Raritan River 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" Locomotives in the USA

Class 3 (Locobase 11743)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Vol 18, p. 37. See also Lucius Beebe, Highball! A Pageant of Trains (1945), Chapter 1, which is reproduced on the Raritan River website [] . . Works number was 12838 in July 1892.

At the time they took delivery of this small Ten-wheeler, the Raritan River covered 12 miles from South Amboy to New Brunswick, NJ. It ran from 1892 to 1938. During World War One, the heavy demands for workers at the various defense plants in the area resulted in the carriage of almost 2 1/4 million passengers in 1918.

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Class 4 (Locobase 12333)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 22, p. 69. Works number was 16528 in February 1899.

Baldwin's builder's photo shows a small transitional freight Ten-wheeler design that cost the railroad $7,300. It featured a coned boiler with the large steam dome on the thicker rear course and just ahead of the firebox, which sat down between the frames. A smaller sand dome occupied the space between the leading coupled axle and the bogie truck. An extended smoke box served as base for a tall, thin capped stack and a large headlight.

Guaranteed performance included the ability to haul 205-210 tons of trailing load up a 1 1/2% grade and around curves with a minimum 300 ft radius. The railroad ran from Perth Amboy along 12.5 miles to New Brunswick, NJ on 60-b (30 kg) rail.

After a relatively short career, the 4 came under the scrapper's torch in 1914-1915 (sources differ).