Philadelphia & Reading 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" Locomotives in the USA

Class 408/L1-a (Locobase 6881)

Data from "Goods Locomotive with Boiler for Burning Waste and Anthracite Coal", Engineering, Volume 27, No 4 (24 January 1879), pp. 66-68 ; Titre Exposition universelle internationale de 1878 a Paris. Rapports du jury internationale..Volume Groupe VI - Classe 64. Rapport sur le materiel des chemins de fer. p. 50 (cnum.cnam.fr/CGI/fpage.cgi?8XAE277-11.1/54/100/312/0/0 (accessed 1 September 2005) and from E Lavoinne & E Pontzen, Les Chemins de Fer Amerique, (Paris: Dunod, 1882), p 141-145. See also "Locomotive for Burning Waste Anthracite Coal", Railroad Gazette, Volume 11 (21 March 1979), 154-155 (reprinting from Engineering (London).

This was the very first camelback locomotive, a center-cab design using John Wootten's wide firebox for burning the culm left over from processing anthracite coal (which was used in home heating applications). Compared to later Wootten fireboxes, this first effort resembled a Winans layout in being quite shallow with only a gently curved top. Engineering's 24 January report said the original cab position on top of the boiler proved too high for the loading gauge of the Chemin de Fer du Nord of France, which tested the 408 after the 1878 Exposition ended.

Supplementing the relatively small 106 sq ft (9.85 sq m) firebox heating surface was the combustion chamber's 26 sq ft (2.42 sq m) . Two-inch (50.8mm) diameter water tubes alternated with solid-iron grate bars.

An unusual feature was the use of two steam domes, one inside the cab just forward of the backhead and the other just behind the tall straight stack. An early "feed heater" cylinder positioned under the footplate was a cylinder holding 37 3/4" tubes, each 10 ft 4 in long andtogether offering 62 sq ft (5.76 sq m) of preheating surface. The claim that inbound water temperature rose 110 deg F seems optimistic.

According to the online encyclopedia [] (accessed 15 September 2005), the Reading realized a fuel savings of $2,000 (in 1877 money) per year.

For those who read French, the Lavoinne-Pontzen source has a detailed description of this pioneering engine. They also reported that the Reading had bought 65 more of these by time of publication.

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Class L1-a (Locobase 10828)

Data from RDG 11 -1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 16, p. 1. Works numbers were 10705-10708, 10712, 10718-10724, 10729, 10737, 10745, 10748 in March 1890.

Like many early camelbacks with Wootten fireboxes, this class Ten-wheelers was completed with a combustion chamber between the firebox and the tubesheet.

Apparently successful, the design was altered only in the quality of the boiler plate in four of the class; these were redesignated L1-c (Locobase 10830). Locobase 10829 shows the lone L1-b, which used a boiler that eliminated the combustion chamber.

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Class L1-b (Locobase 10829)

Data from RDG 11 -1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

This locomotive is described as having been rebuilt from an L1-a (Locobase 10829), but the rebuild seems to have been confined to eliminating the combustion chamber. Locobase guesses that this was a trial horse to sample the effect of reducing the direct heating surface by 55 sq ft. As it was the only engine so converted, it must not have been seen as worth the effort. 564 was retired in May 1926.

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Class L1-c (Locobase 10830)

Data from RDG 11 -1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. L2-a work numbers were 12379, 12382-12383 in December 1891; 12393, 12396 12402, 12418, 12424-12425 in January 1892; and 12401 in February.

Class L1-c comprised two original classes - the ten engines of the L2-a class and four of the L1-a class shown in Locobase 10828. Locobase figures that the L2-a was identical to the L1-a except for its Vauclain compound power assembly of two 13 1/2" HP and two 23" LP cylinders. Beginning in June 1903, the Reading replace the compound setup with two 20" x 24" simple-expansion cylinders. Thirteen years later, four of the L1-a received new boilers pressed to a higher degree.

Although scrappings began in April 1922 and most of the class was gone by the end of the 1920s, 548 wasn't scrapped until March 1935 and 539 carried on into World War II, going to the scrapyard only in April 1944.

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Class L10 (Locobase 4101)

Data from Paul T. Warner (RLHS Bulletin #58) shows heating surface area including a Taylor superheater. This area appears to be borne out by the RDG 11 - 1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Additional data from Report of proceedings of the ... annual convention of the American Railway Master Mechanics' Association, (American Railway Master Mechanics' Association, 1913), pp. 276-280.

Interesting variation on the three3-cylinder locomotives that the Reading's Edward Elliott was experimenting with. The ten-wheeler layout obviously allowed more weight on the drivers while retaining the favored camelback layout.

The 1926 diagram shows before and after configurations.

At the time of the diagram, both locomotives had been reconfigured with two 22" x 26" cylinders. 675 retained its saturated, 215-psi boiler while 676 had been superheated and had a boiler with 154 2" tubes and 26 5 1/4" flues totalling, with the firebox, 2,957 sq ft. . Alas, the diagram does not give the superheater area.

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Class L3-a (Locobase 12272)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 21, p. 173. Works numbers were 15900-15908 in May 1898.

Large camelbacks dominated the Reading's order profile in the late 1890s, but the road also bought conventional-cab locomotives. This nonet of Vauclain compound Ten-wheelers had firebox heating surface areas equal in size to the large Wootten fireboxes and 11 1/2"-diameter piston valves.

The class was rebuilt 3 times beginning in 1904 with the replacement of the compound setup with simple-expansion 22" x 26" cylinders, the last time in the 1920s as L3-se superheated engines. For those, see Locobase 10832.

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Class L3-b (Locobase 10831)

Data from RDG 11 -1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Entering service as Vauclain compounds with 14" HP and 24" LP cylinders, the L3s were all rebuilt. Locobase isn't sure if the lone L3-b shown in the Reading diagrams was unique in being rebuilt as a conventional-cab Ten-wheeler.

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Class L3-se (Locobase 10832)

Data from RDG 11 -1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Nine of the fourteen engines in this class began service as L3-a Vauclain compound locomotives with 14" HP and 24" lLP cylinders; see Locobase. By 1904, the Reading converted the first of the class to simple-expansion engines and the rest of the class followed suit in a couple of years. Locobase suspects that only the 564 was converted as a conventional-cab engine with a different boiler (see Locobase 10831).

The rest of the class had enough to recommend it that the Reading superheated the engines in the early 1920s, creating a very satisfactory engine that served for another two decades. It may have been then that the 11" (279 mm) piston valves were fitted as well.

The other five in the class had been produced in 1900 as L4-a Vauclain compounds, been converted into L4-f engines in 1905 (Locobase 10834).

Besides the 559, which went in October 1940, the rest saw out World War II before entering the scrapyard. The last -- 562 -- was broken up in 1948.

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Class L4-a (Locobase 12332)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 22, p. 64. Works numbers were 16656-16660 in April 1899.

Virtually as soon as these Vauclain compounds were delivered with their 14" HP and 24" LP cylinders, the first of them was being converted to simple expansion. The others all followed in 1904-1905 and were redesignated L4-c.

Substantially reworked again in 1905-1908, the whole class was redesignated L4-e. See Locobase 10833 for the result.

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Class L4-b (Locobase 12416)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 23, p. 38. Works numbers for the L4-b were 17907-17908, 17944-17945, 17953, 17966-17968 in July 1900; 18005 in August.

As with all of the other Reading Ten-wheelers of the time, this class was delivered as L4-b Vauclain compounds with two 14" HP and two 24" LP cylinders fed by 11 1/2" diameter piston valves.

And like the other Ten-wheelers, they didn't remain compounds for very long. In 1905, the Reading converted them to simple expansion; see Locobase 10834.

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Class L4-e (Locobase 10833)

Data from RDG 11 -1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

As noted in Locobase 12272, this quintet of Ten-wheeling camelbacks was converted to simple expansion. But in 1905-1908, the whole class was substantially modified with a new boiler with 37 fewer tubes.

They were redesignated L4-e and served for nearly 3 more decades. 567 went to the ferro-knacker's first in February 1937, the others followed individiually with the last -- 568 -- being scrapped in March 1945.

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Class L4-f (Locobase 10834)

Data from RDG 11 -1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers for the L4-b were 17907-17908, 17944-17945, 17953, 17966-17968 in July 1900; 18005 in August.

As with all of the other Reading Ten-wheelers of the time, this class was delivered as L4-b Vauclain compounds with two 14" HP and two 24" LP cylinders. They rebuilt in 1904 as L4-d simple-expansion engines, then rebuilt again as L4-f conventional-cab locomotives with smaller fireboxes (described by the Reading as "semi-wide") in 1905.

Locobase doesn't know which of these received a refit in which the 2 1/4" tubes were replaced by 252 2" tubes that reduced the total heating surface by 129 sq ft to 2,189.

Five of the nine were rebuilt in 1923-1929 with superheaters and redesignated L3-se (see Locobase 10832). Two of the other four were scrapped in 1928 (577 in March and 575 in December) while the other pair remained in service until 1945 (576 in March and 571 in June).

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Class L5-a (Locobase 12665)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 24, p. 276 and Volume 25, p. 236. Works numbers were 22211, 22221, 22226, 22261 in May 1903; 22277 in June.

It's not clear to Locobase exactly what was changed 2-3 years after the class was delivered to the Reading, but the whole class was redesignated. See Locobase

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Class L5-b (Locobase 10835)

Data from RDG 11 - 1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. L5-a works numbers were 20816-20817, 20825-20828, 20881, 20897, 20898, 20943 in August 1902.

Some fun here - Locobase isn't sure if this class of Ten-wheelers was delivered to the Reading as camelbacks or conventional-cab locomotives, but he suspects the former. Iin 1905, the whole class was rebuilt as L5-b and the Reading diagram shows that configuration to have been a conventional cab locomotive with bituminous-burning grate. Some of these were rebuilt with 237 2" tubes; they had a total of 2,062 sq ft of heating surface.

They were all rebuilt as L5-sc engines in 1922.

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Class L5-sc (Locobase 6725)

Data from CNJ 7 - 1944 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

The Reading rebuilt its L5-b locomotives (Locobase 10835) as superheated camelbacks in the late 'teens and early 1920s. So refitted, the class served the Pennsylvania road utniuntil the late 1940s.

In February 1936, the Reading sold five of the engines -- 592-596 -- to the Central RR of New Jersey, which operated them as 631-635.

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Class L6-sa (Locobase 10836)

Data from RDG 11 - 1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Having been upgraded as a superheated camelback (see Locobase 10837), 616 wrecked in April 1928. The Reading picked up the pieces and reassembled them as a conventional-cab engine while retaining the huge Wootten firebox. One change was the adoption of Caprotti poppet valve gear.

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Class L7-a (Locobase 12804)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 28, p. 42. Baldwin works numbers were 26266, 26280, 26296, 26391 in August 1905.

Well, the power dimensions (what features are combined to calculate tractive effort) stayed the same as the L5-a shown in Locobase 10835, but everything else changed. For the conventional cab layout with a medium-sized grate and boiler the L7-a substituted an enormous anthracite-burning firebox in a camelback arrangement. In addition, the boiler now held 125 more tubes, each of a smaller diameter. The design was heavier as well.

In addtion to Baldwin's 4, the Reading built another 10 in its own shops. All of them were upgraded to L7-b, then superheated as L7-sb; see Locobase 10837.

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Class L7-sb (Locobase 10837)

Data from RDG 11 - 1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. The others in the class were built by the Reading.

Delivered as saturated-steam camelbacks in 1905, this class was rebuilt first as L7-b in 1918, then superheated in 1920 and redesignated L7-sb. The update of course included the installation of superheat, but the boiler was new with shorter tubes and a slightly smaller smaller firebox.

It's not clear why the 603 was renumbered 616 in 1917 - this engine wrecked in April 1928 and was rebuilt with Caprotti valve gear; see Locobase 10836. 604 was scrapped in October 1948.

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Class L8-sc (Locobase 10838)

Data from RDG 11 - 1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. L8-a Baldwin works numbers were 27931-27934, 27960, 27979, 28008, 28016, 28045 in April 1906.

Among the last camelbacks to be built for the Reading by Baldwin, this class was a bit smaller than other recent Ten-wheelers. 694 was completed as a Vauclain Compound for exhibition at the 1906 Chicago fair; it was superheated in March 1926. Note that 699 blew up in March 1912 and was repaired as 690 in October 1912.

All of them were superheated in the early 1920s and remained in service until after World War II.

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Class L8-se (Locobase 10839)

Data from RDG 11 - 1926 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Five years after Baldwin delivered its last camelback Ten-wheelers to the Reading (Locobase 10838), the railroad added 5 more L8-b. Some time after their delivery in 1911 - probably beginning in 1920 - they were superheated. Compared to the Baldwins, this design was just a bit bigger, although they used the same mammoth Wootten firebox.

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Class unknown (Locobase 9119)

Data from France Commission des Annales des mines (Paris: Dunod, 1875), p. 256.

As part of a discussion of anthracite coal use, the authors describe this Ten-wheeler, which preceded the ultra-wide firebox Wootten camelbacks that would appear just a few years later. They note that one of these engines pulled 155 4-wheel coal cars, aggregating 416 tonnes (458 short tons), between Port Richmond and Palo Alto. Over a 153-km (95-mile) distance, coal consumption totalled 5,120 kg (5.64 short tons) of anthracite