Boston & Albany / New York Central & Hudson River 2-6-6 Locomotives in the USA

Class J, Ja (Locobase 2814)

Data from 1902 New York Central locomotive guide reproduced on [] (visited December 2002). See also "A Heavy Suburban Locomotive", Railway and Locomotive Engineering, Volume 15, No 1 (January 1902), p. 15. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 26 May 2017 email correcting the valve gear's identity and supplying the original bunker and tank capacities.) Works numbers were 6144 in August 1901 (before Alco) and 25037-25042 in February 1902.

A wide-firebox suburban tank engine of considerable power. Although wide, the firebox wasn't a Wootten type and burned bituminous coal. The JAs (1414-1422) had a 56.62 sq ft (5.26 sq m) grate area, but suffered only a 1.8 sq ft decrease in firebox heating surface. The type had piston valves instead of the usual slide valves. Fuel and water capacities increased to 5 tons (5.5 metric tons) and 3,700 US gallons (14,005 litres), respectively, in later years..

Drury (1993) says that they ran on the Hudson and Harlem subdivisions until the railroad electrified the approaches to Grand Central Station.

Then Boston & Albany ran them in Boston-area commuter service until converting them to 2-6-0 Moguls (Class E-11) in 1904; see Locobase 16283.

Class L-1, L-1a (Locobase 16245)

Data from "Class 266 T 229, Order No. S-536", American Locomotive Company datacard. See also "Boston & Albany Suburban", Railway and Locomotive Engineering, Volume 19, No 9 (September 1906), p. 427. (Many thanks to Chris Hohl for his 10 December 2016 email supplying the datacard and noting significant differences in the data. Hohl's 15 June 2019 email pointed out the correct valve gear for this class.) Works numbers were 39654-39663 in February 1906, 44868-44875 in December 1907

Data for the first ten were essentially the same as the specs shown here, which apply to the last eight L-1a that were produced in late 1907. Firebox heating surface area in the L-1s amounted to 148 sq ft (12.75 sq m), weight on the drivers was 136,000 lb (61,689 kg), and engine weight came to 225,000 lb (102,058 kg).

The firebox was just over 7 feet wide (actually 85 1/4"/2.165 m), almost as beamy as that of a Wootten furnace and meant for the same purpose of burning pea sized coal to reduce smoke. Relatively capacious 10" (254 mm) piston valves had a maximum travel of 5 1/2" (140 mm). At the time, said RLE, these were believed "to be the heaviest and most powerful locomotive specially designed for regular suburban service."

Hohl notes that the first batch was delivered with Stephenson inside link motion, the second batch arrived with Walschaert constant-lead radial valve gear.

Rebuilt with a superheater; see Locobase 3844.

Class L-2/L-3/D-2a, D-2b (Locobase 3844)

Data from NYC 1 - 1946 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 15 June 2019 email noting the valve gear differences between the two batches.)

Locobase 16245 shows the original L-1 class that began service in 1906. Beginning in 1916, the B&A superheated the class.

Lima rebuilt and enlarged the class from January 1929 to November 1931 (batched as order 18555-1 through -18) as shown in the specs, at which time superheater area was increased from 305 sq ft to 354 sq ft. The eight D2Bs had 178 sq ft (16.54 sqm) of direct (firebox) heating surface. Piston valve diameter increased from 10" (254 mm) to 12" (305 mm). Chris Hohl pointed out that the 300-309 used Baker valve gear, which replaced the original Stephenson link motion, and 310-319 operated Walschaert valve gear. they came with The B&A redesignated the class L-3 and the New York Central reclassed it as D-2a or D-2b in 1940.

Unlike the parent New York Central's suburban tanks which lost their jobs when the route into Grand Central Station was electrified, this class served the Boston area until diesels took over. Except for 305, which was redesignated X305 in June 1950 for duty as a shop engine at Selkirk, the entire class was scrapped in June (6), July (10), and September (1) 1950. X305 was sold for scrap to Luria Brothers in October 1952.

Class M (Locobase 5424)

Data from "Tank Locomotive for Suburban Traffic", The Railroad and Engineering Journal, Vol LXV [65], No 9 (September 1891), p. 410-411. See also E E R Tratman, "Tank Locomotives", Official Proceedings of the Western Railway Club (Chicago: W F Hall Printing Company, 1903), pp. 342 et seq. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 6 December 2018 email noting corrections in engine weight and coal capacity.) Works numbers were 3528-3530 in 1891.

This was one of the earlier suburban-service locomotive, a design credited to the road's Superintendent of Motive Power William Buchanan. "The work on these trains is very heavy," explained the REJR, "owing to the numerous stops required, and the necessity of making quick time and frequent runs." The anthracite-burning grate used water tubs, "with the necessary pull-out and shaking bars."

The Journal said that at the time of writing a train left Grand Central Station (the earlier one, not the one well-known to 20th- and 21st-Century travelers) every five minutes (on average) between 3 and 7 PM.

The trio drew the usual accolades as the RERJ reported that they'd "been in service for a short time, and have shown themselves so far very well adapted to their work." Like the later Js, these were not a success and were converted to 2-6-0s by 1899; see Locobase 4105..