|
Class
2-10-0 Decapods were not a favorite with most railroads; they were
rough-riding, but the Pennsylvania Railroad was satisfied with what they saw.
The Decapods were tough, had enormous strength, and could be depended on for
carrying goods up large mountain slopes. It was said that wherever there were
hills, there were usually decapods not far away.
The first Altoona-built 2-10-0
locomotive emerged from Juniata's erecting shop in December of 1916. It was
designed by the genius of Alfred W Gibbs and Axel S Vogt. The I-1 engine could
travel up the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania faster than other engines in
use built prior to this one. A total of 598 I-1s were built. 123 I-1s were
built at the Juniata Shops and 475 at the Baldwin Shops. The order for 475 at
the Baldwin Shops was the largest order ever for a single class of power!
By 1924, I1s were tearing up the
railways. They were regarded as the standard heavy freight hauler of the
railroad, achieving speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. They replaced three
smaller types of engines: the Consolidations, Mikados, and USRA Santa Fe's.
Some specifications of the I-1
included a boiler that was the largest applied to any Pennsylvania Railroad
class up to 1916. The boiler was fed by mechanical stokers and required 250
pounds of steam pressure in its 30 1/2" x 32" cylinders to operate.
The total engine weight was 386,100 pounds and could haul up to 90,000 pounds.
The first I-1, Locomotive No. 790
displayed Juniata Shop badge plate No. 3165. It out-performed the L-1 class
2-8-2 by forty-one percent more horsepower, while utilizing twelve percent
less steam. It could travel great distance, powered by only a small amount of
steam.
Over a span of many years, the I-1
engines were broken down into subdivisions: the I-1sa and Class I-1s. The
I-1sa class had 489 locomotives and the I-1s class had 109 locomotives.
The most notable feature of the
decapods was the twin bulky air reservior tanks riding up front on the pilot
deck. They were not on the original locos, but were implemented later.
One of the last and most famous
runs of the I-1s was the transporting of iron ore out of Northumberland,
Pennsylvania. They carried nine thousand tons of ore over the Shamokin Branch
to an interchange in the Lehigh Valley.
Click
here for price Lists
|