Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis 4-8-2 "Mountain" Locomotives in the USA

Class J-1a (Locobase 8329)

Data from NC&StL 6 - 1951 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

Firebox fitted with combustion chamber, which contributed to the firebox heating surface area as did 14 sq ft of arch tubes and 73 sq ft of thermic syphons. These were the standard USRA Light Mountain design (Locobase 231). According to Charles B Castner, writing in Drury (1993), these J1s were immediately successful on the Chattanooga Division. Baldwin delivered 8 more with revised boilers and fireboxes in 1922 and 1925; see Locobase 212.

Although bumped from the premium runs by the J2 and J3 4-8-4s, the class ran until 1949-1951.

Class J-1b/c (Locobase 212)

Data from 1930 Locomotive Cyclopedia table and NC&StL 6 - 1951 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Vol 68, pp. 329+. Works numbers were 55642 in September 1922, 55719-55720 in November, and 58386-58390 in May 1925.

After Alco's Richmond works supplied five USRA Light Mountain (Locobase 231) locomotives to the N, C & St L in 1919 (see Locobase 8329). When the 4-8-2 proved its worth, the road turned to Baldwin for more Mountains. Although the power dimensions were the same, the boiler saw a drop in small tubes in favor of more superheater flues. The firebox was fitted with combustion chamber, which contributed 107 sq ft (9.95 sq m) to the firebox heating surface area as did 27 sq ft (2.5 sq m) of arch tubes - the total was 348 sq ft.

Within a few years the supplementary heating area would be changed by removing two of the four arch tubes (leaving 14 sq ft (1.25 sq m) of arch tubes) and adding 76 sq ft of thermic syphons to arrive at a total of 411 sq ft of direct heating surface.

They served the NC & St L for more than 25 years before heading to the scrapyard in September 1949 (6) and October 1950 (556 and 558).