Bangor & Aroostook 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" Locomotives in the USA

Class C-1 (Locobase 6614)

Data out of 1938 BAR locomotive diagram book provided in April 2005 from Allen Stanley's extension collection.

Although the BAR waited until relatively late in the game to superheat two of the four C-1 Ten-wheelers, they went further than many other railroads when they did so. New superheated boilers manufactured by Alco from a modified design were accompanied by new fireboxes; heating surface area was down, but the superheater more than made up for the reduction as did the higher boiler pressure rating.

Class C-1 (Locobase 5997)

Data out of BAR 3 - 1923 and BAR 1- 1938 locomotive diagram book provided in April 2004 from Allen Stanley's extensive Rail Data Exchange.

These passenger locomotives befitted the BAR's relatively modest service. Note that the relatively undemanding boiler pressure led to a high Factor of Adhesion; they probably didn't slip much.

Some lasted to the end of steam. These were superheated; the results are found in Locobase 6614.

Class D-1 (Locobase 5998)

Data out of BAR 7 locomotive diagram book provided in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

This numerous class of Ten Wheelers set the tone on the BAR for passenger locomotives. Manchester delivered the first 10 (works #M1783-92, numbered 60-64 and 50-54). In the next year, Manchester was absorbed by Alco and the next group -- 55-59 -- had Alco numbers (#26022-26). A 3-year pause and the last 13 were delivered in several batches. 31137-40, 37518-9, 41434, 38813-17, and 41433 (in engine number order).

Comprising the majority of 4-6-0s on the BAR, this class was retired over a couple of decades. The first left in 1927, the last at the very end of steam in 1952.

Class D-2 (Locobase 5999)

Data from BAR 3 -1923 locomotive diagram book provided in April 2004 from Allen Stanley's extensive Rail Data Exchange. Work numbers were 43362-43367 in Spetember 1907.

Not clear why this class has a different class ID than the one described in Locobase 5998. Other than than its five-years later order date, about the only difference evident in the diagram book was the tender. In any case, the quintet had a similar career.

Class D-3 - superheated (Locobase 6000)

Data out of BAR 3 -- 1923 and BAR 1 --1938 locomotive diagram book provided in April 2004 from Allen Stanley's extension collection.Works numbers were 50547-50552 in November 1911.

The last 4-6-0s to be built for the BAR, this quintet had seven fewer tubes than the D-1s (Locobase 5998) and D-2s (Locobase 5999) and higher boiler pressure. A commensurate increase in weight kept the factor of adhesion about the same.

By the 1938 diagram book, boiler details in the middle three (92-94) had changed to contain 155 2" tubes and 24 5 3/8" superheater flues. Tube heating surface area increased to 1,705 sq ft (158.4 sq m) total evaporative heating surface to 1,871 sq ft (173.82 sq m). Superheater area increased to 432 sq ft (40.13 sq m).

The data in the specs reflects the 1917-1918 superheating.

Class Ea - superheated (Locobase 9248)

Data out of BAR 7 - 1951 and BAR 1 - 1938 locomotive diagram books supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also "The Railroad That Never Ran" posted 2 June 2021 on the Forest and Field website at [], last accessed 11 August 2024.

This class was originally ordered from Alco's Rhode Island works in 1906 (works numbers were 41519-41521) by the startup Pittsburgh, Binghamton & Eastern Railroad as their E class, 20-22. When delivered, their 21" x 26" cylinders used steam admitted through 12" (305 mm) piston valves.

Forest and Field's blog post provides a detailed (and well-written) story of this Bradford County based railroad's utter failure to thrive. Work began on the planned railroad in 1906 with grading and a rock cut opening and 1,000 men at work. But a 14 December 1906 announcement halted all work. Although new management restrarted the project only to shut down the railroad in August 1908. Both Pennsylvania and New York declared the railroad dormant (and "inchoate" in New York's assessment).

One source claims the three E-class engines came to the BAR in 1914. In 1915, it reconfigured the boiler to accept a Schmidt firetube superheater. Cylinder volume remained the same, and the pre-exisiting piston valves admitted steam at a lower boiler pressure.. At some later date, the shops enlarged the cylinder bore by 1 1/2" (39 mm).

They had long careers. The 140 went to the ferro-knacker in March 1947, the 141 in June 1950, and 142 in May 1951.

Class F (Locobase 6005)

Data out of BAR locomotive diagram book provided in April 2004 from Allen Stanley's extension collection. The builders' data comes from a table compiled by B. Rumary based on information from Jeremy Lambert and supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004. Rumary-Lambert assign works #1629-1630 (February-March 1895) and 1635-1636 (May 1895).

Among the oldest unmodified locomotives when the Diagram Book was published in the mid-1920s, these TenWheelers were recorded as having been scrapped. (233 in July 1923, 232 in July 1924, 231 in August 1925 -- 230 lasted until July 1933.)

Class F-1 (Locobase 6004)

Data out of BAR 3 -1923 locomotive diagram book provided in April 2004 and BAR 1 - 1938 provided in August 2013 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. Works numbers were 43369-43370 in 1907.

This passenger-service duo seem not have been superheated as were some of the later Ten-Wheelers still in service when the BAR Diagram Book was prepared. Offering less cylinder volume than the others, these may not have been seen as worth the effort. Both fell to the scrapper in 1926.