N&W in 1912--New locomotives

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Gordon:

Were there any later articles on how they eventually were moved?

George

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Subject: N&W in 1912--New locomotives

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Wed., April 17, 1912

ENGINES WEIGH OVER HALF MILLION TONS [SIC]
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Seaboard Air Line Refuses to allow Norfolk and Western Mallets to be Hauled Over Line
    The first shipment of the forty mallet type engines [N&W 1300 - 1339, Class Z1, Z1a, 2-6-6-2] being built by the Richmond branch of the American Locomotive Works for the Norfolk and Western is now ready for delivery and it is hoped by the latter part of the week to have at least six of these monster locomotives in commission. Fifteen [Class Z1] of the forty ordered are just about ready for delivery and it is said that the whole order will be completed in a very few weeks. It is understood that some trouble is being experienced in getting the locomotives out of Richmond. The Seaboard Air Line has refused absolutely to transport the great "moguls" over its line, and an answer is expected at once from the Atlantic Coast Line as to whether that road will be willing to trust the immense weight on its bridges or not.
    The engines alone weigh 400,000 pounds, while the tenders laden with water and coal add an additional weight of 115,000 pounds, making the total weight of one of these monster iron horses 515,000 pounds.
    Should the Atlantic Coast Line decline to handle them, the only way they can be gotten to the Norfolk and Western will be over the Chesapeake and Ohio, via Lynchburg.
    Besides the forty mallets for the freight service from Richmond, six big Pacific type passenger engines [N&W 553 - 558, Class E2a, 4-6-2] are coming from the Baldwin Locomotive Works at Philadelphia.
    All of these locomotives are of the most modern type.  The mallets are supplied with self-stokers, firing and distributing the coal in the fire box automatically and by machinery, and with Schmidt's super-heaters, which are great savers in the consumption of fuel, furnishing what is known as a red hot steam from which the moisture is eliminated.
    The labor of shoveling coal by the firemen will be entirely eliminated on these new engines.  The fireman's duties will be to see that the stokers are in running order and that the coal is evenly distributed in the fire box.
    It is understood that three large locomotives are designed for use in the coal fields.   All of the improvements which have been placed on these modern engines are said to have been fully tested and found to work perfectly satisfactory.
    It is suggested that the heavy cost entailed in the building of these engines probably effected the hours of service in the Roanoke shops, thereby causing temporary reduction of shop time from nine to eight hours per day.
    Four mallet engines, of similar type, but larger in size, are being built in Richmond for the Virginian Railway [VGN 601 - 604, Class AD, 2-8-8-2]. They are the largest locomotives ever built in this section and tender and engine weigh 550,000 pounds.
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Gordon Hamilton
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