New York Central class K-5

United States 1926 35 produced

Streamlined K-5s No. 4917 in November 1941 at Indianapolis, Indiana Howard W. Ameling / collection Taylor Rush

The K-5 class designated the heaviest Pacifics of the New York Central System. Built primarily for the subsidiaries, they were divided into the K-5 and K-5a subclasses. Numbers 4915 and 4917 were fitted with streamlining in 1936 designed by Henry Dreyfuss and called the “upside down bathtub”. These two pulled important express trains like the “Mercury” and became subclass K-5b.

Technical data

General

Property	K-5, K-5a	K-5b
Built	1926-1927	1936
Manufacturers	ALCO
Wheel arrangement	4-6-2 (Pacific)
Gauge	1,435 mm (Standard gauge)

Dimensions and weights

Property	K-5, K-5a	K-5b
Wheelbase	11.25 m
Total wheelbase	24.22 m
Service mass	134.9 t	143.8 t
Adhesion mass	83.7 t	87.9 t
Total mass	259.5 t	276.4 t
Rigid wheelbase	4.17 m
Axle load	27.9 t	29.3 t
Water capacity	56,781 l
Fuel capacity	14.5 t (coal)

Boiler

Property	K-5, K-5a	K-5b
Grate area	6.299 m²
Firebox surface	23.876 m²
Tube heating surface	343.277 m²
Evaporative heating surface	367.153 m²
Superheater surface	107.582 m²
Total heating surface	474.7 m²

Power plant

Property	K-5, K-5a	K-5b
Driver diameter	2,007 mm
Boiler pressure	14.1 bar	14.5 bar
Expansion type	simple expansion
Cylinders	two, 635 x 711 mm

Power

Property	K-5, K-5a	K-5b
Power source	steam
Estimated power	2,461 kW (3,346 PS)	2,517 kW (3,422 PS)
Starting effort	171.7 kN	175.9 kN

Calculated values

Property	K-5, K-5a	K-5b
Factor of adhesion	1 : 4.78	1 : 4.90
Optimal speed	89 km/h	87 km/h
Power-to-weight ratio	18.2 kW/t	17.5 kW/t
Heating Surface Equivalent	701.7 m²
Cylinder volume/HSE	1 : 641.96
Adhesive weight/Total	1 : 1.61	1 : 1.64
Tractive force/Heating surface	1 : 7.55	1 : 7.74
Grate area/Heating surface	1 : 75.37
Firebox/Tube surface	1 : 14.38
Total/Superheater	1 : 3.41

Navigation