Seaboard Air Line 2-8-8-2 "Chesapeake" Locomotives in the USA


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class A (Locobase 15148)

Data from summary prepared by Chris Hohl and emailed to Locobase April 2013 and Albert M Langley, Jr and W Forrest Beckum, Jr, "Seaboard Air Line Railroad" in George H Drury, Guide to North American Steam Locomotives (Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books, 1993), p. 350. See also Richard E Prince, Seaboard Air Line Railway: Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History (Green River, WY: Richard E Prince, 1966); reprinted by Indianapolis, IN: Indiana University Press, 2000), p. 180. Thanks to Chris Hohl for 21 November 2013 email noting an incorrect Locobase number for the B&O conversions.) Works numbers were 58063-58078 in December 1917.

Langley and Beckum say that the Seaboard wanted pull fast freights between Richmond and Hamlet, NC ) and ordered these Mallets.

But they proved to be too big for the Seaboard's needs, wrote Richard Prince. "On one of the few ttrips made between Norlina and Portsmouth, the light rail on a logging spur turned over, putting a giant Mallet on the ground." The Seaboard's clearances and track conditions were undersized for such engines.

And there were real deficiencies:"In winter the steam leaks at the joints impaired the vision of the engineer, and maintenance and repair costs of this type of power proved too high for the Seaboard's meager pocketbook.:

so the SAL sold the As to the Baltimore & Ohio in November 1920. The B&O took off the trailing truck and converted the designs to simple-expansion EL-6a; see Locobase 3556.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassA
Locobase ID15148
RailroadSeaboard Air Line (SAL)
CountryUSA
Whyte2-8-8-2
Number in Class16
Road Numbers500-515
GaugeStd
Number Built16
BuilderAlco-Richmond
Year1918
Valve GearSouthern
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)30.92 / 9.42
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)53.33 / 16.25
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.58
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)98.27 / 29.95
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)380,000 / 172,365
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)497,000 / 225,436
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)219,000 / 99,337
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)716,000 / 324,773
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)12,000 / 45.45
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)20 / 18
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)79 / 39.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)63 / 1600
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)210 / 1450
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)26.5" x 32" / 673x813
Low Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)42" x 32" / 1067x813
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)91,082 / 41314.15
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.17
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)391 / 36.33
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)88 / 8.18
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)5950 / 552.97
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)1460 / 135.69
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)7410 / 688.66
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume291.28
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation18,480
Same as above plus superheater percentage22,176
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area98,532
Power L19043
Power MT419.71

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