Missouri-Kansas-Texas 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" Locomotives in the USA

Class 336/G-6 (Locobase 12843)

Data from DeGolyer, Volume 28, p.145. See also ICS, International Library of Technology, Tandem and Balanced Compound, inter alia, p. 90, Works numbers were 27093-27094 in December 1905.

This pair of Ten-wheelers used the balanced-compound setup described in Locobase 5304. The HP and LP cylinders on each side were served by a single 15" piston valve, but each cylinder had its own crosshead and crank.

After 15 years in service and one renumbering, the two were converted to simple-expansion 20" x 26" operation. The MKT scrapped the 247 in February 1931 and the 246 in August of the same year.

Class 338/G-8 (Locobase 16537)

Data from See also DeGolyer, Volume 29, p. 155. Works numbers were 28818-28820, 28842-28844, 28857, 28904-28905, 28913 in August 1906.

This class had the driver diameters of a passenger locomotive combined with a saturated boiler pressed to a relatively high setting. At some later date, the railroad fitted thicker tires that raised diameters to 73" (1,854 mm). Two "Hereafter" notes dated 6 September 1906 ask for changes in frame construction. One advised "Arrange frame to have double front rails" while another requested omitting the side bearers behind the rear drivers in favor of applying the furnace bearer to the back head of boiler.

These were the last road locomotives Baldwin would build for the Katy, which preferred Alco and Lima in later years.

The MKT later superheated the boilers; see Locobase 7735.

Class F2 (Locobase 7712)

Data from MKT 1904 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 25, p. 37. Works numbers were 21154-21155, 21170, 21176 in October 1902; 21210-21211, 21335-21336 in November; and 21404, 21411 in December.

This pair was built by the Katy at the same time as the B2s shown in Locobase 7709, but these had taller drivers and hence a longer wheelbase.

All served for about 30 years and all were scrapped in January-March 1931.

Class G-5-b (Locobase 7734)

Data from MKT 1946 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 28, p. 144. Works numbers were 27086, 27087, 27110-27113, 27153-27154 in December 1905.

These light Ten-wheelers were the middle set of three G-5 subclasses. Ordered at the same time as the last set of Moguls (see Locobase ), they shared many components supplied by other manufacturers during their production:

WestinghouseAmerican air-brakes

"Simplicity" bell ringer

National-Hollow brake-beams

Diamond "S" and steel Insert brake-shoes

Buckeye tender couplers

Leeds reversible pilot couplers

Pyle-National electric headlights

Monitor injectors

U. S. metallic piston and valve rod packings

Coale safety valves

Leach pneumatic sanding devices

Nathan sight-feed lubricators

Railway Steel Spring Co.'s springs

Ashcroft steam gauges

Standard Steel Works driving and truck wheel tires

Safety Car Heating & Lighting Co.'s steam heat equipment for 10-wheel locomotives.

Unlike many Katy locomotives, these were never superheated and retained their slide valves to the end of their service.

Drury (1993) explains that as Pacific types took over the runs they had handled, they "found themselves unemployed ...by 1940 all were gone." Indeed, according to Connelly's list, the first two -- 231, 233 --were scrapped in April 1923. 236 went to the ferro-knacker's in November 1924, 237 went in May 1929, 331 and 335 were scrapped in February 1931, and the last two -- 232, 235 -- went in March 1931.

Class G-8-a (Locobase 7735)

Data from MKT 1946 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2006 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

These Ten-wheelers were part of a series of relatively high-drivered 4-6-0s that constituted passenger power on the Katy until the Pacifics came along.

The Katy superheated the boilers, fitted piston valves, but retained the inside Stephenson link motion. Their fireboxes were modified to burn oil fuel.

All engines in he class were scrapped in 1934-1935.

Class G-8-b - superheated (Locobase 7736)

Data from MKT 1946 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Information on class updates from Sylvan R Wood, Locomotives of the Katy-Missouri-Kansas-Texas Lines, Railroad & Locomotive History Society Bulletin, No 36 (January 1944), pp. 74-76. (Thanks to Gary Schultz for his 6 January 2021 email asking about the class's retirement dates and prompting an update.) Works numbers were 45858-45873 in May 1909 and 48455-48459 in October 1910.

Although the Baldwins of 1906 (Locobase 7735) were the first of the fast passenger Ten-wheelers on the Katy, these Schenectady locomotives were larger and outnumbered the earlier engines.

The present entry shows this set in its superheated update with 11" (279 mm) piston valves actuated by inside Stephenson link motion. The first to be converted was 288 in October 1915, the last one--274--rolled out in May 1920.

A contemporaneous program increased cylinder diameter in all but 274 to 21". After 288 in 1912, seven were converted in 1914. The last two completed their cylinder change in April 1920. But all of the class reverted to the 20 x 28 cylinder volume from December 1922-January 1924. Two-three years later, most once again sported 21" cylinders and retained them until their withdrawal in service in the 1930s. Six engines, all 21" x 28 " ( 268-269, 271, 275, 280, and 285) were "dismantled" in May 1940.

Class N/F (13 1/2) (Locobase 7726)

Data from MKT 1903 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 18, p.255. (Many thanks to Greg Maxwell for his 20 May 2019 email giving the rationale for buying these compounds.)Works numbers were 13708-13709, 13712, 13716-13718, 13735-13736, 13754 in September 1893.

The Katy dabbled with Ten-wheeler Vauclain compounds for a few years. All were delivered with a 26" stroke in the cylinders; Locobase 7727 shows the three converted to larger cylinder volume by adding two inches to the stroke and increasing cylinder diameters. Each of two 11 1/2" (292 mm) piston valves admitted steam to the LP and HP cylinders on that side.

The Baldwin spec shows an incorrect tube heating surface area of 1,603 sq ft (148.92 sq m), which would result from a calculation using a tube length of 13 ft 5 in (4.09 m).

Greg Maxwell explains why the Katy bought these compounds and what they thought of them: :"In 1893 the Missouri Kansas & Texas instituted the "Katy Flyer" that ran from the Hannibal, MO gateway to points in Texas. The Katy leased several six car train sets from the Wagner Palace Car Co for its new train. Six of the Wagner Cars in a train was too heavy for even the MK&T's largest 4-4-0s, leading the railroad to order its first Ten Wheelers (compounds). The 1893 4-6-0s were very poor steamers at speed and the compound cylinders pounded the track and crews. The Katy almost returned these engines to Baldwin. In any event the Katy Flyer was dropped when ridership fell off with the Panic of 1893."

See Locobase 7085 for the Atlantics that took up the six-car challenge in 1895.

In 1907, the N class was converted to simple expansion when they were fitted with 19" x 26" cylinders and designated Class F; see Locobase 7727.

Class N/F (14) (Locobase 7727)

Data from MKT 1903 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 1893.

As noted in Locobase 7726, nine Ten-wheelers were ordered as Vauclain compounds whose cylinders had a 26" stroke. Apparently three of the class--possibly through an Extra Work order at Baldwin before their delivery--adopted larger cylinders with a 28" stroke, presumably as a way to afford more volume for expansion. Given that the benchmark for best compounding success was usually an LP/HP ratio of about 2.4:1, the 2.9:1 ratio in this class seems out of balance.

In 1907, all three engines would be converted to simple expansion with 19" HP cylinders. 287 blew up in February 1911. The others were scrapped between February 1923 and June 1925.

293 was scrapped in July 1924 with 294 following in September.

Class R/F1 (Locobase 7728)

Data from MKT 1903 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 22, p. 163. Works numbers were 17112-17116 in October 1899.

It was unusual for Baldwin to overestimate its locomotives' weights in the original specifications, but this order included an adhesion weight of "about 105,000 lbs. [47,627 kg] " The cylinders were the same as those used in a contemporary MKT Atlantic design.

216-217 and 220 were sold for scrap in 1923-1924. 219 was sold to the Texas & Oklahoma Railway in October 1923. Scrap dealer Hyman-Michaels bought the 218 in July 1924, but sold it to the Oklahoma City, Ada & Atoka. The OCA&A operated it a few years more before selling it for scrap in 1929.