PRR T1

The T1 of the Pennsylvania Railroad was a duplex locomotive with four driving axles. The locomotives were built in the years 1942 until 1946.

Description

At T1 two engines were consecutively placed in a rigid frame, whereby the piston forces to the individual engine were lower than for steam engines with the same number of coupled axles but only one engine. Since the drive rod can never be completely balanced, there was a further advantage in the reduction of the " hammer blow " effect. Disadvantages of this design were high spin inclination when starting, larger wheelbase and greater maintenance costs. The locomotive was disguised streamlined, the shoe was designed by Raymond Loewy.

The tender of the T1 was achtachsig and also had a water pumping device. He grabbed 73.8 m³ of water and 37.2 tonnes of coal. Extensive testing in the workshops in Altoona in August 1944 resulted in a performance on the wheel circumference of 6080 hp at nearly 140 km / h, which corresponded to at this speed the performance of three locomotives of the class K4's. In practice it was a 16 -car train with 1020 tonnes in weight between Ft. Wayne and Chicago move with an average speed of 164 km / h. The only T1 the 6111 had a booster.

After good experiences with such a converted K4's, the vehicles were equipped with the Franklin - valve timing, which proved to be less reliable than the usual Walschaerts control in the production locomotives. A locomotive that was 5547 then fitted with normal piston slides and referred to as " T1a ". Another locomotive 5500, Franklin was given a Type B valve control.

Development

After the PRR had behaved quite conservative in Dampflokbau up in the 1930s, she went on to electrify many of their routes. The cover of the steam out fast trains was left in the principle of the 1914 built until 1928 K4 class, but due to the ever increasing train loads often costly in double fabric ( bias ) was used to compete with the more powerful steam engines of the competing New York Central. The New York Central procured in the 1930s locomotives with the wheel arrangement 2'C2 ' and later 2'D2 '.

The PRR changed as a consequence of their hitherto conservative procurement policies and built a duplex locomotive with the wheel arrangement 3'BB3 ', class S1 in the railway-owned shops in Altoona. It proved to be suitable in principle, though, the piece was oversized and proved in everyday operation as not compatible.

Series production

Baldwin gave then two advance pattern of T1 in 1942, numbers 6110 and 6111th After the proof of the everyday practicality and the end of the war ( during the war only freight locomotives were built ) were from November 1945 to August 1946 a further 50 locomotives from Baldwin and the Juniata workshops the PRR built with a slightly different design, numbers 5500-5549. The 5524 delivered on June 14, 1946, here was the last steam engine from the railway-owned shops in Altoona, and 5546, delivered on 27 August 1946 by Baldwin, was ever the last steam engine, which was delivered to the PRR. After 1946, the PRR for the first time in its history recorded a deficit and the competing New York Central verdieselte their peak trains, the PRR decided summarily to catch up. Accordingly, these machines were no longer needed, in principle, because the quality traits for which they were intended, were dieselised also for promotional reasons first. Some locomotives were mostly almost brand new, borrowed at two railway companies to test drive, but resulted in no sale, because these pathways have different requirements on the desired locomotives. Thus, the T1 locomotives were used on the network of PRR for several years.

Operation

Until the early 1950s, the T1 locomotives were used in express train service between Harrisburg, Altoona, Pittsburgh, Chicago and St. Louis. They had no problems in the plane, before heavy express trains scheduled speed of 120 mph to reach (193 km / h) and it is also reported speeds over 200 km / h, which are supposed to have achieved before T1 trains. The machines were reliable when they were treated accordingly. The Impenetrable seat of the valve controls and the otherwise very conservative held locomotive designs of the PRR resulted in a neglect of the T1 locomotives by the Personale in everyday practice with consequences. None of the locomotive has been preserved, but there is a steam-powered model in 1:8 scale with the original plans.