American 0-4-2 Locomotives in USA-Puerto_Rico

Class Automotor 11 (Locobase 14766)

Data from "Caracteristicas de las Locomotoras Empleadas en la _American RR Co of PR-No 11 a 15", archived at _[] . See also Roger W Aponte, "The Steam Powered Passenger Car / El automotor de vapor", archived at []. Baldwin Locomotive Works _Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of_ Southern Methodist University Volume 72, pp. 50+. Works numbers _were 56602-56603 in May 1923 and 57867-57868, 57898 in July 1924.

Aponte says that the ARR turned to the steam rail car in an effort to reduce the cost of operating a light, local passenger and mail train. Like similar vehicles that had enjoyed a brief vogue in the British Isles and Europe in the previous two decades, the Auto 11 resembled a standard passenger-and-mail coach except for the stubby pilot in front. Also like those vehicles, the front truck was replaced by a power assembly driven conventionally by pistons pushing rods that turned coupled wheels.

Unlike those vehicles, the power unit included an unpowered trailing truck. Other uncommon features were piston valves (5"/127 mm) for the cylinders and a saddle tank for the oil of "Heavy Tampico" grade draped over the boiler.

The car portion, built by Wason Manufacturing of Springfield, Mass, held 46 passengers in 19 rows of single seats on each side of the aisle and two short longitudinal benches at each end. of and a mail and packages compartment. Its amenities included five utility ventilators in the roof along the centerline, a Gressel & Company water cooler holding up to eight gallons (30.3 litres) of water and five pounds (2.27 kg) of ice, and a flush-hopper toilet. Trimmings were made of bronze

Coupled to the power car was a standard 50-passenger coach. The schedule for the San Juan to Arecibo run showed a total distance of 85.1 km (52.8 miles) in two hours and 25 minutes for an average speed of 21.8 mph (35.1 kmh).