Delaware & Hudson 4-8-4 "Northern" Locomotives in the USA

The Delaware & Hudson Railroad purchased 15 Class K-62 Northerns from the American Locomotive Company in 1943 and assigned them road numbers 300 through 314.

These were dual service locomotives having 24.5 x 32 cylinders, 75" drivers, a boiler pressure of 285 psi, weighed 470,000 pounds and had a tractive effort of 62,040 pounds.

They were assigned to freight service, but were used regularly on the New York to Montreal Laurentian passenger trains. As a result, some referred to the D&H 4-8-4s as "Laurentians".

There are no survivoring D&H 4-8-4s.


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class K-62 (Locobase 256)

Data from 1946 D&H 1- 1946 Locomotive Diagrams and 1947 Locomotive Cyclopedia tables. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for correcting the boiler pressure figure.) Works numbers were 69975-69979 in March 1943, 70133-70142 also in 1943.

Firebox heating surface included 55 sq ft (5.1 sq m) of arch tubes. Prominent "elephant-ear" smoke lifters flanked the smokebox.

Fifteen engines delivered to the railroad in 1943 that served until 1952-1953.

These were relatively small "Northerns" that made very efficient use of firebox heating surface, which included a 7-ft-long (2,134 mm) combustion chamber, and superheater area. The boiler maintained a traditional ratio of tubes to flues and, in fact, resembled closely installations in several other 4-8-4 batches delivered during World War II. These included the Milwaukee Road S-3 (Locobase 249), Rock Island R-67 (Locobase 251), and the Union Pacific's FEF-3 (Locobase 8340).

All four driving axles turned in SKF roller bearings.

Like most late North American steam, these engines served for only a short time. All were replaced by diesels in 1952-1953.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

ClassK-62
Locobase ID256
RailroadDelaware & Hudson
CountryUSA
Whyte4-8-4
Number in Class15
Road Numbers300-314
GaugeStd
Number Built15
BuilderAlco-Schenectady
Year1943
Valve GearWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)19.75 / 6.02
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)47.08 / 14.35
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.42
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)91.58 / 27.91
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)270,000 / 122,470
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)470,000 / 213,189
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)298,000 / 131,224
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)768,000 / 344,413
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)20,000 / 75.76
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)25 / 23
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)113 / 56.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)75 / 1905
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)285 / 20
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)24.5" x 32" / 622x813
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)62,042 / 28141.81
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.35
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)199 - 2.25" / 57
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)58 - 3.5" / 89
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)20 / 6.10
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)482 / 44.80
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)96.20 / 8.94
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)4477 / 416.08
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)1473 / 136.90
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)5950 / 552.98
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume256.41
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation27,417
Same as above plus superheater percentage34,271
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area171,713
Power L141,101
Power MT1342.40

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