Class 56/D-3 (Locobase 6634)

Data from 1919 MD & G locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 20, p. 83. Works numbers were 14655-14664 in January 1896.

This batch of Ten-wheelers served the Trans-Mississippi South under several heralds. They were procured by the KCP&G to work the line's "heavy grades" and 10 degree curve. Although the tenders were duplicates of those serving the railroad's Moguls, the specs stress to make the trucks, center casting, and back tender bumper "extra" or "very" strong.

The class passed into the Kansas City Southern as their 320-239 in 1900. Over the next ten years or more, the ten locomotives would be sold off to another railroad, lumber companies like the Nona Mills (328 in February 1913) or Tremont Lumber (325 in February 1914), and construction companies like J Smith Construction (322-324 in 1909-1910), Louisiana Sand and Gravel (326), and Central Coal & Coke (321). Only the 327 suffered an early end to its career when it was destroyed by fire in September 1908.

By 1910, the KCS has sold the 320 to the Memphis, Dallas & Gulf as their 201. After more than a decade, the MD&G sold it to the Graysonia, Nashville & Ashdown. The 328 went to the MD&G at the same time as their 202.

Class D (Locobase 6834)

Data from KCS 12 - 1908 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 1661-1662 in May 1897, 1663-1666 in June, 1667 in July.

Like so many other KCS locomotives of the time, these were small for their arrangement. In particular, their grates constrained the boiler's ability to make steam. Manchester supplied a set of very similar Ten-wheelers to the Bangor & Aroostook a couple of years earlier; see Locobase 6005.

For some reason, this class had a relatively short lifetime. Successor railroad Kansas City Southern sold seven of the eight engines to the scrapper in April 1911. 252 did not share that fate and was sold in February 1914 to Frost-Johnson Lumber Company.

Class D-1 (Locobase 6835)

Data from KCS 12 - 1908 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 18, p. 123. Works numbers were 13149, 13154, 13723, and 13724 in January 1893.

A year after the relatively weak Mogul design was delivered to the KCS, Baldwin produced these four small Ten-wheelers. Unlike most of the 4-6-0s of the day, this design had a relatively large firebox and grate to produce a surfeit of steam for the small cylinders.

Locobase had wondered about the short wheelbase and supposed that the 1908 diagram was somehow mistaken in showing 11' 4"--5' 4" between the first two axles and 6' as the spacing between the middle and rear axles. But the original specs confirmed the wheelbases.

They were scrapped in 1911-1912, their short careers presumably due to their relatively small overall size and cylinder volume.

Class D-2 (Locobase 6836)

Data from KCS 12 - 1908 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works number in May 1889

Like most of the other KCS locomotives of the 19th Century, this single Ten-wheeler, which came from a predecessor road, was one of the smallest of its arrangement at the time.

The KCFS&S gave the 3 a new number 55, but when the railroad was reorganized in 1894 as the Kansas City, Pittsburgh & Gulf, the 55 took #9. The April 1900 merger with the Kansas City Southern led to the 9 being given #274.

Unmodified and aging, the 274 went to the scrapper in April 1911.

Class D-3 (Locobase 6838)

Data from KCS 12 - 1908 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 20, pp. 83 and p. 267Works numbers were 14655-14664 in January 1896, 15267-15270 in April 1897.

Given the comment on Locobase 6837 about the high ratio of heating surface to grate area on KCS locomotives, it's not surprising to find such a result on this relatively numerous set of freight Ten-wheelers. Clearly based on the Moguls that arrived from the same builder in the same year, this class added an axle to the front truck. The result was a lower adhesion weight, but more boiler with longer tubes and more tube heating surface, while the direct heating surface actually dropped.

A note in the specs for the second batch (66-69) recommends Baldwin "give special attention to Boilers and to the setting of eccentric rods." Another note describes a precise calibration in the steam system: "Reverse lever with fine notches (3 tooth latch) allowing about 1 1/2" difference in piston travel to the closing of steam port for a movement of reverse lever of one notch on quadrant."

When the KC P & G was transformed into the Kansas City Southern, these locomotives were renumbered and designated class D-3.

Breaking up the KCS's D-3 class began within a few years after it was formed and the dispositions show the variety of later service for which a redundant locomotive might prove useful.. When the Memphis, Paris & Gulf was constructed in 1905, it acquired its motive power from several sources, including the former 328 in November 1906 (as #2) and ex-320 in February 1907 (#1). Central Coal & Coke of Kansas snapped up ex-321 in March 1913. Louisiana's Leesville East & West Railroad bought the ex-331 in November 1916.

327 was destroyed by fire in September 1908 and 330 was scrapped in October 1912 . Ex-322-324 and 333 all went to J Smith Construction in April 1910 (first 2) and December 1909 (324); ex-333's actual date is not given in Connelley. Ex-329 went to Nona Mills in February 1913, ex-326 was sold to Louisiana Sand & Gravel in June and Ex-325 left in February 1914 to serve Tremont Lumber.

Class D-4 (Locobase 6839)

Data from KCS 12 - 1908 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Given the comment on Locobase 6837 about the high ratio of heating surface to grate area on KC, P & G locomotives, Locobase must acknowledge that some classes didn't fit the pattern. This set of passenger Ten-wheelers had relatively large grates, although total direct heating surface didn't grow proportionately. Placing the grate above the rear axles instead of between them allowed for a larger grate, although the firebox was shallower as a result.

Class D-5 (Locobase 6840)

Data from KCS 12 - 1908 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 21, pp. 117, 279. Works numbers were 15694-15698 in January 1898; 15710-15714, 15721-15725 in February; 15897 in April; and 16274-16288 in October.

Like the earlier Schenectadies (Locobase 6839), this Baldwin Ten-wheeler design found room for its grate above the driving axles. The result was a relatively powerful locomotive with a good-sized boiler and firebox.

Most of the class served on the K C P & G and its successor Kansas City Southern until retirement, which began in 1925 and ended in 1937. In December 1916, 355 and 358 were sold to the Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf, which then was absorbed by the KCS in February 1920. 377 was sold to Louisiana Gravel in January 1925, 351 went to Mansfield Lumber in March 1926, and 360 and 376 moved to Parker Gravel in March 1932.

370 was sold to the Memphis, Dallas & Gulf as their 203 on 28 November 1915 (as attested in the 1920 documentation of the MD&G's bankruptcy, supplied to Locobase in August 2013 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange). By the time the United States Railroad Administration came to inventory this small railroad in 1918, during its brief tenure as government operator of the rail system, 203 was still the biggest engine on the lot.

Class D-6 (Locobase 6841)

Data from KCS 12 - 1908 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

One of the less prolific builders was the Paterson-New Jersey-based Grant Locomotive Works. Charlie Vlk emailed Wes Barris and Locobase in October 2012 with a fascinating correction concerning the builder. The actual owner of the Grant plant, which had relocated to Cicero, Ill and "promptly went bankrupt" was Siemens-Halske Electric Company of America. S-H, well-known for its electrical generating equipment, took possession of the 30 acres abandoned by Grant for its own business.

These mixed-traffic Ten-wheelers were ordered by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, but the Burlington accepted only the first two.

The rest were delivered to the KCP&G, where they were "built with the parts on hand (some with wagon-top boilers instead of Belpaire."

The KCP&G then was absorbed by the KCS system. For their time and wheel arrangement, the 400s were blessed with a relatively large grate that rode over the rear two axles. Otherwise, the boiler was about average and adhesion weight relatively low.

Vlk notes that many wound up on the Rock Island or the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern.

Class D-7 (Locobase 6845)

Data from KCS 12 - 1908 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange; and DeGolyer, Volume 25, p. 70. Works numbers were 21580, 21593 in January 1903; 21604-21605, 21625-21626 in February; and 21780 in March.

These Ten-wheelers represented the KCS's passenger power just after the turn of the century. Baldwin's specs reported the requirements set by the railroad. Maximum ruling grade for this septet was 1 1/2%, up which the 500 would take 450 tons at "about" 17 1/2 mph (28.2 kph). Reducing the load to 365 tons increased the speed requirement to 22 mph (35.4 kph) and 350 tons would climb at 25 mph (40.25 kph)

They were later superheated; see 6846.

Class D-7 - superheated (Locobase 6846)

Data from KCS 1942 - 2 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

When the Ten-wheelers first described in Locobase 6845 were superheated, the conversion was typical of most such upgrades. The rebuilders left the grate alone, although it was converted to oil-firing and as such didn't have a "grate area". 143 of the 2" tubes were replaced by 24 of the superheater flues (a typical exchange rate). As usual, weight climbed as well. Less usual was the retention of slide valves.

Retirements of the class began in 1939 and were completed in 1947 except for the 602, which was sold to the Texas & Northern Railway in December 1948.