Maine Central 4-6-4 "Hudson" Locomotives in the USA

The Maine Central Railroad only bought two 4-6-4 Hudsons. This pair (road numbers 701 and 702) was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1930.

These locomotives had 73" drivers, 23" x 28" cylinders, a 240 psi boiler pressure, a total weight of 312,590 lbs and a tractive effort of 41,300 lbs.


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class D (Locobase 1044)

Data from 1934 Maine Central locomotive tables and MEC-PTC 4 -1956 Locomotive Diagrams supplied by Allen Stanley in May 2005 from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 81, pp. 67+. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 26 February 2016 email adding the booster details.) Works numbers 61370-61371 in May 1930.

Pocket Hudsons, these were the lightest of the wheel arrangement. Their firebox heating surface included 14 sq ft (1.3 sq m) in two arch tubes and 74 sq ft (6.87 m) from two Nicholson thermic syphons. Piston valves measured 12" (305 mm) in diameter and reflected their "long-travel" description by shuttling 9" (229 mm) in each direction. The boiler also included a very high superheater surface area as a percentage of combined heating surface. The Franklin Type C-2-S boosters aided starting tractive effort.

Drury (1993) argues that traffic and economic conditions explain a) why the Maine Central went with Hudsons in the first place, and b) why they only bought two. They served until 1950 (701) and 1955 (702); the last few years of 702 were spent on least to the Portland Terminal Company.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

ClassD
Locobase ID1044
RailroadMaine Central (MEC)
CountryUSA
Whyte4-6-4
Number in Class2
Road Numbers701-702
GaugeStd
Number Built2
BuilderBaldwin
Year1930
Valve GearBaker
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)13 / 3.96
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)35.67 / 10.87
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.36
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)72.37 / 22.06
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)57,600 / 26,127
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)171,400 / 77,746
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)312,590 / 141,789
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)189,610 / 86,006
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)502,200 / 227,795
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)10,000 / 37.88
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)14 / 13
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)95 / 47.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)73 / 1854
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)240 / 16.50
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)23" x 28" / 584x711
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)41,392 / 18775.12
Booster (lbs)12,200
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.14
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)42 - 2.25" / 57
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)166 - 3.5" / 89
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)20 / 6.10
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)306 / 28.44
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)62.60 / 5.82
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)3826 / 355.58
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)1760 / 163.57
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)5586 / 519.15
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume284.25
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation15,024
Same as above plus superheater percentage19,832
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area96,941
Power L145,982
Power MT1774.32

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