Central Vermont / Detroit & Toledo Shore Line 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Locomotives in the USA


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 15 (Locobase 7865)

Data from D&TSL 12-1953 locomotive diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Vol 48, pp. 207+ and Vol 71, pp. 45+. Works numbers were 40541-40543 in September 1913 and 56030-56032 in January 1923.

Incorporated on the eve of the Twentieth Century (16 March 1899), this railroad comprised the Pleasant Bay Railway established a year earlier and the Toledo & Ottawa Beach. The D & TSL spent the steam era operating independently of its co-owners, the Grand Trunk and the Toledo, Peoria & Western (after 1923, the Nickel Plate. )

These Consolidations were relatively small, but clearly the right size for the D & TSL because they ordered three in 1913 and repeated the order almost 10 years later. All of the details were the same including the vanadium cast frames and provision of 400 Tate flexible staybolts in the breaking zone.

As the years went on and the firebox modified by adding 57 sq ft of thermic syphons to the 14 sq ft of arch tubes, they developed an impressive amount of direct heating surface warmed by a large grate. The piston valves measured 14" (356 mm) in diameter.

16 and 17 were scrapped in 1936 and 1939, respectively, but the other 4 operated until 1952.


Class M-2-a/M-8-a (Locobase 7099)

Data from CV 1957 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 30329-30337 in January 1905.

The largest class of Consolidations on this small railroad, this class had relatively small boilers for 2-8-0s built during that time. On the other hand, they put a relatively high adhesion weight on the rails and they had a generous percentage of direct heating surface. Schenectady built them as a batch of cross-compounds with 22 1/2" and 35" x 32" stroke cylinders.

In 1928, the CV sold the last four of this class -- 405-408 --to the Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific of the Canadian National as their class M-8-a (1981-1984, later 2196-2199); they were retired in 1957.

By the time the CV had compiled the 1957 edition of their diagram book, two of the remaining five had been scrapped. The last three then operated as switchers and had bob-tailed tenders.


Class M-3-a (Locobase 7098)

Data from CV 1957 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his natal-day 2018 email supplying the original road numbers and feed water manufacturers.) Works numbers were 55913-55918 in June 1916.

Delivered as 420-425, but renumbered in 1923. As 451-455, five were fitted with Coffin feedwater heaters in horsecollars around the smokebox; 450 used an Elesco, identifiable by the characterstic cylinder over the smokebox and ahead of the stack.

A modest stud of Consolidations on this small railroad, these stayed in service with the CV til the end of steam, while some of the engines in earlier classes were sold to the Canadian National.


Class N-4-h (Locobase 7101)

Data from CV 1957 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Following the nine M-2s (Locobase 7099) , this class had taller drivers but were otherwise quite similar, particularly after they received superheaters. Not long after the refit, the entire class was sold to the Canadian National as their class N-4-h (2810-2819) in 1928. By that time, most had a "thru-bolt" superheater arrangement with the areas shown in the specs. (Compared to the Tbolt header, the "Thru-bolt" header provided a greater air space between the saturated and superheated sides of the superheater, which reduced the rapidity of heat transfer and allowed for expansion and contraction.)

Some had the arrangement shown in the M-2 entry, which had two more flues and 30 more tubes.

They served the CN into the 1950s, the first retiring in 1954, the last in 1961.


Class N-5-a (Locobase 7100)

Data from CV 1957 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also the Pictures Of Central Vermont Steam Locomotives on The Grand Trunk And Canadian Pacific In New England website at [], last accessed 12 June 2018. (Thanks to Jeffrey Batchelder for his 27 September 2019 email correcting this class's driver diameter.) Works numbers were 65293-65308 in November 1923.

This most numerous of the CV's Consolidation classes was owned by the Canadian National (which had taken over the CV's parent Grand Trunk in the same year) and leased back to the CV.

They had a relatively large boiler for the later-period 2-8-0s supplied to North American railroads. As delivered, they had four arch tubes contributing 25.6 sq ft (2.4 sq m) to the direct heating surface. Six of the class--461, 463-465, 469, and 474--used Bethlehem rod-driven tender boosters adding 14,400 lb (6,532 kg/64.05 kN) to drive the rear truck axles at starting and low speed. One booster was removed in 1944, one in 1948, and last four in 1952.

Sometime later, 461,464-465, and 469 had their fireboxes rearranged with two of the arch tubes being deleted in favor of 65 sq ft (6.05 sq m) in two Nicholson thermic syphons. The total firebox heating surface now totalled 256 sq ft (23.8 sq m).

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class15M-2-a/M-8-aM-3-aN-4-hN-5-a
Locobase ID7865 7099 7098 7101 7100
RailroadDetroit & Toledo Shore Line (CNR)Central Vermont (CNR)Central Vermont (CNR)Central Vermont (CNR)Central Vermont (CNR)
CountryUSAUSAUSAUSAUSA
Whyte2-8-02-8-02-8-02-8-02-8-0
Number in Class6961016
Road Numbers15-17, 18-20400-408420-425/450-455409-418460-475
GaugeStdStdStdStdStd
Number Built6961016
BuilderBaldwinAlco-SchenectadyAlco-SchenectadyAlco-SchenectadyAlco-Schenectady
Year19131905191619061923
Valve GearBakerSouthernWalschaertSouthernWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)17 / 5.1817 / 5.1817 / 5.1817 / 5.1817 / 5.18
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)25.75 / 7.8525.50 / 7.7725.83 / 7.8725.75 / 7.8525.83 / 7.87
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.66 0.67 0.66 0.66 0.66
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)75.46 / 2354.17 / 16.5168.10 / 20.7660.02 / 18.2959.40 / 18.11
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)48,200 / 21,863
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)189,980 / 86,174172,360 / 78,181189,410 / 85,915181,750 / 82,441204,250 / 92,646
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)217,470 / 98,643195,360 / 88,614217,730 / 98,761204,280 / 92,660232,750 / 105,574
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)146,730 / 66,556140,000 / 63,503145,000 / 65,771160,300 / 72,711171,200 / 77,655
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)364,200 / 165,199335,360 / 152,117362,730 / 164,532364,580 / 165,371403,950 / 183,229
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)8000 / 30.306000 / 22.737500 / 28.416700 / 25.388300 / 31.44
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)10 / 914 / 1312 / 1114 / 1314.50 / 13
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)79 / 39.5072 / 3679 / 39.5076 / 3885 / 42.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)63 / 160057 / 144857 / 144863 / 160063 / 1600
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)180 / 12.40180 / 12.40180 / 12.40180 / 12.40180 / 12.40
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)23" x 30" / 584x76222.5" x 32" / 572x81324" x 32" / 610x81322" x 32" / 559x81324" x 32" / 610x813
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)38,541 / 17481.9243,484 / 19724.0349,475 / 22441.5137,614 / 17061.4444,763 / 20304.18
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.93 3.96 3.83 4.83 4.56
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)207 - 2" / 51202 - 2" / 51229 - 2" / 51172 - 2" / 51229 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)26 - 5.375" / 13728 - 5.375" / 13736 - 5.375" / 13726 - 5.375" / 13736 - 5.375" / 137
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)15 / 4.5714.58 / 4.4415 / 4.5715 / 4.5715 / 4.57
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)236 / 21.93177 / 16.44222 / 20.63177 / 16.45216 / 20.07
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)50.60 / 4.7050.62 / 4.7053.40 / 4.9650.62 / 4.7053.40 / 4.96
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2398 / 222.862282 / 2122764 / 256.882011 / 186.902758 / 256.22
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)450 / 41.82477 / 44.31631 / 58.64456 / 42.38630 / 58.53
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2848 / 264.682759 / 256.313395 / 315.522467 / 229.283388 / 314.75
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume166.18154.92164.92142.83164.56
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation91089112961291129612
Same as above plus superheater percentage10,56510,66111,43810,75211,438
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area49,27737,27647,55237,59546,267
Power L1999186609747939610,722
Power MT463.76443.07453.80455.89462.92

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