Comparison Of 4-8-4's PlusWelcome to the 4-8-4 comparison page, where you can compare general specifications of currently operable 4-8-4's - as well as some 4-8-4's that are not operable (being restored, undergoing new FRA recertification or waiting to be bought) but have a large following. With the publication of information about the importing of a couple Chinese 2-10-2's into the United States we thought that this would be a good opportunity to compare these examples of the last big dual purpose steam locomotives that operated regularly in China to their American cousins. The chart is arranged from the lightest engines to the heaviest - following the Chinese locomotive.
The data on this chart is a compilation of information from Steamlocomotive.com - under 'Wheel Arrangements' go to 'Northern'. Or in some cases from the individual organizations stated online specs.
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Road/ Engine #
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Current Status
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Year Built/ Builder
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Class
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Drivers In Inches
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Engine Weight
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Engine & Tender Weight
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Tractive Effort
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Cylinders
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Boiler Pressure
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Length |
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QJ 7081*
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Pulled last regularly scheduled mainline steam train in China - QJ class 2-10-2
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Late 1980's
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QJ
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1500mm 59 inches
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.
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220 Tons w/8 wheel tender
253 Tons w/12 wheel tender |
282kn
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650mm diameter (25.59 inches)
x 800mm stroke (31.49 inches) |
14.7 bar 213 lbs
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26.0 meters for 8 wheeled tender (85.3 ft)
29.2 meters for 12 wheeled tenders (95.8 ft) |
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GTW 6325
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Stored Operable @ Ohio Central RR
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1942-43/ Alco
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U-3-B
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73
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403,000 lbs Lightest
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673,500 lbs
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59,000 lbs Least
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26x30 Smallest
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250 lbs
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96' Shortest
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Cotton Belt 819
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Stored at Arkansas Railroad Museum, needs FRA recertification
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1943/ Cotton Belt
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L-1
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70 Smallest
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419,800 lbs
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737,500 lbs
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61,564 lbs
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26x30 Smallest
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250 lbs
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99' 8.5"
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Reading 2100
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Stored servicable in Tacoma, WA Golden Pacific RR
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1947/ Reading
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T-1
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70 Smallest
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447,300 lbs
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844,000 lbs
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68,000 lbs 79,100 lbs w/booster
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27x32
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240 lbs
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110' 6"
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Milwaukee Road 261
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Operable in Minneapolis Junction
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1943/Alco
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S-3
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74
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460,000 lbs
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824,100 lbs
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62,040 lbs
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26x32
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250 lbs
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109' 8" W/coupler extended
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SP 4449
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Operable in Brooklyn Roundhouse Portland, Oregon
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1941/ Lima
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GS-4
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80 Largest
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475,000 lbs
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865,750 lbs
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64,800 lbs
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25.5x32
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300 lbs Highest
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101' 5"
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ATSF 3751
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Operable at Amtrak's Redondo Junction Facility - Los Angeles. Full list of current specs here.
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1927/ Baldwin Oldest
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3751
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80 Largest
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478,100 lbs
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874,346 lbs
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66,000 lbs (as built) 71,719 lbs*** (currently)
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30x30
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230 lbs Lowest
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108' 7"
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C&O 614
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Remains for sale, auctioned in July 2000 - owners minimum of $1.5 million not reached & needs form 4 FRA recertification
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1948/ Lima
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J-3A
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72
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482,200 lbs
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865,530 lbs
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68,300 lbs 80,700 lbs ** w/booster
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27.5x30
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255 lbs
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112'
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SP&S 700
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Operable in Brooklyn Roundhouse Portland, Oregon
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1938/ Baldwin
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E-1
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77
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485,500 lbs
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871,550 lbs
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69,500 lbs
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26x31
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260 lbs
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110' 7"
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UP 844
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Stored operable in UP shops at Cheyenne, Wyoming - form 4 FRA recertification complete
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1944/ Alco
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FEF-3
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80 Largest
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486,340 lbs
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907,890 lbs
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63,800 lbs
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25x32
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300 lbs Highest
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114' 3"
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N&W 611
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Stored at the Virginia Museum Of Transportation in Roanoke, VA. Display only, needs form 4 FRA recertification.
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1950/N&W Roanoke, VA Youngest
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J
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70 Smallest
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494,000 lbs
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873,000 lbs
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80,000 lbs
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27x32
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300 lbs Highest
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109' 2"
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ATSF 2926
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Restoration ongoing by the New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society
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1944/ Baldwin
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2900
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80 Largest
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510,150 lbs Heaviest
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961,000 lbs Heaviest
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86,922 lbs *** Strongest
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28x32 Largest
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300 lbs Highest
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120' 10" Longest
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* Figures for this locomotive are preliminary and have been converted from Metric to American Standards, these figures have also not been confirmed. While comparing this data it is relevant to know that these are not state of the art steam locomotives of the 1970's or 80's - they are more closely likened to state of the art 1930's. Remember the Chinese built these as copies to Russian 2-10-2's, who built their engines as copies of American 2-10-2's from the 1930's. While most of these engines have redundant systems they have sometimes been under engineered with small axles, small rods and bearings. In addition the ride is very rough as the drivers are not cross balanced and the engines tend to hunt and bounce on strait track. The last QJ built was number 7207 on December 21, 1988 - thus ending the production of 150 to 250 QJ's per year. More information will be available soon. With the advent of American Operators importing these engines into the US for use on tourist roads we thought it would be interesting to include specs on these engines.
** Originally built for C&O with booster, however Ross Rowland removed the booster from his Reading 2100 for use on the 614 and never installed it. The result was that both the Reading 2100 and the C&O 614 do not have boosters today.
*** There are several different published numbers available for the 2900's, and perhaps it is best if we let Bob Kittel (SBRHS CMO) address this oddity - "It is interesting that the Santa Fe 4-8-4s, all four classes, have the same stated tractive effort of 66,000 lbs. The computed tractive effort is based upon a coefficient (0.85). This coefficient is the combination of Mean Effective Pressure and a friction term. The friction term is set to '1.0' when roller bearings are specified, which it has now.
If you do the math work on figuring tractive effort for the 51 class then you come up with 71,719 lbs of tractive effort (TE). This of course after using a different coefficient of friction calculation because of the roller bearings - 66k was the TE as built with friction bearings in 1927, in 1941 it was modernized with roller bearings. The RRs didn't use the different methods of figuring and only used .085 for friction bearings for all engines. If you look at the tractive effort of a 2900 as 66K (as stated in some books) this is ridiculous, 2900's weigh 32,000 pounds more than the 51 class and has higher steam pressure and more horsepower. The tractive effort figure then for 2900s comes to around 86,922 TE. This is why I said that 66K TE for 2900s is crazy."
Grand Trunk Western 6325, class U-3b, operable at Ohio Central Railroad.
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific 261, class S-3.
Reading 2100, class T-1.
Southern Pacific 4449, class GS-4.
Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway 700, class E-1.
Union Pacific 844, class FEF-3.
