2-8-0 "Consolidation" Steam Locomotives in the USA

Class 29 (Locobase 16404)

Data from "Detroit & Mackinac Consolidation Locomotives", Railway Gazette, Volume 36 No 4 (11 January 1904), p. 70. Works numbers were 29290-29291 in November 1903.

RG's report noted that the railroad's improvments in grades and "alinements" (a revised spelling of "alignment" adopted in the same spirit as the dropping of the "u" in "gauge") would allow 70-80 car trains and bought new equipment accordingly.

These engines were produced soon after the first three of a larger class ordered by the Virginia & Southwestern (Locobase 16405). So, either the D&M bought a pair that the V&S couldn't afford two more right away or the Michigan railroad thought they'd be sufficient.

Apparently, they were not quite the ticket for the D&M for they bought three more powerful 2-8-0s from Rogers (Locobase 12427) three years later. By then, this pair had been sold to the Virginia & Southwestern in 1905 as their 66-67. Taken into the Southern Railway, the pair took numbers 211-212 in 1916.

They served the Southern into the 1930s before being scrapped in November 1933 (212) and February 1936 (211).

Class 33 (Locobase 12427)

Data from "New Locomotive Equipment-Detroit & Mackinac", Railway Age, Volume 41, No 10 (11 May 1906), p. 807. Works numbers were 40696-40698 in September 1906.

Locobase wonders if these Consolidations from a Paterson, NJ builder suffered from manufacture defects. According to Hoffman's accounting of the transfer line's locomotives

33 "received new fire box and ring in September 1915

34 "received new steel frame" June 1912

35 "received new fire box May 1915"

By the time of 34's repair, Rogers had closed for good. So did Schenectady pony up the money to fix the trio? Or had D&M found its maintenance procedures so lacking that it forced such replacements?

Once straightened out, all three remained in service on the D&M for over four decades before being scrapped in March 1947.