The First Quarter-Century of Steam Locomotives in North America: Remaining Relics and Operable Replicas with a Catalog of Locomotive Models in the U. S. National Museum. United States National Museum Bulletin 210 — John Shaqi
The First Quarter-Century of Steam Locomotives in North America: Remaining Relics and Operable Replicas with a Catalog of Locomotive Models in the U. S. National Museum. United States National Museum Bulletin 210Oliver, Smith Hempstone
History
The First Quarter-Century of Steam Locomotives in North America: Remaining Relics and Operable Replicas with a Catalog of Locomotive Models in the U. S. National Museum. United States National Museum Bulletin 210
Oliver, Smith Hempstone
Locomotives -- History
The original locomotive _Lord Baltimore_ was designed by the Baltimore
and Ohio, and was constructed at the company’s Mount Clare shops in
Baltimore. The weight of the locomotive and tender in working order was
527,000 pounds, and the tractive force was 38,000 pounds. The driving
wheels were 84 inches in diameter, and the driving wheelbase was 178
inches. The bore and stroke of the cylinders were 20 and 28 inches,
respectively, Walschaert valve gear was used, and a steam pressure of
350 pounds per square inch was employed. The fuel was bituminous coal.
On September 11, 1935, an average speed of 59.28 miles an hour was
obtained between Washington and Jersey City while pulling a dynamometer
car and five other cars. Although designated as _No. 2_ when built in
1935, the locomotive was changed to _No. 5340_ in 1942. As it was not
designed to handle standard weight trains, the locomotive was later
removed from service, and after being in storage for several years was
scrapped on July 19, 1949.
Lima Northern-Type Locomotive, 1937
A black, red, and orange nonoperable model (figure 77) in the collection
represents the Southern Pacific Co. _No. 4410_, the first of the many
such streamlined 4-8-4, or Northern-type, steam locomotives built for
that line. This model of _No. 4410_ and its tender, about 27 inches
long, is built to the scale of ¼ inch to the foot. The gift of the
Southern Pacific Co. in 1937, it was made early in that year especially
for the Museum’s collection (USNM 311340).
The first group of this type of streamliner, which was the conception of
George McCormick and Frank E. Russell of the Southern Pacific, was
completed by the Lima Locomotive Works in January 1937. The first run
with one of these streamliners was made on March 21 with the “Coast
Daylight” passenger train between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Of the total of 50 essentially similar locomotives of this streamlined
class, the Southern Pacific still had 49 in November 1954, only _No.
4414_ having been authorized for scrapping. At that time, these
locomotives had averaged approximately 13,000 miles a month since being
placed in service, although many had completed over 15,000 miles in
particularly productive months. The earlier ones, represented by this
model, developed 4,500 horsepower at 55 miles an hour and had a top
speed of 90 miles an hour, although 75 was the highest allowable
operating speed. They were able to maintain a 9¾-hour schedule between
San Francisco and Los Angeles.
[Illustration: Figure 77.—Model of Lima Northern-type locomotive,
1937.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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