Wizlish,
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A cursory reading of The Pennsylvania Railroad System at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Locomotive Tests And Exhibits is revealing!
The Pennsylvania Railroad had planned extensive dynamometer tests on steam locomotives at its Altoona PA engine works in a newly constructed test plant facility at that Altoona sight. The inspirtation of the 1904 Worlds Fair caused the directors to move this equipment and set up the engine test facility in St. Louis at the 1904 Exposition in celebration of the public interest in scientific and engineering of the period. The exhibit sight chosen a the 1904 fair was 31,000 square feet in a space 94 x 330 feet. It also featured a scale model of the proposed Pennsylvania Station in New York - which was later built at the current sight of Madison Square Gardens and whose underground structure remains to this day. Also featured at the fair was a "true to life" walk-in section of the proposed Manhattan to Long Island Railroad Tunnel along with various other exhibits.
The steam locomotive engine dynamometer when constructed ran for hours testing 8 locomotives that year at the Worlds Fair. There was insufficient time to test an additional 3 that had been obtained for test purposes. The general public was witness to the entire proceeding from "set up" to conclusion. The steam locomotives tested were run up to 10 hours at a time to complete the many engineering tests. Provisions were made to coal and water them and for smoke removal as well as crewing - remember this was before firebox stokers. A full time engineering staff was also made available at the fair.
At the conclusion of the fair, the entire dynamometer test apparatus was dismantled and then moved to its home at Altoona, PA where it became the foundation for the long heralded Pennsylvania Railroad test facility. This book gives the initial detailed drawing of the plant and all the various test apparatus, gauges and other unique instruments and blueprints designed for the engine dynamometer - wheels, pedestals, pits, and all the detailed information on the construction technique and problems overcome in testing various locomotives.
In all, the locomotives tested were the best freight and passenger power available at the time in the United States and featured compound locomotive designs from France and Germany. England did not choose to participate. The French locomotive was a DeGlen design purchased by the Pennsylvania RR.
ATCHISON TOPEKA & SANTA FE RR
4-4-2 Atlantic passenger engine #535 class 507, a Vauclain 4 cyl crank axle balanced compound by Baldwin - this engine tested to 1622 indicated horsepower.
2-10-2 "Santa Fe" type freight engine, #929 class 900, a 4 cyl tandum compound by Baldwin - this engine tested to 1258 indicated horsepower.
NEW YORK CENTRAL AND HUDSON RIVER RR
4-4-2 Atlantic passenger engine, #3000 the I1 class, a Cole 4 cyl balanced compound which featured inner HP cylinders driving the front locomotive axle and the outer LP cylinders driving the second axle - built by American Locomotive Works - this engine tested to 1641 indicated horsepower.
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD
4-4-2 Atlantic passenger engine #2512 a crank axle 4 cyl balanced compound w 2 valve gears for separate cut off of HP and LP cylinders, a copper Belpare firebox, and a adjustable variable exhaust nozzle - this was a French DeGlen design purchased by the Pennsylvania RR for the test - this engine tested to 945 indicated horsepower.
2-8-0 Consolidation freight locomotive #1499 classed H6a, a SIMPLE engine w D valves, new built at Altoona in 1904 with a wide firebox - this engine tested to 1050 indicated horsepower
MICHIGAN CENTRAL RAILROAD
2-8-0 Consolidation freight locomotive #585 class W built by American Locomotive Company, a 2 cylinder cross compound with wide firebox - this engine tested to 1041 indicated horsepower.
LAKE SHORE AND MICHIGAN SOUTHERN
2-8-0 Consolidation freight locomotive, #734 a B-1 class, SIMPLE engine by Brooks Locomotive Works, featured a narrow firebox - this engine tested to 1098 indicated horsepower.
GERMAN HANOVER LOCOMOTIVE WORKS
4-4-2 Atlantic passenger locomotive #628, of the S8 class, a 4 cylinder crank axle balanced compound with Pieloct superheater and featuring a new design of valve gear known as Walschaert, the locomotive was built in Germany by Hanover Locomotive Works - this engine tested to 816 indicated horsepower.
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Horsepower tests were made of boiler and cylinder and drawbar measures for each locomotive and results for each provided. NYC&HR Cole balanced compound 4-4-2 Atlantic #3000 vied with AT&SF #535 a balanced Vaulcain compound as the most powerful engine tested with near 1,641 indicated for the NYC and 1,622 indicated for the Santa Fe - also about 1,500 drawbar horsepower each - the boiler horsepower for both was higher.
The road speeds in miles per hour at which these maximum power numbers were achieved was shown. In the case of the New York Central And Hudson River, the importance of valve "cut off" in compound locomotive operation was illustrated - the engine made all its power at 46% cutoff 1,640 hp at 60 miles per hour - yet it ran a highter rotational speed at a lesser horsepower reading at 36% cutoff. This lower horsepower achieved a higher 75 miles per hour speed.
The overall top engine speed obtainable on the railroad were not able to be measured but it was also said of these compound locomotives, that some ran by "cut off" valve setting alone and not by the driver using the throttle. This observation about engine performance reveals that driving a steam locomotive was not like stepping on the gas in your car.
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None of the 1904 Worlds Fair tested locomotives survive today, but the Henry Ford Museum does have the sole surviving LS&MS 4-4-2 Atlantic and is probably the closest surviving locomotive! Quite similar to this Ford locomotive is the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry's last surviving high speed NYC&HR passenger 4-4-0 American, the famed #999 unfortunately much changed having lost its original wooden cab and high diameter drive wheels. This is not the case with the Ford LS&MS passenger locomotive which is still mostly intact. Somehow, I wish the Henry Ford Museum would wake up to this unique history of its prize 4-4-2 Atlantic LS&MS engine! Also, observe the unknown top speed achieved Henry Ford himself playing with the LS&MS Atlantic - on his own time - on his own Detroit Toledo & Ironton Railroad vs. the known speed record of NYC&HR 4-4-0 American type, speed record run of the #999 of 112.5 mph near Batavia, NY. in the 1890's.
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The scientific procedures and mathmatical formulas for all the locomotive tests are clearly given at length and the computers used in creating the scientific data specified. I realized at this point that these COMPUTERS were ranks of mathamaticians hired by the railroad to work out all the answers with paper and pen! they were "human computers!" Unfortunately the book includes many pages of "blue prints" which true to form are not easily coppied on black white medium and so appear as blank pages on the computer downloaded Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive test.
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FRICTION - "machine friction" studies were done as part of the horsepower tests! Owing to the tremendous loss of power in the chasis of each locomotive tested in the "friction bearings" used in this pre roller bearing age! The age of "frictonless bearings" was forseen. It appears that GREASE - "heavy grease" was used to lubricate the drive axles and rod bearings and was much inferior to "OIL LUBRICATION." Further, the "quality machine oil" obtained had to be filtered several times to obtain a suitable product!
This was an early forcast of the wonderful "full roller bearing drive" that would be developed on many 20th century steam locomotives such as N&W 611 - C&O 614 - CB&Q 4000 aka 3002 "Aeolus" - NYC 6000's the "Niagaras" - Pennsy Duplex T-1's etc. We need to appreciate this - restoration locomotives without roller bearing drive have a practical but inherent handicap - pick a roller bearing engine to restore if you can!
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Several engines failed in testing or were in-capable of being fully tested. The AT&SF 2-10-2 Santa Fe type 4 cylinder tandum compound was too powerful for the 1904 engine test facility at the Worlds Fair and the test dynamometer broke. Apparently the dynamometer brake used to measure power was of insufficient capacity. The Santa Fe although tested was never able to run with full power.
The much vaunted French 4-4-2 Atlantic, a DeGlen design purchased for the test by the Pennsylvania Railroad and displayed at the fair - which engine featured a copper Belpare firebox. This engine burned out a main drive wheel axle bearing which could not be serviced without removal to the Pennsylvania Shops. It was then run-in on the railroad for "break in" purposes and later returned to the fair and re-tested at power at the end of the year.
A very stable running locomotive and a curiosity because of its duel valve gear adjustment - one for each of its high and low pressure cylinder systems - which allowed "cut off" to be varried independently; also for its variable size of adjustable exhaust nozzle which allowed the draft on the locomotive firebox to be varried when running. In spite of the high technology of this locomotive, it generated only 816 indicated horsepower, which was low considering all of the American locomotives freight and passenger of all types generated at least 1000 indicated horsepower. It should also be noted that the successful German Hanover product 4-6-2 passenger Atlantic which featured a superheater as well as Walschaert valve gear, also produced only some 945 indicated horsepower.
The AT&SF 4-4-2 Atlantic a balanced 4 cylinder compound with equal lengh drive rods continually burned out one of the inside rod bearings. These were replaced several times in hope of finishing all of the tests but the engine could not run without violent side to side movement which was cutting off the drive wheel flanges. It was suspected the engine was not built with correct alignment of its parts. Its test were incomplete and it was returned to the railroad. This was in contrast to the other top producing NYC&HR 4-4-2 passenger Atlantic Cole compound which ran very smoothly at the highest speeds, a credit to designer Cole.
The German 4-4-2 would not steam properly without imported German coal - all the other locomotives used the supplied Berwind Coal Co product. This gave rise to my own question concerning how much each steam locomotive is built around a particular fuel used by its designing railroad? Rosebudd for Northern Pacific, Wyoming for Union Pacific, Pennsylvania coal for the PRR, NYC and eastern railroads?
Just some observations here on great finds to be had in reading The Pennsylvania Railroad System at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Locomotive Tests And Exhibits .
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