Class D-1 (Locobase 7460)

Data from GN 1916 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection. Works numbers were 9968 in April 1889, 9972 in May, and

10036-10037 in June.

See http://www.historyink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7528, for the HistoryLink essay by John R Fahey reprinted from The Pacific Northwesterner, Vol 4, No 2 (Spring 1960), pp. 17-26

These were relatively small and light Moguls had the lowest numbers on the SF & N. This railroad was one of several promoted and built by Daniel J Corbin. Says Fahey: "...his roads opened the mines of northern Idaho, and provided the first direct rail contact to the mining districts near Nelson and Rossland, British Columbia." In building the SF & N in 1889-1890, Corbin instructed his chief engineer (Roberts) to build it cheap and build it fast.

Although the 4 moguls were delivered in May 1889, many trials (including a widespread fire in Spokane in August) had to be endured before the first timetable was published on 1 September 1889. Three of them served the SF & N until it was absorbed by the Great Northern; the last operated on the Vancouver, Westminster & Yukon in British Columbia 0 another Corbin railroad.

Although the finished line was quite successful, it could not resist the money flashed by larger roads. In 1898, the Northern Pacific bought the SF & N, but sold it two years later to the Great Northern. When the GN took over the motive power in 1907, it classed all 4 as D-1.

Class D-2 (Locobase 7458)

Data from GN 1916 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

Within a few years of completing the railway, the GN ordered a large batch of Moguls to work the freight. This numerous class had lost very few units by the time the 1916 diagram book was compiled. By 1929, however, the entire class seems to have been retired.

321 of the class was sold in January 1928 to Canada's Midland of Manitoba, where it was given number 1.

Class D-4 (Locobase 2853)

Data from GN 1916 Locomotive Diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

A low-slung Mogul with a Belpaire firebox displayed at 1893 Columbian Exposition. Although 351 was the number on the cab, that number belonged to an earlier Rogers class of D-2 Moguls of similar dimensions (342-359) that was supplied in 1891.

Class D-5 (Locobase 2615)

Data from 1899 Brooks Catalogue.

Builder info from B.Rumary, 25 Kingscombe, Gurney Slade, Radstock, BA3 4TH, ENGLAND and Jeremy Lambert as supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004.

Works #2698-2709 in September 1896, 2788-2797 in August 1897. In addition 2798-2802 were delivered in the same month to the Eastern Railway of Minnesota with road #256-260.

Very close in size (heating surface area, tube length, number of tubes) to Brooks' delivery to the Buffalo, St. Mary, and SouthWestern RR. The grate area for the Belpaire firebox was even less, however.

In 1899, the whole class was renumbered 450-476 and the ERM's 5 became Great Northern when the railway was absorbed in 1902. Several were sold for scrap beginning in the late 1920s and ending in 1940, but three went to a Canadian railway. Two -- 460 & 458 -- had the same Midland Railway of Manitoba road number. Another -- 457 -- was number 5. This locomotive had earlier been converted to an 0-6-0 switcher (as were several others in the class) but was reunited with a leading truck before its sale to the Midland

Class D-6 (Locobase 7462)

Data from GN 1916 Locomotive Diagrams book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive collection.

This W & SF Mogul had fewer boiler tubes than did the earlier Schenectady engine, but somewhat taller drivers. All the 2-6-0s for this small component of the Great Northern were among the smallest of the type in US service.