Although a short short line, the LVRR carried 9 million passengers, most of them headed to Idlewild Park in the Mountain Playground of western Pennsylvania. This design was well-suited to the short-haul, many-stop service required for such a line.
Three years after the first Brill gas-mechanical "doodlebug"came on the property in 1929, however, the 17 was retired in 1932.
Taken from one of those frustratingly nearly specific articles that would at times appear in the American Engineer & Railroad Journal. This November 1893 installment describes a camelback 8-wheeler designed for the LV by its Master Mechanic John I Kinsey "some time since". Also, the heating surface area given as 1,576 sq ft (146.4 sq m) appears to represent only the tube heating surface as measured from the inside diameter of the tubes. (An outside-diameter measurement, which was much more commonly used in North America, yields 1,663 sq ft (154.5 sq m).
The Lehigh Valley roster compiled by William D Edson from data supplied by CT Andrews and GM Best and published in the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Bulletin 126 shows four locomotives built at the LV's South Easton shops between 1887 and 1892. Reindeer (#48) came first in May 1887, followed by Rollin H Wilbur (#425, August 1888), 553 in July 1890, and 615 in April 1892. 425 was rebuilt in February 1894.
All were retrospectively classed as E-48s, although 48 was disposed of before 1905. The other three
The article notes that the Reading used this engine on its Royal Blue Express trains between Philadelphia and Atlantic City "with remarkably good results", says the unidentified correspondent. No hot journals were reported, he notes, and the boiler supplied plenty of steam on a schedule that called for speeds between 55 & 75 mph between stops.
Baldwin's specs estimated lower weights than were reported by the Railroad Gazette; Locobase chose the RG article's numbers.
659 later was given 20" x 26" cylinders and 73" drivers and placed in its own class E-51.
Librairie polytechnique, Baudry et Cie, p 384
The TraitT pratique notes that the design had an extended smokebox, which was seldom used in combination with a Wootten firebox. Locobase estimates the entry date, noting that in any case this was an 1890s camelback.
It's interesting to compare the grate areas on this locomotive and the camelback shown in Locobase 9712 and then observe that the firebox heating surface areas were nearly identical. Unfortunately, Sinclair gives no class information on either entry, so Locobase can only infer a construction date.
Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Class | 17 | 425/E-48 | 659 / E-43 | unknown | unknown |
Locobase ID | 13,932 ![]() | 5705 ![]() | 12,143 ![]() | 8880 ![]() | 9713 ![]() |
Railroad | Ligonier Valley | Lehigh Valley (LV) | Lehigh Valley (LV) | Lehigh Valley (LV) | Lehigh Valley (LV) |
Country | USA | USA | USA | USA | USA |
Whyte | 4-4-0 | 4-4-0 | 4-4-0 | 4-4-0 | 4-4-0 |
Number in Class | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
Road Numbers | 17 | 553, 48, 425, 615/2711-2714 | 659-663 / 2738, 2674-2677 | ||
Gauge | Std | Std | Std | Std | Std |
Number Built | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
Builder | Baldwin | LV | Burnham, Williams & Co | LV | LV |
Year | 1914 | 1887 | 1895 | 1896 | 1896 |
Valve Gear | Stephenson | Stephenson | Stephenson | Stephenson | Stephenson |
Locomotive Length and Weight | |||||
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 8.50 / 2.59 | 7 / 2.13 | 7.75 / 2.36 | 7.75 / 2.36 | |
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 22.58 / 6.88 | 21 / 6.40 | 22.62 / 6.89 | 22.25 / 6.78 | |
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheebase | 0.38 | 0.33 | 0.34 | 0.35 | |
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 49.37 / 15.05 | ||||
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | |||||
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 78,000 / 35,380 | 77,616 / 35,206 | 90,000 / 40,823 | 89,300 / 40,506 | 63,400 / 28,758 |
Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 115,000 / 52,163 | 108,639 / 49,278 | 128,500 / 58,287 | 127,400 / 57,788 | 90,720 / 41,150 |
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 80,000 / 36,287 | 84,000 / 38,102 | |||
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 195,000 / 88,450 | 212,500 / 96,389 | |||
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 4000 / 15.15 | 4000 / 15.15 | |||
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / ML/MT) | 6 / 5.50 | ||||
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 65 / 32.50 | 65 / 32.50 | 75 / 37.50 | 74 / 37 | 53 / 26.50 |
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |||||
Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 63 / 1600 | 68 / 1727 | 68 / 1727 | 68 / 1727 | 66.75 / 1697 |
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 180 / 12.40 | 160 / 11 | 160 / 11 | 160 / 11 | 140 / 9.70 |
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 18" x 24" / 457x610 | 19" x 26" / 483x660 | 20" x 24" / 508x610 | 20" x 24" / 508x610 | 20" x 24" / 508x610 |
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 18,885 / 8566.10 | 18,772 / 8514.85 | 19,200 / 8708.98 | 19,200 / 8708.98 | 17,115 / 7763.24 |
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 4.13 | 4.13 | 4.69 | 4.65 | 3.70 |
Heating Ability | |||||
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 162.40 / 15.09 | 153.70 / 14.28 | 142 / 13.20 | ||
Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 29.30 / 2.72 | 63.61 / 5.91 | 67 / 6.22 | 75.30 / 7 | 39.20 / 3.64 |
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1776 / 164.99 | / 146.41 | 1912 / 177.63 | 1858 / 172.68 | 1572 / 146.10 |
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | |||||
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1776 / 164.99 | / 146.41 | 1912 / 177.63 | 1858 / 172.68 | 1572 / 146.10 |
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 251.25 | 219.10 | 212.91 | 180.14 | |
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |||||
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 5274 | 10,178 | 10,720 | 12,048 | 5488 |
Same as above plus superheater percentage | 5274 | 10,178 | 10,720 | 12,048 | 5488 |
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 29,232 | 24,592 | 19,880 | ||
Power L1 | 6920 | 5570 | 4073 | ||
Power MT | 391.18 | 272.88 | 283.26 |