Class C-2 (Locobase 12515)

Data from "#175: New Engines for the DM & N Ry", Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen's Magazine, Volume 37, No 9 (September 1904), p. 405.

Similar to the Pittsburgh Junction engines built by Pittsburgh and shown in Locobase 2022, this design had a relatively large boiler and cylinder volume for a Consolidation of tis day.

Steadily increasing iron-ore traffic demands on the railroad eventually rendered these engines too small for the road and the DM & N sold them in 1919 to Oliver Mining Company. OMC kept the numbers, but removed the leading trucks to create 0-8-0 switchers.

Class C-3 (Locobase 7285)

See data from DM&IR 6 -1951 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

The DM&N bought this class new in 1905-1907 (Locobase 16503) equipped with saturated boilers. They remained essentially unchanged during their careers except for the addition of a modest amount of superheat shown in this entry.

As train loads increased, the DM&N began selling off some of the class. Oliver Mining Company took four, which they renumbered 520, 522, 523, 528 and converted to 0-8-0 switchers.

The Minneapolis, Northfield & Southern was a short line connecting Crystal and Northfield. bought six, two in 1927 (344-345, renumbered 400-401) and four in 1928 (321, 326, 329, and 337, renumbered 402-405). All but one were retired in the 1930s; the 404 remained on the roster throughout World War II and retired in 1949.

The other 22 C-3s served out their days on the DM&IR (which absorbed the DM&N in 1937), operating into the mid-1950s. Short line Duluth & Northeastern bought the 332 in October 1955, eventually donating it in 1974 to the Lake Superior Transportation Museum.

Class C-3 (Locobase 16503)

See data from DM&IR 4 -1908 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in August 2013 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 30730-30735 in May 1905, 31232-31237 in August, 39586-39591 in March 1906, 42275-42288 in June 1907.

These Consolidations were typical of their time in being delivered with saturated boilers. And they betrayed no pretensions about offering power at speed -- they were drag-freight through and through.

As superheating saturated boilers took hold in North America, the DM&IR followed suit; see Locobase 7285.

Class K (Locobase 11442)

See data from DM&IR 6 -1951 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volumes 27, p. 223 and 28, p. 283. Works numbers were 25465-25467, 25509 in April 1905; 25783, 25805, 25873-25874, 25885 in June; 27722, 27738-27740, 27755, 27773 in March 1906.

At the same time the DM&N were taking delivery of Pittsburgh-built Consolidations (see Locobase 7285), the Iron Range was receiving its own clutch of Baldwin 2-8-0s. Similar in many respects, the two classes had detail differences. See Locobase 12950 for a quartet of similar locomotives with one big difference.

The 1906 specifications included notes pointing out the maximum grade of 137 ft to the mile (2.6%) and curve radii of 7 degrees on the mainline and 18 degrees on switches.

The class was later superheated; see Locobase 7286.

Class K (Locobase 12950)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 32, p. 101. Works numbers were 33308-33311 in April 1909; 34740-34745, 34813-34814, 34841-34844 in June 1910.

The 1907 K-class Consolidations produced for the D & IR carried a significantly changed boiler. In place of the 2 1/4"-diameter tubes of the earlier Ks (Locobase 11442), the 209 and later used 2" tubes. Possibly the builder (or railroad) expected the change to improve water circulation.

When this group was superheated, it was dubbed K-1; see Locobase 7287.

Class K - superheated (Locobase 7286)

See data from DM&IR 6 -1951 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Locobase 11442 describes this relatively numerous class of Consolidations when they were delivered . When this class was superheated, the longer distance between tube sheets increased the superheater area and hence the amount of heating surface devoted to superheating. The engines had 15" piston valves.

Both batches were quite satisfactory and served the successor DM & IR until diesels replaced all steam.

Class K1 - superheated (Locobase 7287)

See data from DM&IR 6 -1951 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

When the Iron Range returned to Baldwin in 1907 and 1909 for another set of Consolidations to supplement the Ks they'd bought in 1905-1906 (Locobase 7286), they specified smaller-diameter tubes (Locobase 12950).

When the railroad superheated those boilers, they installed 2 fewer flues. Because of the smaller boiler, however, the superheater ratio of all heating surfaces remained almost exactly the same. Cylinder volume increased, however, when the railroad fitted 24"-diameter cylinders to the upgrades.

As with all DM & IR 2-8-0s, many of this class worked to the end of steam on the railroad.