Kansas City Southern Other Articulated Locomotives in the USA

Class G (Locobase 15052)

Data from KCS 1942-2 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also "A Long KCS Ry Freight Train", Port Arthur Route Agricultural and Industrial Bulletin [a KCS publication], Volume 4, No 7 (June 1923), p. 4; and Albert F Stuebing, "The Advantages of Large Freight Locomotives, Particularly the 2-10-2 Type", Paper 1795 presented at the Spring Meeting, Chicago, Ill (23-26 May 1921), pp. 325 et seq, especially the comments of John E Muhfeld reporting the KCS's experience with Mallets beginning on p. 335. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 21 April 2018 for noting initial values for driver diameter, tender water capacity, and firebox heating surface area.) Works numbers were 50609-50620 in March 1912.

Muhfeld pointed out that on the 95-mile (153 km) mountain division, these all-adhesion road freight Mallets had to travel over rails weighing 75 lb/yard (37.5 kg/metre) for nine miles (14.5 km) and 80 lb/yard (40 kg/metre) rails the rest of the way. Ruling grade southbound was 1/5%, northbound slighly less at 1.35%. All was laid on unplated oak ties. Travel over the division required between six and eight hours from time of terminal departure and subsequent arrival. The Gs climbed a four-mile stretch of 1.5% in simple-expansion setup, a choice that limited maximum speed to 10 mph (16 kph).

Muhfeld also disputed the alleged advantages of the 2-10-2 simple-expansion freight locomotive over the Mallet, citing "[e]normous concentrated stresses" on much of the running gear's components and their consequent liability of breakage and crushing, "excessive bridge and rail loads", "extraordinary" tire tread and flange wear, difficulty in counterbalancing, and complicating engine house maintenance because various component were of ' "extreme weight".

Although many railroads had already adopted the 2-10-2 arrangement and others would do so, the KCS waited until the much larger and more powerful 2-10-4 designs were available; see Locobase 97. The Gs' high-pressure cylinders received steam through 12" (305 mm) piston valves.

Initial values for the firebox and superheater heating surface areas (207-214 sq ft (19.60-19.88 sq m) for the firebox, 858 sq ft for the superheater) had been changed to the data shown above between 1929-1942. The firebox now held 45 sq ft (4.18 sq m) of arch tubes and the superheater's estimated area had increased by 107 sq ft (9.94 sq m).

The June 1923 report described engine #709's recent arrival (May 20) at Shreveport, La from Port Arthur, Tex trailing 18 loaded cars and 86 empty cars comprising 3,315 tons (3,007 metric tons). Engineer Keitly [?] and conductor Gianelloni asserted that this consist, reportedly the longest and heaviest train ever to enter Shreveport over the KCS, made a trip that was "made on perfect schedule time and that no delays or hindrances of any kind occurred."

Ten of the class were scrapped in 1937, leaving 706 and 701 to serve throughout World War Two before being dismantled in April and September 1947, respectively.