Class 40/F-2 - compound (Locobase 8826)

Data from GN 1-1929 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 18, p. 13. Works numbers were 12817-12820, 12823 in July 1892.

In the same year that Brooks was delivering several dozen Consolidations to the GN (Locobase 2616), Baldwin supplied five tandem compounds of their own. These were bigger and had much larger grates in their Belpaire fireboxes. The difference came from a wide firebox that rode above the drivers. Piston valves measuring 10 1/2" (267 mm) in diameter supplied steam to the cylinders.

As with the Brooks engines, this quintet was soon simpled - see Locobase 8826.

---

Class 50/F-5 (Locobase 8825)

Data from Data from GN 1-1929 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 5655-5659 in September 1901 and 5660-5664 in October.

Delivered right at the turn of the century, these Consolidations were typical of the breed. Note the usual Belpaire firebox, this time as part of a design that featured a long stroke. Five more were delivered as F-4 cross-compounds (Locobase 4129) that were soon converted to simple-expansion.

Like many of the GN's earlier 2-8-0s, most were never superheated, but their relatively large boilers and fireboxes seemed to have been valued for decades.

Those F-5s that were superheated appear in Locobase 8826.

---

Class 50A/F-7 (Locobase 8830)

Data from Data from GN 1-1929 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

1901 saw the Great Northern purchase several classes of Consolidations from several builders. They shared many things: all came from manufacturers that would soon be gathered under the American Locomotive Company banner, all had Belpaire boilers, all had 55" drivers. Rogers' F-5 engines are shown in Locobase 8825 and the superheated F-6s originally supplied by Brooks appear in Locobase 8830.

These Cookes had 10 fewer boiler tubes than did the Rogers F-5s, but otherwise were quite similar. They were later superheated, the result of which is shown in Locobase 8831.

---

Class 50B/F-6 (Locobase 8849)

Data from GN 1916 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 4042-4056 in November 1901,4057-4061 in December.

These long-stroke, Belpaire-boilered Consolidations continued the line of such 2-8-0s that began with the Rogers F-5 engines (Locobase 8825). Within a decade, the GN superheated the first of ten F-6.

All 25 engines left the roster in 1926-1927.

---

Class 51B/F-9 (Locobase 8850)

Data from GN 1916 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 27896-27920 in July 1903.

This class combined the basic power dimensions of Brooks's F-6 Consolidations (Locobase 8849) with a bigger grate in its Belpaire firebox.

Ten received superheaters beginning about a decade later that overzealously corrected for an undersized boiler; see Locobase 8851.

---

Class F-1 (Locobase 8823)

Data from Data from GN 1-1929 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers 2093-2116 (road #450-473, renumbered 516-539 in 1899), 2133-2157 (474-499/540-565) in August-September 1892, and 2187-2201 (500-514) in November-December 1892.

This was a large class of Consolidations built by the Dunkirk, NY builder in less than six months. For a time, the boilers were pressed to 160 psi, but working pressure later rose to 185 psi as shown in the specs.

Locobase 2616 describes the tandem-compound layout installed in two Consolidations in 1892-1893. Those two engines were converted to simple-expansion in 1899.

504-505, 507, 509-510, 512, 527, and 535 were converted to oil-burning, using 3" (76.2 mm) burners. 505 trailed the smallest tender, a class D-2 carrying 1,990 US gallons (7,532 litres) of oil. Four used the F-1 or D-5 tender holding 3,020 gallons (11,437 litres) and two--512 and 527--used G-size tenders containing 3,454 gallons (13,073 litres).

A very few were superheated; see Locobase 8824.

---

Class F-1 - compound (Locobase 2616)

Data from Catalogue Descriptive of Simple and Compound Locomotives built by Brooks Locomotive Works, Dunkirk, NY (Buffalo, NY: Matthew-Northrup Company, 1899).

Builder info from B.Rumary, 25 Kingscombe, Gurney Slade, Radstock, BA3 4TH, ENGLAND and Jeremy Lambert as supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004. Works number 2269 in April 1893 was shown at the Chicago World's Fair.

Tandem compound Consolidation that had less heating area than the Brooks Mogul delivered a couple of years later. It had an Improved Belpaire boiler. The HP cylinders received steam through piston valves while the larger LP cylinders immediately behind had D-type slide valves. The HP valve was driven through a link from the LP valve; the two travelled in opposite directions. HP valve travel was 4" (102 mm), LP travel was 7" (177 mm).

This pair was soon converted to the simple-expansion system already in use by the 64 other locomotives in this class; see Locobase 8823.

---

Class F-1-S (Locobase 8824)

Data from Data from GN 1-1929 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Taking the basic simple-expansion F-1 rebuild described in Locobase 8823, the GN later superheated a few. Two had the layout shown in the specs, in which the 22 flues measured 5 1/2" in diameter; another had 5" flues, which held smaller elements and resulted in a 8-sq ft drop in superheater area. Other than the usual tradoff of tubes for flues, the installation of 10" (254 mm) piston valves, and a reduction in boiler pressure to 150 psi, a level more usually seen in the 1880s, the Belpaire-boilered F-1s were essentially the same.

The GN eventually reset the working pressure to 175 psi.

---

Class F-11 (Locobase 8832)

Data from Data from GN 1-1929 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 52834 in April 1913 and 54970 in September 1914.

The tottering South Dakota Central bought its first new locomotives when it ordered this pair of small Consolidations. They were ideally suited to the branch-line level right of way--simple saturated-boiler design, relatively low axle-loading, small drivers, and good power and heating ratios.

Three years after they arrived, founder Joe Kirby of Sioux Falls faced the inevitable and converted the SDC's receivership status to bankruptcy in 1916. Under the new name of Watertown & Sioux Falls, the railroad revived and proved a worthy acquisition for the Great Northern in January 1922. The GN placed them in class F-11 and numbered them 590-591.

The 591 lasted only five more years before being scrapped in December 1927. 590 remained on the roster until it was scrapped in February 1934.

---

Class F-2 - simpled (Locobase 8827)

Data from Data from GN 1-1929 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Other than taking off the two LP cylinders mounted on the original engines (Loocbase 8826) and enlarging the HP cylinders to 19" (483 mm), the GN made very few changes on these five Consolidations. The signature Belpaire firebox mated to a wide grate and an overall stubby look remained a part of the profile.

Four of the five were scrapped in June 1928; 596 didn't join them at the ferro-knacker's until September 1929.

---

Class F-4 (Locobase 8848)

Data from Data from GN 1916 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 20, p. 171. Works number was 15013 in August 1898.

This single Consolidation was owned by the Spokane Falls & Northern, but operated on the C&RM. The C&RM was a gold-mine creation in 1895 that ascended the Paterson valley in Stevens County from Northport to Rossland to exploit the Red Mountain gold strikes in northeastern Washington State.

In August 1898, the Great Northern gained control of the CR&M, buying it outright in July 1907. The GN renumbered the 9 as their 1094.

In July 1925, the GN sold 1094 to McGoldrick Lumber Company, then the most significant sawmill operation in the Spokane area and the city's largest industrial employer. (Spokane-Review's Bronzes, a "hall of fame" of good works, notes that James McGoldrick "...established innovative workplace safety programs".)

---

Class F-4 (cross-compound) (Locobase 4129)

Data from "Rogers Cross Compound for the Great Northern", Railroad and Locomotive Engineering, Volume XV [15], No. 3 (March 1902), p. 101-102. Works numbers were 5670-5674 in November 1901.

Rogers delivered ten F5 Consolidations as simple-expansion engines in these were the cross-compound variant. Like many GN, these came with Belpaire fireboxes. In a detailed explanation of the workings of the reducing valve, the word "differential" means that the area of the face of the large end of the reducing valve is greater than the small end by the the compounding ratio (in this case, 2.25). So, for example, if the HP cylinder's steam enters at 170 psi (11.7 bar), the reducing valve drops that to 75.5 psi (5.2 bar) before delivering it to the LP cylinder.

R&LE reported the estimated tractive effort at 200 psi as 36,138 lb (160.75 kN).

These engines, like most US rigid compounds,were soon converted to simple-expansion F-5 locomotives (Locobase 8825) not long after their introduction.

---

Class F-5-S (Locobase 8828)

Data from Data from GN 1-1929 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Superheating the F-5s, first delivered in 1901 and shown in Locobase 8827, meant retaining the Belpaire firebox, but subtracting several dozen tubes to accommodate the odd-sized flues. It was apparently usual GN practice (but much less common elsewhere) to increase the cylinder diameter substantially at the same time; they were served by 12" (305 mm) piston valves.

At the time of the upgrade, the working boiler pressure was lowered to 175 psi (12.07 bar), but it was later restored to 210 psi. When that occurred, the GN had a powerful little 2-8-0 indeed.

---

Class F-6-S (Locobase 8829)

Data from Data from GN 1-1929 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

These Brooks machines were delivered in the same year as the F-5 came from Rogers (Locobase 8825) and the F-7s from Cooke (Locobase 8830). Like all Great Northern engines of the day, were fitted with a relatively narrow Belpaire firebox.

They were superheated with one of two different designs; the GN's own installation yielded 444 sq ft (41.25 sq m) compared to the H&D equipment shown in the specs.

All of the class was converted to an 0-8-0 switcher layout.

---

Class F-7-S (Locobase 8831)

Data from Data from GN 1-1929 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

When the Great Northern superheated this set of Cooke-built Consolidations, they used the same layout as the F-5 superheating project described in Locobase 8828. At that point, the only difference was a lower adhesion weight in these F-7-S locomotives. Part of the upgrade consisted of dropping the working pressure to 165 psi. Unlike other 2-8-0 engines, however, these do not appear to have the original, higher working pressure restored later on.

---

Class F-8 (narrow firebox) (Locobase 2801)

Data from "Locomotives for the Great Northern Railway", Railroad Gazette, Volume XXXIII, No. 24 (14 June 1901), pp. 394-395. See also GN 1916 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. Works numbers were 5789-5798 in August 1902.

This was by far the largest class of Consolidations on the Great Northern. Rogers and Baldwin supplied engines of this class. In common with most GN locomotives, all of the class had the square-shouldered, flat-topped Belpaire fireboxes.

This entry discusses the narrow-firebox, simple-expansion variant appearing in the first ten locomotives of the class. Resting on the frame rails, the firebox spanned 41 1/2"(1,054 mm) and extended 123" (3,124 mm) front to back. (By contrast, the main variant's firebox gave up 5" (127 mm) )in length, but offered 72"/1,829 mm.)

The other engines in this class adopted a wide firebox (Locobase 4128 for Rogers, Locobase 13050 for Baldwin). Five others, designated F-4 were were two-cylinder cross-compounds described in Locobase 4129.

Some were superheated in the 1920s.

---

Class F-8 (wide firebox) (Locobase 4128)

Data from "Locomotives for the Great Northern Railway", Railroad Gazette, Volume XXXIII, No. 24 (14 June 1901), pp. 394-395. See also GN 1916 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. Works numbers were 5665-4669 in October 1901, 5799-5808 in August 1902, 5831-5832 in October, 5849-5851 in November, 6028-6037 in September 1903, 6038-6047 and 6058-6060 in October, 6061-6063 in November, and 6064-6067 in December. Two years later, Rogers had joined the American Locomotive Company, so its works number sequence for the last fifteen locomotives in August 1905 ran 38879-38893.

Like all the other Consolidations in this very large class, the Rogers engines used long-stroke cylinders and a Belpaire firebox fitted with a brick arch laid on water tubes.

Although they originally trailed tenders weighing 123,000 lb (55,792 kg) when loaded with 12 tons (10.9 metric tons) of coal and 6,000 US gallons (22,710 litres) of water, many later used the larger tender shown in the specs. By 1944, five of the class were fired by oil.

Later Baldwin locomotives in this class changed valve gear and reduced tube count; they are described in Locobase 13050.

---

Class F-8 (wide firebox) (Locobase 13050)

Data from DeGolyer, Volume 30, pp. 20-21. Works numbers were 32134-32137, 32148-32149, 32155-32159, 32183-32184, 32191-32193, 32212-32215, 32238-32245, 32266, 32291, 32295, 32297, 32299, 32302, 32314 in November 1907; 32332-32333, 32353, 32362-32363, 32391-32392, 32413, 32425-32426, 32464, 32478-32479, 32485, 32519 in December.

Locobase 4128 describes the 65 Rogers engines that arrived on the GN as part of a large program of long-stroke Consolidations. Five years after the Rogers locomotives, Baldwin supplied this batch of 50, which had very similar specifications--including a Belpaire firebox fitted with a brick arch laid on water tubes--that differed only in the number of boiler tubes and the substitution of Walschaert's outside constant-lead radial valve gear for the original inside Stephenson link motion.

The last ten were sold in 1909 to the Spokane, Portland & Seattle as their Class N-2, 355-364 (not numbered in order of boiler, alas). Starting with Alco-Rogers 1208, three more Baldwins--1228, 1240, and 1253-- joined N-2 class in 1936 as 365-368. 1254 was converted to the lone 2-6-8-0 of its class in 1910; see Locobase 13051.

Three more GNs -- 1228, 1240, and 1253 -- joined the SP&S N-2 class in 1936. All remained in service into the mid-1950s.

---

Class F-8s-23 1/2" cylinders (Locobase 6451)

Data from diagram reproduced on Ben Ringnalda's [] (visited 7 January 2005).

This series of superheated F-8 Consolidations included a variety of tube & flue layouts that resulted in slightly different surface areas. Most seem to have had the numbers shown in the specifications. Noteworthy to Locobase is the combination of retained Stephenson link motion and piston valves in a US engine that was refitted with superheaters. The piston valves measured a respectable 12"(305 mm) in diameter.

All had thirty 5" (127 mm) flues, but the surface area varied on the type of superheater, ranging from 448 sq ft as shown to 475 sq ft (44.13 sq m) to 505 sq ft (46.92 sq m). Some had cylinder diameters of 23 1/2 inches (597 mm) as shown in this entry. Others had 26"(660 mm) cylinders. Some had arch tubes totalling 30 sq ft (2.79 sq m) as part of the firebox heating surface, which increased the total to 225 sq ft (20.90 sq m).

The small-tube counts shown in the 12 survivors on Ringnalda's duplicated diagram show as follows:

Tubes Area - sq ft (sq m)

189 2,012 (186.92)

203 2,158 (200.48)

205 2,173 (201.88)

217 2,226 (206.8)

236 2,371 (220.27)

237 2,379 (221.02)

---

Class F-8s-26" cylinders (Locobase 15815)

Data from diagram reproduced on Ben Ringnalda's [] (visited 7 Jan 2005)

This series of superheated F-8s included a variety of tube & flue layouts that resulted in slightly different surface areas. Most seem to have had the numbers shown in the specifications. Noteworthy to Locobase is the combination of retained Stephenson link motion and piston valves in a US engine that was refitted with superheaters. The piston valves measured a respectable 12" (305 mm) in diameter.

All had thirty 5" (127 mm) flues, but the surface area varied on the type of superheater, ranging from 448 sq ft as shown to 475 sq ft (44.13 sq m) to 505 sq ft (46.92 sq m). Some had cylinder diameters of 26 inches (660 mm) as shown in this entry. Others had 23 1/2 inches (597 mm) cylinders as described in Locobase 6451. Some had arch tubes totalling 30 sq ft (2.79 sq m) as part of the firebox heating surface, which increased the total to 225 sq ft (20.90 sq m).

The small-tube counts shown in the 12 survivors on Ringnalda's duplicated diagram show as follows:

Tubes Area - sq ft (sq m)

189 2,012 (186.92)

203 2,158 (200.48)

205 2,173 (201.88)

217 2,226 (206.8)

236 2,371 (220.27)

237 2,379 (221.02)

---

Class F-9-S (Locobase 8851)

Data from Data from GN 1916 locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

When superheating was applied to this class's (Locobase 8850) boilers, the railroad took the unusual step of greatly increasing the cylinder volume by 69% cylilnders. The boiler's total heating surface remained approximately the same as did the grate in the Belpaire firebox. It was too much of a good thing, most likely, given how little boiler there was for every cubic inch of cylinder.

By the late 1920s, the GN had converted the whole class to C-3-S 0-8-0 switchers. Some had 21" cylinders, others 23 1/2".