New York, New Haven & Hartford 2-10-2 "Santa Fe" Locomotives in the USA

Class L-1 (Locobase 81)

Data from NH 1962 Steam Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. See also Alfred Bruce, The Steam Locomotive in America (New York: Bonanza Books, 1952), plate 56 between 276-277. (Many thanks to Chris Hohl for his 22 September 2017 email reporting unlikely boiler pressure values for 177 entries. A Locobase macro caused the error .) Works numbers were 57891-57940 in March-June 1918.

Although counterbalancing problems (inherent in the Santa Fe wheel arrangement and driver size) limited speeds to 25 mph, these engines lasted through World War II because of their pulling power on the New Haven-Maybrook section.

Later in their careers, the class received an upgrade to their fireboxes (presented in the specifications) that included three syphons adding 154 sq ft (14.31 sq m) to the direct heating surface area. (Others were fitted with four Security Circulators that increased DHS by 58 sq ft/5.39 sq m to 337 sq ft/31.31 sq m.) The firebox kept its Gaines fire box arch and the LT-1 Conversion stoker. The boiler now had a feed water heater.

Class L-1-A - circulators (Locobase 8120)

Data from NH 1962 St Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 8 November 2019 email correcting the valve gear and the superheater ID and noting the change in class ID to L-1-A.)

Locobase 81 shows the original configuration of these low-drivered Santa Fes. The current entry details one of two upgrades applied to the class later in its career. "Security circulators" were T-shaped water tubes that extended into the firebox and added (in this case) 58 sq ft (5.39 sq m) of heating surface to the firebox. A feed water heater was also added and the Baker valve gear used roller bearings.

Although quite different from the layout created by the installation of thermic syphons in locomotives described in Locobase 8121, the water evaporation rate wasn't that different. The maximum rate of 60,625 lb/hour included 18,535 lb/hour (30.6%) from direct heating surfaces, a lower percentage that that achieved by thermic syphons. In any case, the boiler could be overmatched by maximum steam consumption demands of 67,500 lb/hour, which yielded an 89.8% boiler factor.

Class L-1-A -- syphons (Locobase 8121)

Data from NH 1962 St Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 8 November 2019 email correcting the superheater ID and noting the change in class ID to L-1-A.)

Locobase 81 lets us see the Santa Fes as they were when they were new. Locobase 8120 describes those retrofitted with security circulators.

By the time of the diagram, the New Haven had beefed up its Santa Fe's direct heating surface by adding 154 sq ft (14.31 sq m) of thermic syphons. The upgrade included a feed water heater.

The diagram makes great claims for the potency of syphons as water evaporators. Each square foot of tube is credited with making 9.29 lb/hour steam per hour. The larger flues come in at 10.44 lb/hour. But the syphons perform at 55 lb/hour/sq ft, the same as the firebox as a whole.

As a result, maximum water evaporation reached 62,060 lb/hour; 23,100 lb/hour (37.2%) of the total came from direct heating surfaces. Steam consumption by those large cylinders was calculated at 67,500 lb/hour and boiler factor at that rate was 91.8%.