Southern Pacific MT-4 4-8-2 trailing wheel diameter?

[Shrike Arghast]

Does anyone have handy the diameter of the wheels on the trailing truck of SP's MT-4 class 4-8-2s? They look like they were unusually large:

[Overmod]

These engines had Franklin C-1 boosters, which as I recall could have something like 51" wheels.  A relatively quick way to get answers would be to contact these guys:

https://riverraisinmodels.com/spMountains.html

or check one of the references they cite at the end of that page.  (Surprisingly, steamlocomotive.com does not appear to reference the leading or trailing-wheel diameters in their page on the MT classes....)

Ask Ed over on the MR forums; he'll have an answer PDQ.

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

From the drawings in the Model Railroader Steam locomotive Cyclopeda, 51" diameter on the trailing wheels on the SP MT class.

Yes, a bit bigger than the typical mid 40's size of most such trailing trucks.

Sheldon

[Shrike Arghast]

Overmod

These engines had Franklin C-1 boosters, which as I recall could have something like 51" wheels.  A relatively quick way to get answers would be to contact these guys:

https://riverraisinmodels.com/spMountains.html

or check one of the references they cite at the end of that page.  (Surprisingly, steamlocomotive.com does not appear to reference the leading or trailing-wheel diameters in their page on the MT classes....)

Ask Ed over on the MR forums; he'll have an answer PDQ.

 

Thank you! Yes, steamlocomotive.com was where I went first. I only turn to you guys as a last resort (I know there's a book on the MT mountains out there, but it retails for north of $100).

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

From the drawings in the Model Railroader Steam locomotive Cyclopeda, 51" diameter on the trailing wheels on the SP MT class.

Yes, a bit bigger than the typical mid 40's size of most such trailing trucks.

Sheldon

 

 

Thanks for the confirmation!

[kgbw49]

From Page 9 of Robert J. Church's book "The 4300 4-8-2's - Southern Pacific's Mt-Class Locomotives":

Lead truck - 36" diameter

Drivers - 73" diameter

Trailing truck - 51" diameter

The lead truck had solid-center wheels, the drivers were spoked wheels and the trailing truck had spoked wheels.

Page 19 has an excellent photo of the trailing truck and booster engine for a brand new Mt-3 number 4344 4-8-2 under construction in the Sacramento shops that is being placed on its wheels.

 

[Shrike Arghast]

Wait wait... what? We're NEW BUILDING an MT-3?

*Edit* Nevermind, I read that wrong. My heart leapt into my throat for a second. I thought we were doing something... British. Sigh.

[Shrike Arghast]

If anyone's still paying attention to this thread, I had a few more questions about the MT-4s/SP (and didn't want to spam up the forum asking them).

• Did the MT-4s run north out of San Francisco to Portland? Or were they pretty much exclusively Donner Pass/Sunset Route beasts?
• Daylights didn't run to Portland until the late 40s, correct? Prior to that, it was the Cascade (which had a completely different, more traditional trainset)? Thanks!

[BaltACD]

I am not much of a SP nerd.  I believe the SP initiated the Shasta Daylight after the War with new lightweight trainsets that were powered by Alco PA-1's.

I have no knowledge concerning the routes that the MT-4's were used on.

[kgbw49]

Here is Mt-4 4348 at Portland Union Station in 1932:

http://espee.railfan.net/nonindex/steam-02/4348_sp-steam-mt04-joe_strapac.jpg

[kgbw49]

Here is Mt-4 4353 on freight in the Bay Area in 1953:

http://espee.railfan.net/nonindex/steam-02/4353_sp-steam-mt04-gene_deimling.jpg

[kgbw49]

Here is Mt-3 4329 in Oakridge, Oregon in 1940 or 1941:

http://espee.railfan.net/nonindex/steam-02/4329_sp-steam-mt03-joe_strapac.jpg

[Shrike Arghast]

kgbw49

Here is Mt-3 4329 in Oakridge, Oregon in 1940 or 1941:

http://espee.railfan.net/nonindex/steam-02/4329_sp-steam-mt03-joe_strapac.jpg

 

 

Awesome, thank you (sorry it took me a while to get back!).