These eight locomotives were the pride of the NKP's passenger service and saw 16 years of handling main line passenger trains between Buffalo, NY and Chicago, IL until displaced by diesels in the 1950s.
There is one surviving locomotive, number 170, on display at the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis, Mo.
| Class | Road Numbers | Year Built | Builder |
|---|---|---|---|
| L-1a | 170-173 | 1927 | ALCO |
| L-1b | 174-177 | 1929 | Lima |
Data from 1930 Locomotive Cyclopedia, supplemented by NKP 5 - 1950 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for valve gear ID; and for his 22 September 2017 email reporting unlikely boiler pressure values for 177 entries. A Locobase macro caused the error.) Alco's Brooks Works supplied the first four (works numbers 67211-67214 in March 1927 and Lima finished the class with four (works numbers 7399-7402 in November 1929).
Firebox had syphons.The nearly square cylinders were fed by 14" (356 mm) piston valves. A thicker tire (74") more than offset an increase in boiler pressure to 225 psi (15.5 bar), so the tractive effort dropped slightly.
The Brooks engines had built-up frames while the Limas were delivered with cast-steel beds. The Alcos would be given cast-steel beds just after World War Two.The L-1b's boilers were pressed to 215 psi (14.8 bar) and the engines weighed slightly more. By the end of their careers, all eight would roll on Timken roller bearings.
These were among the very first 4-6-4s to be built. Drury's (1993) comment on these engines: They "...looked bigger than they were after the smoke lifters were added. In actuality, they were little more than a USRA light Pacific with a four-wheel trailing truck."
By the end of their days, the L-1s would be photographed pulling local freights and other secondary services.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | L-1a/L-1b |
| Locobase ID | 188 |
| Railroad | New York, Chicago & St Louis (Nickel Plate) |
| Country | USA |
| Whyte | 4-6-4 |
| Number in Class | 8 |
| Road Numbers | 170-177 |
| Gauge | Std |
| Number Built | 8 |
| Builder | several |
| Year | 1927 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 13 / 3.96 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 37.75 / 11.51 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.34 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 73.65 / 22.45 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | 58,700 / 26,626 |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 175,475 / 79,594 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 316,500 / 143,562 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 206,200 / 93,531 |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 522,700 / 237,093 |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 11,000 / 41.67 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 16 / 15 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 97 / 48.50 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 73 / 1854 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 215 / 1480 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 25" x 26" / 635x660 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 40,681 / 18452.61 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 4.31 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 224 - 2.25" / 57 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | 45 - 5.5" / 140 |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 20 / 6.10 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 302 / 28.06 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 66.80 / 6.21 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 4219 / 391.95 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1055 / 98.01 |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 5274 / 489.96 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 285.65 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 14,362 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 17,234 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 77,916 |
| Power L1 | 26,962 |
| Power MT | 1016.23 |
