loco-info.com - Erie classes S-1 to S-4

The Erie was the American railroad that ordered the greatest number of 2-8-4 “Berkshire” locomotives. These 105 locomotives were not only delivered by all three major manufacturers, but also had the biggest heating surface of all Berkshires. As usual for the late twenties, they were fitted with thermic syphons, arch tubes, Worthington feedwater heaters and had a limited cutoff.

25 of the class S-1 were built in 1927 by ALCO, followed by another 25 S-2 in the same year by Lima. 35 S-3 were built by Baldwin in 1928 and 20 S-4 again by Lima in 1929. Both Lima subclasses were designed for a boiler pressure of 250 psi, but operated at only 225 psi like their sisters. These classes made it possible for the Erie to greatly accelerate their freight services and they were all scrapped between 1950 and 1952.

Variant	S-1	S-2	S-3	S-4

General
Built	1927		1928	1929
Manufacturer	ALCO	Lima	Baldwin	Lima
Axle config	2-8-4 (Berkshire)
Gauge	4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)

Dimensions and Weights
Wheelbase	42 ft	44 ft
Rigid wheelbase	18 ft 3 in
Total wheelbase	86 ft 2 in	86 ft 7 in	91 ft 7 in	91 ft 6 1/2 in
Service weight	443,000 lbs	457,500 lbs		468,600 lbs
Adhesive weight	276,000 lbs	281,000 lbs	284,670 lbs	286,500 lbs
Total weight	753,000 lbs	787,500 lbs	827,950 lbs	846,600 lbs
Axle load	71,000 lbs	70,800 lbs	71,700 lbs	72,000 lbs
Water capacity	16,500 us gal		20,750 us gal	20,800 us gal
Fuel capacity	48,000 lbs (coal)		54,000 lbs (coal)	56,000 lbs (coal)

Boiler
Grate area	100 sq ft
Firebox area	449 sq ft	448 sq ft	437 sq ft	449 sq ft
Tube heating area	5,250 sq ft	5,249 sq ft	5,254 sq ft	5,246 sq ft
Evaporative heating area	5,699 sq ft	5,697 sq ft	5,691 sq ft	5,695 sq ft
Superheater area	2,448 sq ft	2,480 sq ft		2,545 sq ft
Total heating area	8,147 sq ft	8,177 sq ft	8,171 sq ft	8,240 sq ft

Variant	S-1	S-2	S-3	S-4

Power Plant
Driver diameter	70 in
Boiler pressure	225 psi	250 psi	225 psi	250 psi
Expansion type	simple
Cylinders	two, 28 1/2 x 32 in

Power
Power source	steam
Estimated power	4,800 hp (3,579 kW)	5,100 hp (3,803 kW)	4,800 hp (3,579 kW)	5,100 hp (3,803 kW)
Optimal speed	43 mph	41 mph	43 mph	41 mph
Starting effort	71,014 lbf	78,904 lbf	71,014 lbf	78,904 lbf

Calculated Values
Factor of adhesion	1 : 3.89	1 : 3.56	1 : 4.01	1 : 3.63
Power-to-weight ratio	0.0108 hp/lb	0.0111 hp/lb	0.0105 hp/lb	0.0109 hp/lb
Heating Area Equivalent	12,840 sq ft	12,897 sq ft	12,836 sq ft	13,030 sq ft
Cylinder volume/HAE	1 : 560.87	1 : 558.39	1 : 561.05	1 : 552.69
Adhesive weight/Total	1 : 1.61	1 : 1.63	1 : 1.61	1 : 1.64
Tractive force/Heating area	1 : 1959.56	1 : 2169.29	1 : 1953.81	1 : 2152.71
Grate area/Heating area	1 : 76.98	1 : 77.29	1 : 77.34	1 : 77.91
Firebox/Tube area	1 : 17.14	1 : 17.25	1 : 17.70	1 : 17.35
Total/Superheater	1 : 2.33	1 : 2.30	1 : 2.29	1 : 2.24

steam locomotive

freight

last changed: 04/2024

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