Southern 2-10-2 "Santa Fe" Locomotives in the USA

Class Ss (Locobase 84)

Some data from Southern Railway diagrams hosted on southern.railfan.net/images/archive/southern/steam_loco_diagrams (viewed September 2002). Evaporative heating surface information from locomotive diagram book provided in April 2004 from Allen Stanley's extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 56, pp. 404+. Also see Frank Clodfelter, "Saluda:A piece of railroad that must be watched every minute," Trains Magazine ( November 1984), pp. 26-39, preserved on []. (Thanks to Larry Walton for his 27 October 2020 email supplying the RR-FallenFlags photograph at []; it showed yet another duplex engine wheel arrangement fitted to the 5046.)

Fifty built by Baldwin (5000-5054) with a engine weight of 367,000 lb. Works numbers were

1917

January 44907-44908, 44926-44927

February 45074-45076, 45113-45115

March 45272-45277, 45327-45331

April 45441-45444, 45455-45458

May 45573

July 45958, 45975, 46002-46003

August 46063, 46106-46107, 46166-46167

September 46352, 46405, 46441-46442

1918

February 47920

March 48070, 48148

April 48268-48270, 48298-48299

May 48578, 48679-48680

June 49032

Twenty-five others built by Alco's Richmond Works for subsidiary CNO&TP, later moved to Southern with numbers 5055-5074 when the 2-10-2s proved too bulky for the railway's tight clearances.. Works numbers were 59058-59082 in 1918. These had max weight of 378,000 lb, slightly higher TE. Baldwin's specs show 14" (356 mm) piston valves, 66 sq ft (6.1 sq m) of heating surface in the combustion chamber, and 46 sq ft (4.3 sq m) in four arch tubes.

Both classes later ran at 200 psi. For later service on the Asheville Division (including the notorious Blue Ridge and Saluda grades), some of these engines were fitted with "floating" front drivers. The arrangement consisted of spherical bearings on the forward end of the side rods and Franklin lateral-motion driving boxes for the front axle.

Frank Clodfelter detailed (p. 33) other alterations designed to help crews cope with this fearsome section: "Shop forces at Asheville made several modifications to SS-class Santa Fe's assigned to Saluda. The water glass on both the engineer's and fireman's side was made longer than normal so that crews could safely measure the water level in the boiler while descending or ascending the mountain; a second air pump was installed because of the excessive use of air brakes on Saluda; some engines used as helpers or on the head end of passenger trains were equipped with cab signals and steam-heat connections; and water pipes were installed over the driving wheels so that a constant flow of water would cool the tires while descending the mountain."

One innovation that Clodfelter didn't list in that summary was a duplex engine installed under the tender on at least the 5046. As a more detailed description in Locobase 44 tells us, the Southern experimented with this setup to gain more tractive effort on the Saluda. Walton's discovery of the 5046's photograph showed Locobase a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement, also fitted with Southern gear.. Locobase also found the Southern's diagram (drawing number 27-F-2) showing the Mogul arrangement under 5046's tender. The tender tractor's tractive effort was valued at 18,000 lb (8,165 kg/80.07 kN) thanks to 19" x 26" (483 x 660 mm) cylinders..

Installed in 1918, this tender tractor accompanied the 5046 until 1926.

Class Ss-1 (USRA) (Locobase 1427)

Data from tables and diagram in 1930 Locomotive Cyclopedia and SRY 6 - 1947 List and Description of Locomotives supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Alco's Brooks Works numbers were 60010-60059.

Firebox had combustion chamber. One of the USRA's two basic "Santa Fe" designs standardized near the end of World War I, these were the light variety (Locobase 231). These 50 went to the Southern and used on Saluda grade service in western North Carolina. But their longer rigid wheelbase eventually limited them to Knoxville-based service.