Bangor & Aroostook 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Locomotives in the USA

Class G-2 (Locobase 408)

Data from 1938 BAR locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange

Firebox heating surface included 21 sq ft of arch tubes. Locobase wonders about the superheater area because the boiler had the same number of flues (of the same length and diameter) as the 1921 Gs, also built by Alco (see Locobase 5994). But the area measures 76 sq ft less - Locobase still thinks the 1921 class's area was overstated.

Built in two batches in 1937 and 1945. Retired in 1951-1956.

Class Ga/Gb - super heated (Locobase 5993)

Data from BAR 3 - 1923 locomotive diagram book provided in April 2004 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 41522-41524 in March 1907 from the Rhode Island Works and 54944-54948 in October 1914 and 56742 in September 1916 from Schenectady.

12" (305 mm) piston valves. Two batches were built over seven years. The second group is credited in the diagram with one more tube (205) and apparently was superheated when delivered, but is otherwise identical except for the usual weight gain. (182,000 lb on the drivers, 210,000 total.)

The GAs were superheated in 1918, using boilers from the 193, 183, and 194. The whole class carried on until the end of steam.

Class Gc (Locobase 5994)

Data out of BAR 1- 1938 and BAR 7 - 1951 locomotive diagram books provided in April 2004 and May 2005 from Allen Stanley's extension collection. Works numbers were 62626-62631 in January 1921.

12" (305 mm) piston valves. This modest, but reasonably powerful 2-8-0 design was obviously satisfactory. In addition to the nine described in Locobase 5993, Schenectady supplied these six in 1921. The builder took the opportunity to go two better than the railroad in superheating the design, adding two flues and deleting ten tubes. The result was a relatively high superheat fraction of combined heating surface.

The given superheater area (which the diagram books insist upon) still seems much too high. Other installations with the same count and flue length (including the BAR's G-2s of 1937 - Locobase 408) show superheater areas of less than 600 square feet.

Class Go (Locobase 16034)

Data out of BAR 1- 1938 and BAR 7 - 1951 locomotive diagram books provided in April 2004 and May 2005 from Allen Stanley's extension collection. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his April 2015 email pointing out the absence of this class and supplying a spreadsheet of specifications.) Works numbers were 65970, 65973 in November 1924.

These were duplicates of the class of Consolidations described in Locobase 5994. Like the other Consolidations on this Maine railroad, the pair saw steam out before retiring in 1947-1951.

Class Gp (Locobase 16035)

Data out of BAR 1- 1938 and BAR 7 - 1951 locomotive diagram books provided in April 2004 and May 2005 from Allen Stanley's extension collection. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his April 2015 email pointing out the absence of this class and supplying a spreadsheet of specifications.) Works numbers were 65971-65972 in November 1924.

The BAR went back to Schenectady for four more Consolidations after buying the six described in Locobase 5994.Two repeated the specifications of the earilier engines; see Locobasse 16034.

The other two of the locomotives were modified in several ways. While cylinder volume dropped, boiler pressure went up considerably, resulting in a net gain in calculated tractive effort. Firebox width remained the same, but length increased by 9 1/2" (241 mm), which added about 4 sq ft to the grate area. .