Pennsylvania class G5s
For local service, the PRR needed a locomotive with great tractive effort and fast acceleration, as there were many grades. In order to be able to prevent double heading with locomotives with two driving axles, a locomotive with three driving axles was required. The choice fell on a ten-wheeler, i.e. on the wheel arrangement 4-6-0. The boiler could be taken from the class E-6s Atlantic and the class H-10s Consolidation.
The mass balancing was designed as good as possible and moving parts were constructed as light as possible without sacrificing strength. Despite a wheel diameter of only 68 inches, a top speed of 70 mph could be approved.
The Altoona workshops made 90 locomotives for the PRR and 31 identical ones for the Long Island Railroad. The locomotives apparently fulfilled their purpose, since they achieved the required acceleration performance and could easily keep to the timetables. Despite this, it was reported that they had insufficient running smoothness and a high consumption of coal and water. However, they remained in service as long as there was steam service on the PRR.
Technical data
General
- Built
- 1923-1924
- Manufacturers
- Altoona
- Wheel arrangement
- 4-6-0 (Ten-wheeler)
- Gauge
- 1,435 mm (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and weights
- Wheelbase
- 8.08 m
- Total wheelbase
- 19.80 m
- Service mass
- 107.5 t
- Adhesion mass
- 80.7 t
- Total mass
- 187.3 t
- Rigid wheelbase
- 4.34 m
- Axle load
- 28.6 t
- Water capacity
- 29,526 l
- Fuel capacity
- 11.8 t (coal)
Boiler
- Grate area
- 5.118 m²
- Firebox surface
- 16.444 m²
- Tube heating surface
- 248.795 m²
- Evaporative heating surface
- 265.238 m²
- Superheater surface
- 56.95 m²
- Total heating surface
- 322.2 m²
Power plant
- Driver diameter
- 1,727 mm
- Boiler pressure
- 14.1 bar
- Expansion type
- simple expansion
- Cylinders
- two, 610 x 711 mm
Power
- Power source
- steam
- Estimated power
- 1,566 kW (2,129 PS)
- Top speed
- 113 km/h
- Starting effort
- 183.8 kN
Calculated values
- Factor of adhesion
- 1 : 4.31
- Optimal speed
- 51 km/h
- Power-to-weight ratio
- 14.6 kW/t
- Heating Surface Equivalent
- 461.4 m²
- Cylinder volume/HSE
- 1 : 899.83
- Adhesive weight/Total
- 1 : 1.33
- Tractive force/Heating surface
- 1 : 11.92
- Grate area/Heating surface
- 1 : 62.95
- Firebox/Tube surface
- 1 : 15.13
- Total/Superheater
- 1 : 4.66