve GearBakerSouthern
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)21 / 6.4021 / 6.40
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)40.25 / 12.2740.30 / 12.28
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.52 0.52
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)76.62 / 23.3575.50 / 23.16
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) / 27,216
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)323,900 / 146,919276,000 / 124,284
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)397,200 / 180,167352,000 / 159,665
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)187,300 / 84,958184,300 / 85,412
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)584,500 / 265,125536,300 / 245,077
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)10,000 / 37.8810,000 / 37.88
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)16 / 1514 / 15
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)108 / 5492 / 46
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)58 / 147357 / 1448
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)200 / 1380200 / 1380
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)30" x 32" / 762x81327" x 32" / 686x813
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)84,414 / 38289.5969,575 / 31558.73
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 3.84 3.97
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)238 - 2.25" / 57247 - 2.25" / 57
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)50 - 5.5" / 14045 - 5.5" / 140
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)23 / 7.0120.50 / 6.25
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)366 / 34363 / 34.67
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)88 / 8.1876.30 / 7.09
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)5229 / 485.794656 / 433.64
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)1418 / 131.741085 / 100.84
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)6647 / 617.535741 / 534.48
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume199.73219.52
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation17,60015,260
Same as above plus superheater percentage21,29618,159
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area88,57286,394
Power L114,63714,544
Power MT498.13580.87

Photos

  • 21 (Paul Eilenberger Collection)
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