These were Harriman Common Standard engines; see the description of the basic design at Locobase 5340. See also data from"Report of Committe on Power-Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway-Descriptions of Standard Types of Locomotives," American Engineer and Railroad Journal, Volume 79 ( March 1905), pp. 84-86; and DeGolyer, Volume 26, pp. 190. Works numbers were 23289-23290, 23298-23299, 23333-23334, 23349-23350, 23358, 23368 in December 1903 and 27383-27387, 27404, 27423-27426 in February 1906.
Locobase 4406 shows the locomotives delivered to the Oregon Short Line and the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company subsidiaries.
The present examples have an entry to themselves because of their original road numbers. Clearly, marking a set of express passenger engines 1-20 suggests great expectations. Baldwin supplied the first group in December 1903 (to be followed by the OSL Atlantics) and picked up the work two years later in February 1906. All of these engines use 12" (305 mm) piston valves to admit steam to the cylinders.
Like the other HCS Atlantics, these A-2s failed to meet those expectations, proving both slippery and underweight. They were withdrawn in the 1920s.
Like the A-3s of the Southern Pacific, these were Harriman Common Standard engines; see the description of the basic design at Locobase 5340. See also DeGolyer, Volume 37, p. 23. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 26 October 2016 email pointing out the original boiler pressure.) Built by Alco's Brooks works in 1908 (works number 45035-45038 in March 1908) and Baldwin (works numbers 23561, 23572, 23589-23590, 23615, 23624-23645 in January 1904, 23675 in February), 36068-36076, 36113-36118 in February 1911) .
The 1904 and 1908 batches went to Oregon Short Line (3400-3411) while the 1911 Baldwins went to Oregon-Washington River & Navigation as their 88-102. Like other Harrimans, these Atlantics had 12" (305 mm)-diameter piston valves. Their tenders were the cylindrical Vanderbilt design.
The Harriman Atlantics weren't entirely satisfactory, often being double-headed because of their slipperiness. Most OSLs were retired in the 1920s while the ex-OWR&N engines retired in 1928 (3506-3508 in January, 3509 in May, 3500 in June), 1929 (3512, 3514 in August), and the rest in December 1933.
Data confirmed by July 1908 table in American Engineer and Railroad Journal and DeGolyer, Volume 29, pp.30+. See also "Atlantic Type Balanced Compound", Railway Master Mechanic, Vol XXX [30], No 7 (July 1906), p. 336. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 6 November 2024 email noting the "as-built" tender coal capacity.) Works numbers were 28336 in June 1906; 28616, 28625, 28639, 28655-28657, 28679-80 in July; and 28689, 28740-28743, 28929 in August.
These were the Vauclain balanced compound version of the Harriman Common Standard engines. Each of the two 15" (381 mm) inside-admission piston valves supplied steam to both cylinders on a side. The design entered production four months after the last simple-expansion A-2s had left Baldwin's factory floor (see Locobase 8876).
An unusual component of the design were the slotted main rods coming from the inside LP cylinders and embracing the leading axle as they drove the rear axle. A note in the specs advised the builder to "Weigh carefully to obtain better distribution before making any changes in present equalization."
As built, the tenders carried 10 tons (9.1 metric tons) according to Baldwin's specifications. Its order refers to the Associated Lines, which consisted of railroads under E H Harriman's control. The tender weights shown above include a break out giving a relatively high empty weight, which leads to a heigher loaded weight when coal weight is estimated at 20,000 lb (9,072 kg) and water 75,000 lb (34,019 kg). Other sources show the tender's empty weight as 47,143 lb (21,201 kg) and 133,050 lb (60,351 kg) loaded with 9,000 US gallons and 14 tons of coal..
Like the simple Atlantics, they proved too slippery to last long on the Union Pacific. Moreover, their LP cylinders were out of proportion to the HP cylinders, yielding a ratio too high for the LP cans to be satisfactory in sharing the power load.
They were retired in 1921 and 1923 without being simpled or superheated.
These Harriman Common Standard engines (see Locobase 4406) were mostly scrapped in the 1920s. A few received a bit of a makeover that included a superheater and raising the boiler pressure to 200 psi. If they were slippery before, Locobase would suppose that increasing the tractive effort would worsen the condition. But the 4.55 factor of adhesion suggests otherwise.
By 1933, all of the OWRR&N Atlantics were out of service.
Data from SPLA&SL Locomotive Diagram book (the Salt Lake Route) supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.
This quartet of Atlantics had relatively small drivers, which suited the rail line over which they operated. Still, the design wasn't very satisfactory -- perhaps the small firebox limited steam-making -- and the class was retired in 1921.
See [] (accessed 5 December 2005) for details on constructing this railroad. The SP, LA & SL began building its line from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles via Las Vegas in 1901. In 1902, the UP acquired half of the stock from Utah Senator Williams Andrew Clark. Having shortened its name to the Los Angeles & Salt Lake (LASL) in 1916, Senator Clark sold the rest of its stock to the UP in 1921. The UP renumbered the class 3376-3379.
The LASL initials appeared on many UP-owned locomotives and rail cars for decades after.
Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class | A-2 | A-2/A-4 - OSL & OWR&N | A-3 | A-81 - superheated | CT 70 / A-1 |
Locobase ID | 8876 | 4406 | 5381 | 7825 | 7260 |
Railroad | Union Pacific (UP) | Union Pacific (UP) | Union Pacific (UP) | Oregon-Washington RR & Navigation (UP) | San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake (UP) |
Country | USA | USA | USA | USA | USA |
Whyte | 4-4-2 | 4-4-2 | 4-4-2 | 4-4-2 | 4-4-2 |
Number in Class | 20 | 27 | 15 | 4 | 4 |
Road Numbers | 1-20/3300-3319 | 850-861, 88-102/3400-3411, 3500-3514 | 21-35/3320-3334 | 3503, 3505, 3510, 3513 | 3100-3103/3376-3379 |
Gauge | Std | Std | Std | Std | Std |
Number Built | 20 | 27 | 15 | 4 | |
Builder | Burnham, Williams & Co | several | Burnham, Williams & Co | shops | Alco-Schenectady |
Year | 1904 | 1904 | 1906 | 1910 | 1903 |
Valve Gear | Stephenson | Stephenson | Walschaert | Stephenson | Walschaert |
Locomotive Length and Weight | |||||
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 7 / 2.13 | 7 / 2.13 | 7 / 2.13 | 7 / 2.13 | 7.50 / 2.29 |
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 27.58 / 8.41 | 27.58 / 8.41 | 27.83 / 8.48 | 27.58 / 8.41 | 26.17 / 7.98 |
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.29 |
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 58.17 / 17.73 | 57.31 / 17.47 | 58.72 / 17.90 | 59.46 / 18.12 | 59.08 / 18.01 |
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | 53,500 / 24,267 | 56,000 / 25,401 | 53,450 / 24,245 | ||
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 107,000 / 48,534 | 105,000 / 47,627 | 110,000 / 49,895 | 106,900 / 48,489 | 107,000 / 48,534 |
Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 197,000 / 89,358 | 196,000 / 88,904 | 209,000 / 94,801 | 199,726 / 90,594 | 167,000 / 75,750 |
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 133,050 / 60,351 | 138,070 / 62,628 | 162,200 / 60,351 | 147,776 / 67,030 | 106,635 / 48,369 |
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 330,050 / 149,709 | 334,070 / 151,532 | 371,200 / 155,152 | 347,502 / 157,624 | 273,635 / 124,119 |
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 7000 / 26.52 | 7000 / 26.52 | 9000 / 26.52 | 5500 / 20.83 | |
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 14 / 13 | 2940 / 11,128 | 10 / 13 | 1748 / 6616 | |
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 89 / 44.50 | 88 / 44 | 92 / 46 | 89 / 44.50 | 89 / 44.50 |
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |||||
Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 81 / 2057 | 81 / 2057 | 81 / 2057 | 81 / 2057 | 70 / 1778 |
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 190 / 1310 | 200 / 1380 | 200 / 1380 | 200 / 1380 | 200 / 1380 |
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 20" x 28" / 508x711 | 20" x 28" / 508x711 | 16" x 28" / 406x711 | 20" x 28" / 508x711 | 19" x 26" / 483x660 |
Low Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 27" x 28" / 686x711 | ||||
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 22,331 / 10129.18 | 23,506 / 10662.15 | 22,268 / 10100.61 | 23,506 / 10662.15 | 22,795 / 10339.65 |
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 4.79 | 4.47 | 4.94 | 4.55 | 4.69 |
Heating Ability | |||||
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 297 - 2" / 51 | 297 - 2" / 51 | 297 - 2" / 51 | 178 - 2" / 51 | 326 - 2" / 51 |
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | 24 - 5.375" / 137 | ||||
Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 16 / 4.88 | 16 / 4.88 | 16 / 4.88 | 16 / 4.88 | 16.33 / 4.98 |
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 180 / 16.73 | 174 / 16.17 | 180 / 16.73 | 174 / 16.17 | 135 / 12.54 |
Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 49.50 / 4.60 | 49.50 / 4.60 | 49.50 / 4.60 | 49.50 / 4.60 | 42.20 / 3.92 |
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 2655 / 246.75 | 2649 / 246.19 | 2655 / 246.75 | 2196 / 204.09 | 2852 / 265.06 |
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 328 / 30.48 | ||||
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 2655 / 246.75 | 2649 / 246.19 | 2655 / 246.75 | 2524 / 234.57 | 2852 / 265.06 |
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 260.81 | 260.22 | 407.52 | 215.72 | 334.35 |
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |||||
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 9405 | 9900 | 9900 | 9900 | 8440 |
Same as above plus superheater percentage | 9405 | 9900 | 9900 | 11,187 | 8440 |
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 34,200 | 34,800 | 36,000 | 39,324 | 27,000 |
Power L1 | 8957 | 9333 | 5173 | 15,961 | 9648 |
Power MT | 369.10 | 391.92 | 207.35 | 658.33 | 397.57 |