N&W in 1903 -- Leviathans

[NW Mailing List]

Gordon, I'm setting myself up for the correct answer
from Bud or Uncle Ed, but here goes.

I note that it involves an Atlantic type.  At an
excellent clinic of Karen Parker's a few years ago at
a C&O convention she pointed out that a)a lot of the
early Atlantics (4-4-2's)had trailing wheels, but they
were frame mounted, not on a separate trailing truck;
b)the C&O's also had a mechanism that enabled the
engineer to reduce the(percentage of locomotive)
weight on the trailing pair, thereby increasing the
weight on the drivers. Some kind of springs and levers
device.  Same sort of thing on N&W's??

Frank Bongiovanni

 
--- NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:


> N. & W. TO HAVE FASTEST TRAIN IN THE SOUTH

> ------

> N. & W. WILL HAVE SIX LEVIATHONS (sic)

> ------

> New Atlantic Type of Engines Have Been Ordered

> ------

>     The Norfolk and Western railway will shortly

> have six new engines of the Atlantic type in

> operation.  These engines are to be used to reduce

> the schedule between Richmond and Norfolk.

>     The most distinctive features of these racers

> are the large fire surface and an automatic

> arrangement whereby, when pulling a heavy train up

> grade, or in starting, an additional 10,000 pounds

> of weight is placed on the drive wheels, thus

> preventing to a large extent the slipping that is

> usually experienced in such instances.  When running

> on the level or in coasting, the additional weight

> is thrown from the drivers on to the smaller front

> wheels, thereby obtaining a higher speed.

>     The Baltimore & Ohio and the Chesapeake & Ohio

> railroads, which cross both the Blue Ridge and

> Alleghany mountains in reaching the West, use these

> locomotives for fast passenger work, both systems

> having in one or two instances grades of nearly 2

> per cent, or 100 feet to a mile.  This is especially

> true of North mountain, in the Alleghany range, on

> the Chesapeake & Ohio, where for ten miles there is

> a grade of 94 feet.  Formally passenger trains of

> eight or nine cars were double headed for such

> ascents, but it is a frequent occurrence for an

> Atlantic type locomotive to pull nine cars over the

> mountain on schedule time.

>     The Atlantic type of engine is regarded as a

> luxury by many railroad men.  The number of these

> locomotives now in commission on the Eastern

> railroads is:  The New York Central, 155;

> Pennsylvania, 103; Baltimore and Ohio, 60 [??

> blurred, best estimate]; Chesapeake and Ohio, 25;

> Norfolk and Western, 6.

>     Until the Chesapeake and Ohio gave its first

> order about eighteen months ago for ten of these

> monsters, the operation of such locomotives was

> confined to the lines north of the Potomac and Ohio

> rivers.  The Norfolk and Western has now fallen into

> line with an order for six of the Atlantic type.

> 

> Bluefield Daily Telegraph

> July 10, 1903

> 

> [ It is interesting that locomotives produced in New

> Jersey were readied in Kenova, WV for service

> between Norfolk and Richmond.  Also, can anyone

> explain how the mechanism worked to put an extra

> 10,000 pounds on the drivers as claimed in the

> article?]

> 

> Gordon Hamilton>

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