Erie 2-8-8-2 "Chesapeake" Locomotives in the USA

Class L1 - modified (Locobase 7745)

Data from Erie 4-1928 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Locobase 5700 describes the trio constituting the one-of-a-kind camelback 0-8-8-0 pusher locomotive type that served only the Erie. It was just too unusual and Erie likely also felt that the large boiler was simply too big and long for the Mother Hubbard layout. In 1921, they were rebuilt by Baldwin as 2-8-8-2s and fitted with mechanical stokers and superheaters.

In this new arrangement, they ranked as small engines except for the generous area of their Wootten firebox. Firebox heating surface now included 54 sq ft (5 sq m) of arch tubes and 96 sq ft (8.9 sq m) in the combustion chamber. The cab was moved back to a conventional location behind the firebox. The lead truck extended well forward of the smokebox -- Locobase wonders about the weight distribution of this design and indeed the diagram shows a relatively low axle loading of 16,130 lb (5,956 kg).

In this form they operated throughout the twenties. All three were scrapped in December 1930.