Central Pacific “El Gobernador”

The only locomotive in the USA ever built with the wheel arrangement 4-10-0 was “El Gobernator” built in 1884 by the Central Pacific in their Sacramento shops. It was designed by A.J. Stephens since he wanted a locomotive that was even more powerful than the 4-8-0 class GE.

In order to still be able to run through all curves, the last driving axle was mounted with lateral play and the third and fourth were designed without wheel flanges. The cylinders were only 21 inches in diameter, but had an extremely long stroke of 36 inches to achieve the power required. The valve gear was of a design Stevens had developed himself.

Although the locomotive was presented to the public, no use was found for this size class at the time. It also turned out that the boiler did not produce enough steam for the large cylinders. It was scrapped about ten years after completion.