Greetings All,
The Baldwins Visit Empire City for the Holidays
Not the actors!! The locomotives!!!
It's that time of year again when dad digs deep under the layout to pull out and run the varying locomotives of the family's combined fleet. Today we take a look at some of the Baldwin locomotives on the roster and some of their prototypical offerings.
What are Baldwins?
Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone in the early 20th century. The company was for decades the world's largest producer of steam locomotives, but struggled to compete when demand switched to diesel locomotives. Baldwin produced the last of its 70,000-plus locomotives in 1951, before merging with the Lima-Hamilton Corporation on September 11, 1951, to form the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation.
Between 1947 and 1948 Baldwin built three coal-fired steam turbine-electric locomotives of a unique design, for passenger service on the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O), who numbered them 500 to 502 and classified them M-1. The 6,000 horsepower (4,500 kW) units, which were equipped with Westinghouse electrical systems and had a 2-C1+2-C1-B wheel arrangement, were 106 feet (32 m) long, making them the longest locomotives ever built for passenger service.
Some of the Baldwin Diesels
The Baldwin DR-12-8-1500/2 (known informally as the Centipede) was the Baldwin Locomotive Works' first serious attempt at a production road diesel locomotive. The Baldwin type designation was 'DR-12-8-1500/2,' meaning Diesel Road locomotive, with 12 axles (8 of which were driven), and two engines of 1,500 horsepower (1,100 kW) each. The trucks were configured in a 2-D+D-2 wheel arrangement. The nickname came from the numerous axles set in a nearly unbroken line, much like the legs of a centipede.
Dual Cab Locomotives for the CNJ
The Central Railroad of New Jersey ordered six DRX-6-4-2000 locomotives for its then-subsidiary Wharton and Northern, #2000–#2005, which were unusual for North American diesel locomotives in that they had driving cabs at both ends. The first three #2000-2002 had the cab doors on the same level as the locomotive frame, and were delivered with an orange roof. The last three had their doors on the cab floor level and were delivered with a dark blue roof. On the CNJ they were known as "Double-enders". The cab style was nicknamed "Babyface" and was used by several other Baldwin models.
The Sharks
The BLH RF-16 is a 1,625-horsepower (1,212 kW) cab unit-type diesel locomotive built for freight service by the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation between 1950 and 1953. All RF-16s were configured with a B-B wheel arrangement and ran on two AAR Type B two-axle road trucks, with all axles powered. A total of 109 cab-equipped A units were built, along with 51 cabless booster B units, for a total of 160 locomotives built. As was the case with most passenger locomotives of its day, the RF-16s came equipped with a retractable, nose-mounted drop coupler pilot. Unlike competing units from EMD and Alco, the RF-16 used an air-powered throttle, meaning that it could not be run in MU operation with EMD or Alco diesels without special MU equipment.
Transfer Service Locomotives
The BLH RT-624 was a twin-engined diesel-electric locomotive, built by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation between August 1951 and February 1954.
The RT-624, an improved version of the former Baldwin DT-6-6-2000, was a center-cab transfer locomotive. Twenty-four locomotives were built using 6-cylinder turbocharged 606A prime movers during 1951–1954. Penn Central operated ex-PRR #8955, and was retired in October 1969, and scrapped in July 1970. The MNS purchased a single unit that is pictured below.
"IRM.07.09.24.R1.16.WD" by contemplative imaging is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse.
The ubiquitous S12 Switcher
The BLH S12 was a 1,200-horsepower (890 kW) diesel-electric switcher locomotive. Utilizing a turbocharged 6-cylinder version of the powerful 606A diesel prime mover, S12s were known for their "lugging" power, despite being temperamental. Like most BLH switchers, the S12 had AAR Type-A switcher trucks in a B-B wheel arrangement. 451 units were built between 1951 and 1956, when BLH left the locomotive market.
To the Models!!!
On the the layout we find an A-B-A set of Sharks sitting in North Side Yard after delivering a freight train from Terminal Yard. A brace of five EMD F7s lead a swollen holiday train thru Empire City to Terminal Yard.
The Baldwins in Action!!!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!!!
See you soon!!!
Fantastic historical overview of Baldwin locomotives! That was an impressive amount of history with great illustrative photos. I am amazed by the C&O Steam turbine #502! Baldwin S-12s are certainly ubiquitous on the N.Y.C.T.L as are a number of other models from the manufacturer! A terrific roster!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ralph!!! The Baldwin Company made some very interesting locomotives!
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