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Canadian Pacific class T4a
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Canada | 1931
only one produced
Image of locomotive

Number 8000 of the Canadian Pacific, also designated class T4a, was an experimental 2-10-4 high-pressure locomotive. It had a Schmidt-Henschel boiler that consisted of three circuits. The first one was located in the firebox and operated as a closed circuit with distilled water. Pressure was 1,350 psi or 93 bars. The second one, that also fed the central high pressure cylinder, was operated with 850 psi or 59 bars. The third circuit was located in the boiler barrel and was operated with only 250 psi or 17.2 bars. Its tasks were to evaporate the water and to feed the outside low-pressure cylinders, mixed with the exhaust steam of the high-pressure cylinder.

After it was completed in 1931 in the Angus Shops, Montreal, it was towed west and tested on the CPR's Mountain Subdivision. It was sometimes reported that drivers refused to operate this locomotive because they were frightened of the high pressure. In the result, it consumed 25 percent less fuel than comparable locomotives, but was much more complicated to maintain. Additionally, it spent many months in the shops for repairs. So like all very high pressure locomotives, it was not produced in series and withdrawn in 1936.

General
Built1931
ManufacturerAngus Shops
Axle config2-10-4 (Texas) 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length98 ft 9 1/16 in
Rigid wheelbase23 ft 6 in
Service weight495,040 lbs
Total weight796,320 lbs
Water capacity12,000 us gal
Fuel capacity4,100 us gal (oil)
Boiler
Grate area77 sq ft
Firebox area520 sq ft
Tube heating area3,746 sq ft
Evaporative heating area4,266 sq ft
Superheater area753.5 sq ft
Total heating area5,019.5 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter63 in
Boiler pressure850 psi
Expansion typecompound
Cylindersthree, HP: 15 1/2 x 28 in
and LP: 24 x 30 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power5,000 hp (3,729 kW)
Starting effort96,866 lbf
with start valve116,239 lbf
Calculated Values
Optimal speed33 mph
steam locomotive
freight
high pressure
prototype
last changed: 02/2025
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