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BIGGEST TENDER

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Posted by M636C on Saturday, May 1, 2021 12:27 AM

(Of course the I1 is massively shorter than a K4s -- the wheelbase is 22'8" vs. 36'2")

I was always under the impression that the I-1 and K-4s were very similar in overall size, since the I-1 was said to have been developed from the L-1 2-8-2 which had the same boiler as the K-4s.

Checking the drawings in Kalmbach's "Model Railroader Cyclopedia Volume 1", both locomotives have the same overall length, 46 ft 10-1/2 ins for the K-4s and 1/4 inch less for the I-1. The coupled wheelbase of the I-1 is shown as 22 ft 8 ins but there is an overhang of 11 ft 2-1/2 ins behind the trailing driving axle.

Peter

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Posted by Overmod on Friday, April 30, 2021 11:23 AM

A few notes for further research:

Probably the poster child for Sara's version is one particular tender, the nominal 250F82a that was taken off S1 6100 and converted (it appears to have had the same deck height as the Decapods, which will give some hint about the Big Engine's size; the "a" apparently involves changing the stoker-engine arrangements from Berkley to Duplex, which I think is a flag for an engine type with no trailing truck).  The 'regular' big tenders for the I1s were 210F82a (again with Duplex) apparently converted from "210F75" which is a somewhat suggestive deck height (the stoker-equipped K4s were 75")

On the S1 the tender was 451840#.  I don't know how that weight would change with the swap to Duplex and removal of the passenger lines.  Still likely short of the ATSF in weight, but perhaps longer...

There are claims that there were additional 250F82 tenders applied to I1s.  These would almost certainly have been modified from the 10 250P75s put on K4s (see below) by raising the deck height and removing the steam and signal lines etc. -- the procedure to convert these to the 82" deck being little if any different for what was involved with a 210P75 as described above.  These would be runner-up to the Big Engine tender in the 'length' department, but to my knowledge so far those 10 did not get the 4F5T1 eight-wheel truck conversion.

Somewhere in the now-expanded scope of the question here will be those 10 K4s with 250P75, which we have discussed a few times here.  One example:

This has the same 6 axles as the I1 does, but like Mr. Clark's only three are driver axles; moreover these are 80" which translates both into slipping and drawbar TE concerns.

(Of course the I1 is massively shorter than a K4s -- the wheelbase is 22'8" vs. 36'2").  I will have to look this up in the Locomotive Cyclopedia but I'm nowhere near it right now.

 

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Posted by M636C on Friday, April 30, 2021 1:22 AM

A typical PRR Long Haul tender was the type 210F84 which was fitted to the j1 and J1a 2-10-4s. This carried 21 000 gallons of water and 59 000 lbf of coal. It weighed 411 500 lbf loaded.

This is smaller than the largest ATSF tenders.

Peter

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Posted by M636C on Thursday, April 29, 2021 11:17 PM

Sara T

At least the relative biggest in relation to the loco were the sixteen wheel tenders of the Pennsy for the I1s, loco had only twelve wheels.

Although the naming as "Coast to Coast tenders" was largely overdone, the States were much wider from coast to coast than the tenders were long, heeheehee.

Sara

 

Outside the USA there was a more extreme version of the PRR Coast to Coast tenders, which deserved the name more since they were used on the Trans Australian Railway, although coast to coast operation did not start until 1970, 18 years after steam was taken out of service.

The Commonwealth Railways C class was a 4-6-0 weighing 88.1 long tons, 197344 lbf., (similar in dimensions to the German Class 38-!0, the Prussian P8). This was coupled to a tender weighing 120 long tons, 268800 lbf, longer than the locomotive and with one more axle. These locomotives and tenders were built in 1938 to operate the passenger trains on the line which had been extended to Port Pirie the previous year.

Since most oof the line was through desert with little available water, the tenders were truly neccessary. They carried 12100 English gallons (larger than US Gallons) and 17.5 long tons of coal.

These locomotives were used on passenger trains, and the tender represented 27% of the load of the train.

Peter

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Posted by Sara T on Thursday, April 29, 2021 1:35 PM

At least the relative biggest in relation to the loco were the sixteen wheel tenders of the Pennsy for the I1s, loco had only twelve wheels.

Although the naming as "Coast to Coast tenders" was largely overdone, the States were much wider from coast to coast than the tenders were long, heeheehee.

Sara

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Posted by M636C on Monday, April 26, 2021 8:39 PM

timz

Next question: whose tender had the greatest total capacity -- weight of coal/oil plus water? Do I remember right that the VGN 2-6+6-6s carried 26500 gallons of water? If so, they're likely winners.

 

I only have details for the smaller C&O H-8 tenders with 25 000 gallons and 25 tons, the heaviest of which weighed 437 000 lbf.

The Condensing tenders of the South African Class 25 weighed 113 long tons 18 cwt (=113.9 long tons) = 255 136 lbf.

Peter

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Posted by Overmod on Monday, April 26, 2021 11:17 AM

CSSHEGEWISCH
How would you classify the tenders on SAR's Class 25 condensing 4-8-4's?

Mostly empty space.  These were air-cooled condensers often operating in decidedly hot air... and the actual mass of water in the physical condenser structure likely not that significant.

Remember there are limits on how much heat you can put in tender-cistern water before the injectors get into trouble.  With the latent heat of condensation capable of raising considerable mass of water from ambient to boiling... 

If we count the mass of the condensers, fans, etc. in the weight -- renember that this is Cape gauge with no more than 22ton axle load, and those tenders ran on six axles.

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Posted by Backshop on Monday, April 26, 2021 10:35 AM

Not quite the biggest but the Pennsy's coast-to-coast tenders were very large, too.

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Posted by timz on Monday, April 26, 2021 10:17 AM

Next question: whose tender had the greatest total capacity -- weight of coal/oil plus water? Do I remember right that the VGN 2-6+6-6s carried 26500 gallons of water? If so, they're likely winners.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Monday, April 26, 2021 10:09 AM

How would you classify the tenders on SAR's Class 25 condensing 4-8-4's?

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by M636C on Monday, April 26, 2021 8:49 AM

kgbw49

Sante Fe 3776 and 2900 4-8-4 locomotives pulled 8-axled tenders holding 7,000 gallons of oil and 26,495 gallons of water, weighing in at 464,700 lbs.

https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=4-8-4&railroad=atsf

https://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/atsf2923.htm

https://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/atsf2929.htm

 

I think the Santa Fe has it...

The B&O EM-1 tenders weighed 382 000 lbf.

The Niagara PT-6 tender weighed 420 000 lbf.

The C-1a tender described by Overmod weighed 445 000 lbf. (and wasn't built)

ATSF had the 464 000 lbf. tenders on 3776 class, 2900 class and 5011 class locomotives.

Peter

 

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Posted by kgbw49 on Sunday, April 25, 2021 11:13 PM

Sante Fe 3776 and 2900 4-8-4 locomotives pulled 8-axled tenders holding 7,000 gallons of oil and 26,495 gallons of water, weighing in at 464,700 lbs.

https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=4-8-4&railroad=atsf

https://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/atsf2923.htm

https://www.railarchive.net/randomsteam/atsf2929.htm

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Posted by BaltACD on Sunday, April 25, 2021 9:21 PM

B&O built a number of 25 Ton 20K gallon tenders for use on a number of locomotives including the EM-1's

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, April 25, 2021 8:53 PM

New York Central C1a, for coal capacity.  But this was facilitated by having a relatively small cistern, the result of intensive track-pan use.

The answer for water is going to depend on whether you count A-tanks/water bottles/auxiliary tenders as part of the "heaviest tender" (railroads would certainly consider them so).

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BIGGEST TENDER
Posted by BEAUSABRE on Sunday, April 25, 2021 5:55 PM

OK, now for something a little off beat, Which steam engines had the heaviest tender (when loaded with fuel and water)

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