South Carolina / Suffolk & Carolina / Susquehanna Connecting 4-4-0 "American" Locomotives in the USA


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 10 (Locobase 12560)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Vol 24, p. 84. Works number was 19676 in November 1901.

In 1902, the S & C operated 14 miles from Suffolk to Brinkley in Virginia and from Suffolk to Sunbury, NC with an extension to Edenton. . Not long after the S & C took delivery of this pair of Eight-wheelers, the railroad was reorganized at the Virginia & Carolina Coast Railroad in 1906 and converted to standard gauge.

At that point, the 10 was sold to a concern whose identity apparently is lost to history. The engine resurfaces in the records of locomotive rebuilder/reseller Birmingham Rail & Locomotive around 1920. BR & L rebuilt the engine to the standard gauge (as such, it was a tiny locomotive for the width of the rails) and sold it to Gosa Steele Lumber of Eutaw, Ala. GSL sold the engine in February 1927 to Ingham Hutchison Lumber, which closed its rail line in 1934.


Class 103 (Locobase 9947)

Data from "Susquehanna Connecting Railroad Passenger Engine", Locomotive Engineering, Vol XI, No 3 (March 1898), p. 123.

Locobase is a little disappointed by the sparseness of data relating to this landmark locomotive. For epochal it was, at least in the mind of the correspondent who was obviously coping with a slow news month when he led off this account with:

"In reading the history of counties, we generally find that careful mention is made of the first white child born in the district from which the county was formed. The descendants of the child often make him or her the fountain- head of a proud pedigree.

"That may seem to be an odd beginning of a description of a locomotive, but nevertheless it is quite proper in this case, for the engine hereby shown enjoys the distinction of being the first locomotive built in Monroe County, Pa., and the people in that region look with much pride and affection upon the engine."

Whew! Locobase's heart won't stop racing! But the account goes on:

"The engine, however, deserves attention apart from pride of locality. It was built at the Stroudsburg shops of the Wilkes-Barre & Eastern Railroad for the Susquehanna Connecting Railroad. Mr. W. H. Taylor, master mechanic of the road, is the designer of the engine, and the work was done under the supervision."

Having been put together with "fine care," the "finely proportioned" engine of "handsome appearance" was far afield from Wilkes Barre, not to say Minooka or Sibley, Pa. Its service entailed hauling six coaches out of Jersey City on the NY, S & W.

At that time, the 21-mile SCRR was leased to the WB & E - both came under the umbrella of the New York, Susquehanna & Western.


Class 12 (Locobase 11525)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines, 1903, as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Vol 26, p. 174. Works number was 23487 in January 1904.

This mixed-traffic Eight-wheeler was a typical light American of the day. Although it entered service on the S & C, #12 soon was relettered for successor Virginia & Carolina Coast Railroad in 1906 and absorbed in November 1906 by the Norfolk & Southern, who renumbered it 31.


Class 16 (Locobase 11487)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 26, p. 284. Works numbers were 23885 and 23901 in March 1904.

In 1902, the S & C operated 14 miles from Suffolk to Brinkley in Virginia and from Suffolk to Sunbury, NC with an extension to Edenton. Not long after the S & C took delivery of this pair of Eight-wheelers, the railroad was reorganized at the Virginia & Carolina Coast Railroad in 1906 and absorbed by the Norfolk & Southern and renumbered 29-30.


Class A (Locobase 15794)

Data from South Carolina RR 1891 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in August 2013 by Allen Stanley from his ever-growing collection and DeGolyer, Volume 13, p. 44. Works numbers were 7956-7957 in May 1886.

Baldwin's specifications and the South Carolina diagrams of five years later differ considerably. Locobase prefers the Baldwin specs because the South Carolina figures include a tube count of 284 and tube length of 180 inches. That combination yields a highly improbable 2,231 sq ft (207.25 sq m).

Four locomotives were delivered with 54" drivers; Locobase 15793 shows the 9 and 10 when refitted with 63" wheels.


Class A -63" (Locobase 15793)

Data from South Carolina RR 1891 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in August 2013 by Allen Stanley from his ever-growing collection and DeGolyer, Vol 13, p. 44. Works numbers were 7954-7955 in May 1886.

Baldwin's specifications and the South Carolina diagrams of five years later differ considerably. Locobase prefers the Baldwin specs because the South Carolina figures include a tube count of 284 and tube length of 180 inches. That combination yields a highly improbable 2,231 sq ft (207.25 sq m). Also, the grate area was given as 19.8 sq ft (1.85 sq m), too high considering the dimensions of the firebox.

Four locomotives were delivered with 54" drivers, but by 1891, the 9 and 10 had been refitted with 63" wheels.


Class A-1 (Locobase 15795)

Data from South Carolina RR 1891 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in August 2013 by Allen Stanley from his ever-growing collection and DeGolyer, Vol 13, p. 44. Works numbers were 7958-7959 in May 1886.

Baldwin's specifications and the South Carolina diagrams of five years later differ considerably. This pair comprised the last two of a six-locomotive order built in Philadelphia as a batch; see Locobases 15793-15794. The 17 and 20 (which was later renumbered 18) had a shorter driven wheelbase than the first four

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class101031216A
Locobase ID12560 9947 11525 11487 15794
RailroadSuffolk & CarolinaSusquehanna ConnectingSuffolk & CarolinaSuffolk & CarolinaSouth Carolina
CountryUSAUSAUSAUSAUSA
Whyte4-4-04-4-04-4-04-4-04-4-0
Number in Class11122
Road Numbers101031216-1711-12
Gauge3'6"StdStdStd5'
Number Built11122
BuilderBurnham, Williams & CoWilkes Barre & EasternBurnham, Williams & CoBurnham, Williams & CoBurnham, Parry, Williams & Co
Year19011897190419041886
Valve GearStephensonStephensonStephensonStephensonStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) 8.17 / 2.4913 / 3.96 9.08 / 2.77 8.50 / 2.59 9.08 / 2.77
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)21.67 / 6.6118 / 5.4924.29 / 7.4022.58 / 6.8822 / 6.71
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.38 0.72 0.37 0.38 0.41
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)28,470 / 12,914
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)37,000 / 16,78372,000 / 32,65963,000 / 28,57656,820 / 25,773
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)57,000 / 25,855115,000 / 52,16398,000 / 44,45286,750 / 39,349
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)54,000 / 24,49464,000 / 29,03064,000 / 29,030
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)111,000 / 50,349179,000 / 81,193162,000 / 73,482
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)2500 / 9.473000 / 11.363000 / 11.363000 / 11.36
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)31 / 15.5060 / 3053 / 26.5047 / 23.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)48 / 121962 / 157566 / 167668 / 172754 / 1372
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)160 / 11165 / 11.40180 / 12.40160 / 11140 / 9.70
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)13" x 18" / 330x45718" x 24" / 457x61018" x 24" / 457x61018" x 24" / 457x61017" x 24" / 432x610
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)8619 / 3909.5217,590 / 7978.7018,026 / 8176.4715,552 / 7054.2815,285 / 6933.17
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.29 3.99 4.05 3.72
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)150 - 1.75" / 44204 - 2" / 51246 - 2" / 51213 - 2" / 51234 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)10.92 / 3.3312.67 / 3.8612.02 / 3.6610.87 / 3.3110.60 / 3.23
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)70.40 / 6.54152.70 / 14.19128 / 11.90119 / 11.06
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)12.50 / 1.1666.50 / 6.1818.60 / 1.7317 / 1.5816.60 / 1.54
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)815 / 75.741690 / 157.061332 / 123.791436 / 133.41
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)815 / 75.741690 / 157.061332 / 123.791436 / 133.41
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume294.22239.04188.40227.58
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation200010,973334827202324
Same as above plus superheater percentage200010,973334827202324
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area11,26427,48620,48016,660
Power L15393687150584056
Power MT642.68420.78354.00314.75

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

ClassA -63"A-1
Locobase ID15793 15795
RailroadSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina
CountryUSAUSA
Whyte4-4-04-4-0
Number in Class22
Road Numbers9-1017, 20/17-18
Gauge5'5'
Number Built22
BuilderBurnham, Parry, Williams & CoBurnham, Parry, Williams & Co
Year18861886
Valve GearStephensonStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) 9.08 / 2.77 8.50 / 2.59
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)22 / 6.7122 / 6.71
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.41 0.39
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)28,470 / 12,91428,775 / 13,052
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)56,820 / 25,77356,775 / 25,753
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)86,750 / 39,34989,000 / 40,370
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)3000 / 11.36
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)47 / 23.5047 / 23.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)63 / 137260 / 1524
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)140 / 9.70140 / 9.70
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)17" x 24" / 432x61017" x 24" / 432x610
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)13,101 / 5942.5213,756 / 6239.62
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.34 4.13
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)234 - 2" / 51234 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)10.60 / 3.2310.67 / 3.23
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)119 / 11.06119 / 11.06
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)16.60 / 1.5416.60 / 1.54
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1436 / 133.411436 / 133.41
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)1436 / 133.411436 / 133.41
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume227.58227.58
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation23242324
Same as above plus superheater percentage23242324
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area16,66016,660
Power L147314506
Power MT367.13349.94

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