Nevada Northern 2-8-0 "Consolidation" Locomotives in the USA


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 81 (Locobase 13686)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 53, p.282. See also "Recently built Freight Engines of the Nevada Northern," Railway and Locomotive Engineering," Volume 30, No 7 (July 1917), p. 238. Works number was 45351 in March 1917.

Purchased new for $23,700, this Consolidation reflected recent practice in locomotive construction in the use of the Baker-Pilliod outside radial valve gear actuating inside-admission 10" (254 mm) piston valves, an adequate level of superheating, and three arch tubes contributing 19 sq ft (1.77 sq m) to the firebox's heating surface area. The NN installed a mechanical stoker in 1939.

The 81 operated in mixed-traffic service between Ely and Cobre until 1951. After nine years of retirement, the 81 went to the White Pine Public Museum (later the Nevada Northern Railway Museum) in Ely in 1960.


Class 90 (Locobase 4863)

Data from "Locomotive Building," The Railroad Gazette, Vol XLII, No 23 (7 June 1907), p 817. See also [link], last accessed 4 June 2019. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 24 May 2019 email correcting the road numbers and the valve gear for various members of the class.)

90-94 came from Pittsburgh (bn 43289-43290, 44603-44604) in 1907, 95 was Brooks (May 1914, 54661) as was 96 (Jun 1916, 56218). The Nevada Northern was established by the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company in 1905 to exploit copper reserves at Ely, Nevada. Its main connection was with the Southern Pacific at Cobre, 130 miles North. These little Consolidateds were a large part of the NNRy's rolling stock.

According to Chris Hohl, "#90-93 had Stephenson valve gear, #94 appears to have had Walschaert but was later converted to Baker, and #95-96 had Baker valve gear."

The mining railroad offered Pullman-car service until 1920 and regular passenger service through 1938. As Kennecott Copper, the line dieselized in 1948.

NB: The direct heating surface (including the firebox heating surface) is an estimate calculated by subtracting the calculated tube heating surface from the reported total evaporative heating surface.


Class 97 (Locobase 4864)

Data from Locobase 9096. See also James William Guinn, A History of California and an Extended History of Los Angeles and Environs: Also Containing Biographies of Well-known Citizens of the Past and Present, Volume 3 (Los Angeles,Cal: Historic Record Company, 1915), p. 851 and, for Sharp's obituary, Santa Fe Magazine, The Santa Fe Magazine, Volume 10, No 3 (February 1916), pp. 80-81. Works number was 47766 in June 1910.

This was the lead engine in a ten-engine order by the Buffalo & Susquehanna in 1910 that was annulled by the B&S's financial collapse. By then 171 was complete, but an orphan. It languished in the builder's stock track in Dunkirk, NY. for five years.

Then Brooks found a buyer in Sharp & Fellows, the Los Angeles office of a railroad construction firm founded by Charles H Sharp in 1902 in Kansas City. The LA office opened in 1904 and after several incarnations (Lantry & Sharp in 1904, C H Sharp in 1905, Sharp & Hauser in 1909), Sharp reorganized as Sharp & Fellows Contracting Company in 1912. During all his career, Sharp's biggest client was the Santa Fe Railroad.

Ex-171 was bought three years later in June 1915 and renumbered 31. When C H Sharp died on December 22, 1915 at age 56, his company was credited with having "carried out practically all of the extensive double-track work on our Coast Lines a few years ago."


Class 98 (Locobase 4865)

See[link] and nn.railfan.net/ncccokcclocos/steam.html for information on this locomotive. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 24 May 2019 email identifying the valve gear.) Works numbers were 67943 in 1929.

She was the last to be built for the Nevada Consolidated Copper Co railway. According to UtahRail's locomotive notes, Vern Pugh said "that the 98 failed out on the road more than any other engine because of its Worthington feed water heater."

Nevertheless, her "paid for" status kept her in service until she was sold for scrap in May 1951.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
Class81909798
Locobase ID13686 4863 4864 4865
RailroadNevada NorthernNevada NorthernNevada NorthernNevada Northern
CountryUSAUSAUSAUSA
Whyte2-8-02-8-02-8-02-8-0
Number in Class1711
Road Numbers8190-969798
GaugeStdStdStdStd
Number Built1
BuilderBaldwinAlco - multiple worksAlco-BrooksAlco-Schenectady
Year1917190719101929
Valve GearBakerStephenson or WalschWalschaertWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)15 / 4.5714.33 / 4.37
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)24.08 / 7.3422.08 / 6.73
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.62 0.65
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)58.62 / 17.8754.24 / 16.53
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)155,000 / 70,307168,000 / 76,204172,100 / 78,063198,500 / 90,038
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)176,000 / 79,832187,000 / 84,822192,200 / 87,181222,500 / 100,924
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)145,000 / 65,771146,000 / 66,225128,200 / 58,151139,000 / 63,049
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)321,000 / 145,603333,000 / 151,047320,400 / 145,332361,500 / 163,973
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)7500 / 28.417500 / 28.416000 / 22.737000 / 26.52
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)12 / 1112 / 1112 / 1112 / 11
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)65 / 32.5070 / 3572 / 3683 / 41.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)51 / 129551 / 129551 / 129551 / 1295
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)190 / 1310190 / 1310185 / 1280190 / 1310
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)21" x 26" / 533x66021" x 30" / 533x76221" x 28" / 533x71123" x 28" / 584x711
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)36,309 / 16469.5041,895 / 19003.2738,073 / 17269.6446,905 / 21275.78
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.27 4.01 4.52 4.23
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)168 - 2" / 51380 - 2" / 51375 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)25 - 5.375" / 137
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)14 / 4.2714.75 / 4.5012.83 / 3.91
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)175 / 16.26161.50 / 15.01173 / 16.07
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)46.20 / 4.2951.70 / 4.8054.40 / 5.05
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1889 / 175.493084 / 286.622676 / 248.61
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)423 / 39.30
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2312 / 214.793084 / 286.622676 / 248.61
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume181.29256.36238.50
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation8778982310,064
Same as above plus superheater percentage10,358982310,064
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area39,23530,68532,005
Power L110,18452244963
Power MT579.40274.21254.31

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