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C&O T-1 locomotive No. 3021 in May 1941 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Chesapeake and Ohio T-1 was a class of forty 2-10-4 steam locomotives built by the Lima Locomotive Works in 1930 and operated until the early 1950s.
History and design
In 1925, the Lima Locomotive Works of Lima, Ohio, built their prototype A-1 class 2-8-4 locomotive, and they demonstrated it on various railroads, proclaiming it as a "super power" locomotive with its high horsepower output. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), which was in search of larger locomotives, allowed for the A-1 to be tested in their Allegheny Subdivision, and while impressed with the A-1’s performance, the C&O opted to wait for reviews from other railroads before placing their own orders.
By 1929, other railroads had rostered 2-8-4 "Berkshires", including the Erie Railroad, and then the C&O decided to roster their own super power designs. By that time, the C&O was operating under control of the Van Sweringen brothers, who formed the Advisory Mechanical Committee (AMC) to standardize all of their railroad subsidiaries. In 1930, the C&O ordered the first of forty 2-10-4 "Texas"-types from Lima, which they classified as the T-1 class, and they shared identical design features with the Erie’s 2-8-4s.
The T-1s were equipped with a trailing truck booster that exerted 15,275 pounds-force (67.95 kN) of tractive effort. The T-1s could haul trains of the same length as an H-7 class 2-8-8-2 at a faster speed. The locomotives mainly operated between Russell, Kentucky and Toledo, Ohio, with a few being assigned in eastern Virginia. They were rated at 13,500-short-ton (12,200 t; 12,100-long-ton) loaded coal hoppers. They also sported the most heating surface of any two-cylinder steam locomotive, with a combined heating surface of 9,654 square feet (896.9 m).
Despite their overall success, their long-wheelbase made it difficult to maintain a proper counterbalancing scheme as the drivers wore unevenly in service. Later in their careers, as their built up frames began to work loose, the T-1s rode roughly and pounded the track to the point that a special gang stood by at the bottom of one long grade to repair the damage.
In 1942, the Pennsylvania Railroad based 125 of their J1 class 2-10-4s off of the T-1s with slight modifications.
Accident
On May 12, 1948, no. 3020 suffered a boiler explosion due to a low water level near Chillicothe, Ohio. The engineer, fireman and front brakeman were killed.
Disposition
The C&O began retiring the T-1 locomotives in 1952 in favor of diesel locomotives, and by 1953, all had been retired. None were preserved.
See also
References
- ^ Nuckles, Douglas; Dixon, Thomas (1994). Chesapeake & Ohio Greenbrier Type 4-8-4 Locomotives. Clifton Forge, Virginia: The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society. pp. 8, 12. ISBN 0-939487-18-7.
- Drury, George H. (1997). "The Berkshire: Steam's fast-freight legend". Trains Magazine; Kalmbach Publishing. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
- "The World of Steam Locomotives". steamlocomotive.com. Retrieved 2022-01-15.