4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" Steam Locomotives in the USA

Chicago, St Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class I-1--Cole superheater (Locobase 16709)

Data from "Ten-Wheel Locomotive with Superheater, CStPM&O Railway", Railway and Engineering Review, Volume 45 (19 August 1905), p. 600. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 29 January 2026 email noting his use of the R&ER report; it led to Locobase's creation of a separate entry.) Works number was 30458 in March 1905.

Locobase 9709 describes in some detail Schenectady engineer Francis Cole's tube superheater variant as installed in a Soo Line Consolidation in 1905. This entry describes the very similar five-axle mixed-traffic engine Schenectady delivered to the Omaha Route in the same year. R&ER only vaguely gives the number of engines fitted with the system. Together with the saturated-boiler I-1s (Locobase 9343), the class totalled 66 locomotives.

However many of these early superheater engines there might have been, all later changed out the Cole in favor of Schmidt's more widely used variant; see Locobase 4857.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassI-1--Cole superheater
Locobase ID16709
RailroadChicago, St Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha
CountryUSA
Whyte4-6-0
Number in Class
Road Numbers
GaugeStd
Number Built
BuilderAlco-Schenectady
Year1905
Valve GearStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)14.83 / 5.18
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)25.83 / 7.90
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.57
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)57.58 / 16.97
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)129,000 / 58,513
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)177,000 / 80,286
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)129,000 / 58,513
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)306,000 / 138,799
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)6000 / 22.73
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)10 / 9.10
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)72 / 36
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)63 / 1600
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)200 / 1360
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)21" x 26" / 533x660
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)30,940 / 14034.16
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.17
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)240 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)40 - 3.5" / 89
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)15.75 / 4.80
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)152.73 / 14.19
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)46.27 / 4.30
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2696 / 250.46
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)254 / 23.60
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2950 / 274.06
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume258.73
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation9254
Same as above plus superheater percentage10,087
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area33,295
Power L111,580
Power MT593.71

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