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New York Central classes H-10a and H-10b

United States 1922 302 produced
H-10a No. 2218 in November 1946 at Chicago collection Richard Driver

Of a total of 1,350 Mikados owned by the New York Central, the H-10 was the last and by far most modern. It started in 1922 when William E. Woodard of Lima was tasked to design a modern freight locomotive that was much more efficient than existing types. This one went to NYC's subsidiary Michigan Central and was numbered 8000.

It was based on the H-7e, but the most significant change was the superheater area that had nearly been doubled in comparison to other Mikados. To achieve this, the boiler only had flues with superheater elements inside them and no tubes at all. Additionally, it had a feedwater heater, improved draughting and streamlined steam passages. To improve the response to throttle inputs, it also got a front end throttle. Like the majority of NYC Mikados, it also had a trailing truck booster. 

In the result, the H-10 was 26 percent more efficient than the H-7. During its test runs, the 8000 managed to haul a train of 10,039 tons over nearly 50 miles. Due to its great success, it formed the base of 301 more H-10a and H-10b locomotives built by Lima and ALCO for the NYC and its subsidiaries. Many consider them the prototypes of Lima's superpower design and they didn't need many modifications during their service life. They were scrapped between 1950 and 1954.

Technical data

General

Property H-10a H-10b
Built 1922-1923 1924
Manufacturers ALCO, Lima
Wheel arrangement 2-8-2 (Mikado)
Gauge 1,435 mm (Standard gauge)

Dimensions and weights

Property H-10a H-10b
Wheelbase 11.28 m
Total wheelbase 21.81 m
Service mass 152 t 152.9 t
Adhesion mass 111.4 t 111.6 t
Total mass 242.1 t 278.1 t
Rigid wheelbase 5.03 m
Water capacity 37,854 l 68,137 l
Fuel capacity 14.5 t (coal) 13.6 t (coal)

Boiler

Property H-10a H-10b
Grate area 6.169 m² 6.206 m²
Firebox surface 27.035 m² 24.248 m²
Tube heating surface 398.276 m² 383.318 m²
Evaporative heating surface 425.311 m² 407.566 m²
Superheater surface 165.368 m² 187.664 m²
Total heating surface 590.7 m² 595.2 m²

Power plant

Property H-10a H-10b
Driver diameter 1,600 mm
Boiler pressure 13.8 bar
Expansion type simple expansion
Cylinders two, 711 x 762 mm

Power

Property H-10a H-10b
Power source steam
Estimated power 2,461 kW (3,346 PS)
Starting effort 282.3 kN
Starting effort booster 47.596 kN 48.93 kN

Calculated values

Property H-10a H-10b
Factor of adhesion 1 : 3.87 1 : 3.88
Optimal speed 53 km/h
Power-to-weight ratio 16.2 kW/t 16.1 kW/t
Heating Surface Equivalent 891.2 m² 904.1 m²
Cylinder volume/HSE 1 : 679.32 1 : 669.62
Adhesive weight/Total 1 : 1.36 1 : 1.37
Tractive force/Heating surface 1 : 9.98 1 : 9.91
Grate area/Heating surface 1 : 95.75 1 : 95.91
Firebox/Tube surface 1 : 14.73 1 : 15.81
Total/Superheater 1 : 2.57 1 : 2.17
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