Kevin’s Komments 10/10/2024

Cincinnati Northern Steam

Kurt asked recently that if we were to acquire some additional steam locos for the club, what would we look for? The question isn’t easily answered until you identify era. The CNor ran its last steam in 1956. So the early ‘50s would have seen a mix of first generation diesels and late steam. But, I believe the change-over occurred rather rapidly. Most of the documents I have show a good number of the Mikados still running in 1954 & 1955. The Mikados were the only steam running the CNor from the late ‘30s through the mid ‘50s (with a few minor exceptions).

NYC #6306 is credited with the last steam run on the CNor in Feb, 1956. It ran the length of the line pulling only a lone caboose. This pic shows #6306 in Van Wert, 1953. #6306 was classified as an H-6a. The NYC H-6a, Mikado, 2-8-2, was part of a group of USRA allocated light Mikados. These were built shortly after the USRA took control of the railroads during WWI and standardized the locos. A number of these NYC Mikados went to the CCC&StL of which some (I believe) ended up on the CNor in the early ‘30s. Photo by Clyde Helms {Gary Stuebben Collection}.

This is a USRA Mikado – compare it to #6306. The only major difference on the engineer’s side appears to be a larger power reverse and step pilot on #6306. (And, remember that there were around 35 years differences in these images.) The USRA loco designs were significantly advanced for the early part of the century such that many lasted to the final days of steam.

The NYC H-6a’s dominated the CNor roster in the early ‘50s. I’m not sure exactly when the Mikados started being retired, but of the 23 Mikados rostered by the CNor, 16 of them were H-6a’s. And, I show most of the H-6a’s lasting at least through the early ‘50s. While #6306 is credited with the last official steam run on the CN, #6412, another Class H-6a, left Jackson in early May 1956 and ran south on the CNor line. Here’s a couple pics of that run.

The CNor rostered at least three NYC Class H-7e’s.  This is #1992 built by ALCO-Schenectady in 1920 – probably just after the USRA relinquished control.  (The USRA controlled the railroads from late 1917 to early 1920.)  The H-7e’s were the most modern of the steam rostered to the CNor with the exception of a few short term situations.  There wasn’t a major difference between the H-6a’s and the H-7e’s.  Mostly, the H7-e’s were close to15% heavier and hence had around 10% greater tractive effort.  You can see that the boiler looks straight rather than tapered.  Also, the bell is placed between the steam and sand domes rather than on top-front of the smoke box.  The cab is just slightly longer with two windows each side rather than one.  My guess is that ALCO made improvements over the USRA design keeping the boiler straight to increase boiler size and in turn increasing tractive effort.  The pic was taken in Van Wert, 1955 – a Clyde E. Helms Photo) – {Gary Stuebben Collection}.

The CNor rostered at least three NYC Class H-7e’s.  This is #1992 built by ALCO-Schenectady in 1920 – probably just after the USRA relinquished control.  (The USRA controlled the railroads from late 1917 to early 1920.)  The H-7e’s were the most modern of the steam rostered to the CNor with the exception of a few short term situations.  There wasn’t a major difference between the H-6a’s and the H-7e’s.  Mostly, the H7-e’s were close to15% heavier and hence had around 10% greater tractive effort.  You can see that the boiler looks straight rather than tapered.  Also, the bell is placed between the steam and sand domes rather than on top-front of the smoke box.  The cab is just slightly longer with two windows each side rather than one.  My guess is that ALCO made improvements over the USRA design keeping the boiler straight to increase boiler size and in turn increasing tractive effort.  The pic was taken in Van Wert, 1955 – a Clyde E. Helms Photo) – {Gary Stuebben Collection}.

The most unusual feature of the H-5p’s was the front of the smoke box. Note that the smoke box front has an offset. The smoke box cover appears to be split in to two pieces. The top panel is above the hinged part of the cover. Then the smoke box door is off-center below that upper panel. Also note that below the tracks there’s an access pit between the rails – this is outside of the roundhouse. This could be for a quick look under the loco, or could be an ash pit. Photo taken in the Van Wert Ohio engine yard, August 1951. From Jim Brown- Cataract, WI – (CLYDE E. HELMS Photo) – {Gary Stuebben Collection}.

The most unusual feature of the H-5p’s was the front of the smoke box. Note that the smoke box front has an offset. The smoke box cover appears to be split in to two pieces. The top panel is above the hinged part of the cover. Then the smoke box door is off-center below that upper panel. Also note that below the tracks there’s an access pit between the rails – this is outside of the roundhouse. This could be for a quick look under the loco, or could be an ash pit. Photo taken in the Van Wert Ohio engine yard, August 1951. From Jim Brown- Cataract, WI – (CLYDE E. HELMS Photo) – {Gary Stuebben Collection}.

If you think the Mohawks brought a large steamer look to the CNor, there was also one Class S1b Niagara assigned to the CNor around the same time as the Mohawks.  Niagaras, 4-8-4’s, were more often known as Northerns on competing railroads.  NYC #6019 saw the CNor rails for only a brief period.  You can imagine that if the Mohawks were heavy on the rails, what this giant did.  Check out the classic heavy steam tender!   {ROBERT FOSTER Photo} {Gary Stuebben Collection}

Finally, if you’re into NYC steam nostalgia, NYC #5412, a J-3a “Super Hudson” built by ALCO-Schenectady in 1937, made a brief appearance on the CNor in 1954. #5412 was one of the few Class J’s that did not receive streamlining. She pulled an excursion train from Toledo to Bryan where she entered onto CNor track and continued to Jackson and farther North (same route reversed on the return trip). The NYC Hudsons were the cream of the passenger steamers in the late ‘30s and ‘40’s. But by the ‘50s, the premier passenger runs were being pulled by modern diesels. #5412 was relinquished to excursion trains and retired shortly after the run on CNor rails in 1955. Unfortunately, all the J-3a’s were scrapped.

That covers the steam of the ‘50s, the era we typically model. If you take off the Mohawks, Niagara, and Hudson, that also takes care of the “40s and the late ‘30s. The Mikados shown above ruled the CNor rails from the mid ‘30s through to the end of steam in 1956. But let’s go to the mid ‘20s through the early ‘30’s – What would the steam roster look like during that era?

Let’s start with CN #7088. By the mid ‘20s, the CCC&StL had long taken over the Cincinnati Northern, but the NYC was taking control and most equipment was lettered for the NYC. Best I can tell, this American (4-4-0) was lettered for the NYC in the mid ‘20s, even though the numbering was a CCC&StL designation. I don’t have much info on this particular loco, but all the other Americans were retired by the end of 1928. Passenger service on the CNor was stopped in 1929, so #7088 likely didn’t last more than a year past the better documented Americans. But the important point was that the railroad kept one or a couple of these Americans around to pull the small passenger trains. Some of the passenger service was handled by four gas powered Doodlebugs, but they were deemed very undependable. In the railroad documents, it was said that it took all 4 Doodlebugs to keep one of them running! Hence, I believe they kept a couple of Americans around as backups for the passenger trains. This pic shows #7088 pulling a one car passenger train. These short, one-car trains were the reason the gas cars were bought. But since they were undependable, the Americans acted as backup to the Doodlebugs. Si Herring Collection.

Let’s start with CN #7088. By the mid ‘20s, the CCC&StL had long taken over the Cincinnati Northern, but the NYC was taking control and most equipment was lettered for the NYC. Best I can tell, this American (4-4-0) was lettered for the NYC in the mid ‘20s, even though the numbering was a CCC&StL designation. I don’t have much info on this particular loco, but all the other Americans were retired by the end of 1928. Passenger service on the CNor was stopped in 1929, so #7088 likely didn’t last more than a year past the better documented Americans. But the important point was that the railroad kept one or a couple of these Americans around to pull the small passenger trains. Some of the passenger service was handled by four gas powered Doodlebugs, but they were deemed very undependable. In the railroad documents, it was said that it took all 4 Doodlebugs to keep one of them running! Hence, I believe they kept a couple of Americans around as backups for the passenger trains. This pic shows #7088 pulling a one car passenger train. These short, one-car trains were the reason the gas cars were bought. But since they were undependable, the Americans acted as backup to the Doodlebugs. Si Herring Collection.

NYC #6384 was still another of the sisters built by Brooks in 1891 and transferred to the CNor in1906. She ran the CNor rails until 1932.

This is Cincinnati, Jackson, & Mackinaw #35 which was acquired from the CJ&M at the founding of the CNor in 1897 and became CN #35. This loco looks more like we typically envision Ten-Wheelers – built in 1896 by Brooks. #35 was eventually renumbered into the NYC #6114 in 1905. While #6114 was retired in 1917, she had two sisters that remained on CNor rails until 1928. NYC #6111 & #6112 were renumbered in #6378 & #6379 in 1919 and continued service until almost the ‘30s. If you’re rostering these engines in the ‘20s, you should probably add an electric head lamp and a dynamo above the firebox just in front of the cab – check out the pics of #6384 & #6385 above.

But the real rulers on the CNor in the late ‘20s were the Consolidations, 2-8-0s. From around 1910 to 1915, around a dozen NYC Consolidations were transferred to the CNor. The first group were Class G-67s (with a G-66 and two G-68s thrown in). These were called “long-barrels”. Brooks built the G-67s for the Big Four in 1901, NYC #6549, #6553, & #6554. Unfortunately, I don’t have a pic of any of these locos, but I have the engine diagram that applies to all (3) of these classes. Note the two window cab, and no shown sand dome. (Possibly sand domes were added by the NYC after purchase.)

The slightly larger and more modern G-70s, built by Brooks in 1902 (only a year later) for the Big Four, were the main power for the CNor from the teens through the mid ‘20s. NYC #6576 was built by Brooks in 1902 along with 5 sister locomotives that made it to the CNor, NYC #6558, #6573, #6574, #6580, & #6582. They were originally built for the Big Four and transferred to CNor in 1912. These were considered local freight engines by the CCC&StL, but of course by the ‘20s, that was pretty much the entire CNor except for those small passenger trains run by Doodlebugs and Americans.

Here’s a diagram of Class G-70A.  Note the arched windows, not quite like the pic above shows.  Also, the bell and sand dome are switched between the pic and the diagram.  The diagram lists a Belpaire firebox which we can see in the pic.  The club has (or had) a framed photo of a locomotive that matches this diagram.

Generally, the subclasses (“A”, “B”, “C”,…) designate minor differences, but there’s a little bit of significant differences between the diagram of the Class G-70A and the pic of the G-70 above.  Even the tender appears different.

There was one additional locomotive that was assigned to the CNor some time prior to 1924, and may have ridden the rails almost until steam was retired. Sources say that there was an 0-6-0 switcher, NYC #7392, that was rostered at least in the year 1924. Sources say that it was a Class B-10 or B11. One source implied that it was rostered at the founding of the CNor in 1897, though I find this unlikely since B-10s and B11s were mostly built after 1900. There were numerous subclasses of the B10s and B11s, but they all looked similar except for exceptions in the tender style. (I believe I’ve seen B-10s with a sloped back tender.) These locos were almost exclusively used as switchers. They started appearing in yards and industrial areas in the early 1900s and remained in service often times until the early 1950s. I assume #7392 was assigned to Van Wert yard, and worked there from roughly 1910 to 1950. But, I’m making a lot of assumptions – I’ve found very little on this loco other than a few notes. This is a pic of NYC #6890 which is a Class B-10w, built by ALCO-Pittsburg in 1912. #7392 probably looked similar.

This is a pic of a NYC #6901, a class B-11a. This one was also built by ALCO-Pittsburg in 1912. Although this is a Class B-11, there’s not much difference between this loco and the B-10 above. Again, #7392 probably looked similar.

So, there’s a lot of flexibility in the roster if you model the CNor in the ‘20s.  As you move into the early ‘30s, the Mikados began drifting onto the line gradually replacing the Consolidations.   The early ‘30s are interesting with a few throw-back locos still around.  But, it’s almost purely Mikados from the mid ‘30s to the end of steam in 1956.  For the Mikados, you can run mostly USRA light Mikados with a few oddballs thrown in.  But back in the ‘20s, there was a mixture of all different locos built from the late 1800’s to the very early 1900’s, all different builders and styles.

We’ll save the actual Cincinnati Northern days,1897 to 1902, for some other study.

Thx,

Kevin

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