Atlantic Coast Line / Chicago & Western Carolina / Cumberland Construction / Georgia, Florida & Western / Jacksonville & Southwestern / Plant System 4-6-0 "Ten-Wheeler" Locomotives in the USA

Class 200 (Locobase 9944)

Data from "Charleston & Western Carolina Ten-Wheeler", Locomotive Engineering, Vol X, No 10 (October 1897), p. 613.

There's little to say about this small Ten-wheeler, according to the LE reporter, other than: "This engine was built for loads, as is plain from the boiler pressure and size of wheels and cylinders. Ideas of today in locomotive desing are apparent to the observer of the picture, making it unnecessary to particularize ...".

The C & WC was formed in 1896 when the South Carolina legislature forced the Central of Georgia (then in financial straits) to divest itself of the Port Royal & Augusta and the Port Royal and Western Carolina railways. Its rails radiated from Augusta, Georgia to such towns as Anderson, Greenville, and Spartanburg, SC.

In 1897, the C & WC was adopted as a subsidieary to the Atlantic Coast Line, but it was only actually merged in 1959. (See the history at http://railga.com/charlewc.html, last accessed 8 Feb 2009.)

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Class 201 / K-8 (Locobase 12400)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines, 1903, as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Vol 22, p. 245. Works number was 17488 in February 1900.

The other Cumberland Construction locomotive order from Baldwin (Locobase 12399) delivered freight power. This engine was oriented toward mized-traffic service.

After some period of service in Tennessee, the 201 went to the Savannah, Florida & Western and shortly after that to the Alabama Midland as their 529. Through mergers, the engine arrived on the Atlantic Coast Line little more than 2 years after its production. Compared to the ACL's other 4-6-0s, this engine had a smaller boiler, but a relatively large firebox.

1286 was scrapped in February 1935.

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Class 231 / K (Locobase 12285)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 21, p. 216. Works numbers were 15949-15954 in May 1898 and 16407-16408 in December.

This order shows just what an amalgamation of railroads made up the Atlantic Coast Line system. Six different lines took delivery under the single order. In order of builder's number, they were:

Road # Railroad ACL

231 Richmond & Petersburg 313

303 Florence Railroad 315

156-157 Wilmington & Weldon 316-317

267 Petersburg Railroad 312

77 Wilmington Columbia & Augusta 314

417-418 Norfolk & Carolina 319, 318

By 1900, however, all of the engines were grouped in Class K on the ACL.

315 went to the Rockingham Railroad as of January 1911. Much later in February 1935, the 312 was sold to the East Carolina.

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Class 27 (Locobase 12482)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 23, p. 242. Works numbers 18726 in March 1901.

This short line supported a sawmill in Milldale (North Jacksonville) and phosphate mining near Newberry FL. After its takeover in 1904 by the Atlantic Coast Line, the road was designated ACL's Ocala division.

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Class K (Locobase 3927)

When the Savannah, Florida, & Western Railroad built some high-speed passenger ten-wheelers (K-9 class described in Locobase 2807), they also bought some slightly larger freight engines. Like the K-9s, these locomotives were taken into the Atlantic Coast Line in 1902.

Data from Railroad Gazette (2 November 1900), which describes the builder as the "International Power Company". The Rhode Island Works were shortly to be taken into the Alco combine.

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Class K series (Locobase 2122)

Data from the ACL 1913 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

These were the "Copper Head" classes of ACL Ten-Wheelers, so called because of a copper flange that circled the top of the stack. They had a trim, functional look.

They had essentially four basic sets of specifications:

19" x 26" cylinders 64" drivers 23,061 lb TE

19" x 26" cylinders 69" drivers 21,390 lb TE

20" x 26" cylinders 69" drivers 23,701 lb TE

and the set listed in this entry. Weights ranged from 140,000 lb to 160,000 lb over the long life of this class. The last groups had Walschaert valve gear and piston valves; others were modified with a bolt-on piston valve adapter to the slide valve chest called a "Modern" valve. Many were later superheated.

The class grew as follows:

K Richmond 6 1900 322-327

K 24 1901-1903 328-351

K-4 11 1903 386-389, 390-396/212-222

K-5 12 1907 233-244

K-5 96 1906-1907 910-1005

K-6 10 1905 223-232

K-6 Baldwin 49 1904-1906 351-399

K-6 10 1906 901-909

K-14 10 1910 245-254

K-14 6 1910 1006-1011

K-15 34 1912-1913 1012-1044

These engines served throughout the rest of the steam era, the earlier classes being retired in the 1930s while some of the later engines carried on into the 1950s.

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Class K series - superheated (Locobase 7356)

Data from the ACL 1942 and 1950 Locomotive Diagram books supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

This entry relates to K-5, K-6, and K-14 locomotives that were upgraded with superheaters. When the ACL superheated K-series locomotives, some changes were common to all of the upgraded engines, others varied from locomotive to locomotive. All grates retained the 25.52 sq ft (2.37 sq m) of firebrick tubes that contributed to firebox heating surface and all of the boiler tubes lost 11" (279 mm) of tube length.

Given that truncation, it's even more unusual for the ACL to have gained back nearly all of the heating surface in the 27 large-diameter flues carrying superheater elements. As did many railroads, the ACL considered the added heating area supplied by superheaters to be more than equivalent to a similar amount of saturated area. So they calculated "equivalent heating surface" by multiplying the superheater area by 1.5. Thus the K upgrades contained 2,544 sq ft of equivalent heating surface. The superheated engines also gained "modern" steam chests, in which a piston valve was mounted in the slide valve's casing.

Most rebuilds retained the Stephenson link motion; a few mounted Baker radial valve gear and others operated Walschaert valve gear.

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Class K-14 - 63"" (Locobase 16027)

Data from the ACL-3 4 1942 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 35, 243. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his March 2015 email noting the absence of this class.) Works numbers were 35346-35351, 35427-35430 in October 1910.

Similar in most respects to the K-5s that started arriving on the ACL in 1906, this group of locomotives featured two major changes: the adoption of outside radial valve gear instead of the inside Stephenson link and the use of 68" drivers. The class retained their slide valves, however. The firebox heating surface area included 30.1 sq ft (2.8 sq m) of arch tubes.

All of this class was superheated; see Locobase 7356.

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Class K-14 - 68"" (Locobase 13678)

Data from the ACL-3 4 1942 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 35, 243. Works numbers were 35346-35351, 35427-35430 in October 1910.

Similar in most respects to the K-5s that started arriving on the ACL in 1906, this group of locomotives featured two major changes: the adoption of outside radial valve gear instead of the inside Stephenson link and the use of 68" drivers. The class retained their slide valves, however. The firebox heating surface area included 30.1 sq ft of arch tubes.

All of this class was superheated; see Locobase 7356.

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Class K-15-S (Locobase 7677)

Data from the ACL-3 1946 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 41, p. 252. Works numbers were 38197-38204 in August 1912; 39819-39823, 39859-39860, 39880-39887, 39899 in May 1913; 39939-39947 in June.

Almost the very last of the K series, these engines had the same power dimensions and grate area as earlier locomotives, although the firebox heating surface increased, in part because of a small change in firebrick tube area (to 29 sq ft/2.69 sq m).

But the design was updated as well. They were delivered with 12" (305 mm) piston valves and Walschaert valve gear. The other difference between this class and the superheated Ks of earlier years was the full-length boiler tubes common to the saturated variant, a few more small tubes and three fewer flues. They later received thicker tires,which increased driver diameter to 64" (1,626 mm).

The ACL apparently wrung every mile out of its Ten-wheelers as the first of these (1022) was scrapped in November 1947 and the last two (1021, 1031) in November 1955.

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Class K-16-S (Locobase 7678)

Data from the ACL-3 1946 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Vol 68, pp. 169+. Works number was 55247 in January 1922.

An odd singleton. Delivered several years after the last of the K-15-S, this was an enlarged Ten-wheeler. Its cylinder volume had grown and the boiler, grate, and firebox all grew with it (although firebox heating surface still only included 24 sq ft /2.2 sq m of firebrick tubes). Piston valves measure 12" (306 mm) in diameter. 1045's adhesion weight outstripped any previous ACL 4-6-0 by more than 11 tons and the engine now had Ragonnet power reverse gear.

Soldiering on for several more decades, the 1045 was scrapped in June 1952.

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Class K-4 (Locobase 7357)

Data from the ACL-4 1942 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volumes 25, p. 125 and 26, p. 156. Works numbers were 21420, 21422 in December 1902; 21464, 21512 in January 1903; 23156-23157, 23177, 23188-23189, 23194, 23206 in November.

Adiscussion of the entire K series resides on Locobase 2122. The number of subclasses is bewildering. The present entry focuses on this small group with taller drivers that allowed for pure passenger work and thicker tires later added 1" to the diameter.

They were never superheated.

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Class K-5 (Locobase 7676)

Data from the ACL-3 1946 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 29, p. 204. Works numbers were:

1906

November 29621-29622

December 29639-29641, 29684-29686, 29700-29705, 29741-29746, 29775-29778, 29832, 29852-29853

1907

February 30042-30045, 30083-30084, 30102-30104, 30130-30133, 30182-30186, 30240, 30309

March 30373

April 30648-30651, 30707-30709, 30720, 30742, 30748-30750

May 30788-30789, 30797-30799, 30844, 30854-30855

June 30984-30987, 31083

July 31286, 31316, 31340, 31353-31354, 31364, 31387, 31405-31407, 31442

August 31452, 31467-31470, 31485-31489, 31527-31534, 31564-31566, 31591, 31609

September 31646

Adiscussion of the entire K series resides on Locobase 2122. This entry focuses on one of the larger and most numerous single sub-classes. It was a true mixed-traffic locomotive, big enough to pull freight trains while able to work the branch line passenger service that didn't require high speeds. Many of the Copper Heads (the nickname for the whole K series because of the decorative brass ring around the top of the stack) were superheated; see Locobase 7677.

Two more -- works numbers 31188-31189 in July 1907 -- were delivered to the Charleston & Western Carolina.

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Class K-6 (Locobase 12757)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 27, p. 205. Works numbers were 25148-25149, 25164-25166, 25182 in February 1905: 25221-25222, 25231-25232, 25247, 25268, 25279, 25305 in March.

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Class K-6 (Locobase 12758)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 27, p. 205. Works numbers were 24546, 24553-24554, 24559, 24566, 24574-24576, 24590-24591, 24607, 24618, 24634, 24643 August 1904; 24668 in September.

This batch of Ten-wheelers did not precisely fit the mold of the large K series delivered to the ACL over several years. The drivers were smaller than most of the other engines and the cylinder diameter was specified to the half-inch. Most were scrapped in the late 1930s-early 1940s, but a few survived until the early 1950s. 354 began a second career in April 1941 when she was sold to the US Army's Transportation Corps and numbered 7533 (later 6923).

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Class K-9 (Locobase 2807)

Data from Railroad Gazette (2 November 1900), which describes the builder as the "International Power Company" and notes that 6 more were delivered as freight engines; see Locobase 3927.

Before the Savannah, Florida, & Western Railroad was taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line, it had achieved separate fame as the operator of some very fast locomotives. Although the claimed 120-mph top speed of this relatively low-drivered Ten-wheeler is highly unlikely, an overall trip speed (115.9 miles in 90 minutes) of 77.3 mph is possible. See RG 22 March 1901 for an account of a 120-mph run.

The class came over to the ACL in 1902; they were retired between 1934 and 1942.

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Class K-9 (Locobase 12594)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Vol 24, p.170. Works number was 20040 in February 1902.

Locobase 2807 shows the Rhode Island-built Ten-wheelers that were supplied to the Plant System and later operated for the Atlantic Coast Line. This entry shows the Baldwin produced to the same set of specifications.

Like the Rhodies (or International Power Corporation as these works were temporarily titled), the 275 was never superheated. It was scrapped by the ACL in May 1934.

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Class unknown (Locobase 5704)

Shown at the 1893 Chicago Exposition, this locomotive had the Plant System on its tender and 100 on its cab. The American Engineer and Railroad Journal for December 1893 illustrated the engine. This locomotive is typical of the large Tenwheelers favored by the Southern railroads that made up the Plant System, which was taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line in 1902.