The J2 and J3 class 4-8-4s were two fleets of 4-8-4s that worked on the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad from 1930 until 1952.
History[]
| Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Class J | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| V - E - T - D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 1929, The Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway was looking for a more efficient dual-service passenger and freight locomotive to runs heavy trains from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee (the old Western & Atlantic mainline). At the time, the railroad already had the J1A and J1C 4-8-2 mountain type and the L2A and L2B class 2-8-2 Mikado type steam locomotives, the most powerful road engines on the line. Each of these classes of locomotives was fitted with boosters which made them able to develop about 65,000 lbs. pulling power. Because of those boosters, they could handle 50 car trains of 2,650 tons between Chattanooga and Atlanta unassisted. However, boosters were expensive to maintain and the L2 series Mikados were too slow to compete with the highway competition. To add to that, the Mountain type engines had a difficulty meeting with their timetables of the swiftest passenger trains during the winter season when extra coaches were added onto the trains.
Mr. C. M. Darden, Mechanical Engineer of the Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad, had just earned the title of Superintendent of Machinery and was given the job of designing a powerful and efficient steam locomotive that would trim the operating costs. Around that time, the 4-8-4 design had already been around since 1925 and teaming up with the designers of the Schenectady, New York plant of the American Locomotive Company, they drew up plans for a new 4-8-4 design.
#566's builders photo.
In 1930, the J2 class locomotives rolled out of the ALCo plant. These engines were the most modern locomotives on the Dixie Line at the time. Each locomotive had 25" x 30" inch cylinders, 70-inch driving wheels, a tractive effort of 57,000 lbs., a boiler pressure of 250 psi, and weighed in at 190.5 tons (287.5 tons with tender). They were equipped with Vanderbilt tender which 4 wheeled bogies which held 16 gallons of oil and 10,000 gallons of water. They were numbered 565 - 569. The locomotives were then designated the "Dixie" type locomotives in honor of the railroad, even though the 4-8-4 type was known as the "Northern" type. One other thing about the class was that they were later fitted with roller bearings which reduced friction. One of the most important features on the J2s was the one piece steel bed frame case integral with both cylinders. Both the main and leading driving axles were equipped with Free-lateral "floating" driving boxes which helped the locomotives negotiate tight curves when they were going at high speeds, this way there was less excessive rail or flange wear.
| Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Class J | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| V - E - T - D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Immediately after the J2s arrived on the line, they were immediately put into service hauling fast freight and express passenger trains between Nashville and Chattanooga. Even though they were rated at 2,600 tons in either direction over the main line in Georgia, these locomotives rarely made an appearance at the Hills Park Roundhouse and Yard in Atlanta prior to World War 2. The locomotives were never equipped with boosters since the L2 series 2-8-2s and J1 series 4-8-2s were able to handle slow heavy freight trains.
Unlike the L2s and the J1s, the J2s had it's own "toys". The engines were equipped with the Type E superheater, Worthington 4-S2 feedwater heater, Standard BK stoker, and the Bradford front-end throttle. Although the J2s was not utilized to a high degree prior to WW2, it proved itself to the railroad's management and superiors and they were suited to the railroad's requirement in future motive power.
#573 at the Hills Park Roundhouse in Atlanta in 1947.
In 1941, the NC&StL ordered 10 more 4-8-4s, designating them as the J3 class 4-8-4s. They were built as an improvement of the J2 "Dixies" with hidden accessories such as a main reservoir cast into the bed frame. The locomotives arrived on the railroad in 1942, and just in time since the U.S.A. declared war on Japan and Germany after the bombings of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. These locomotives showed a lot of difference than their J2 predecessors, due to the fact they had a streamlined appearance and a big tender with 6 wheeled bogies as opposed to the 4 wheeled Vanderbilt tenders that the J2s had.
One other interesting fact was that the J3s had Timken roller bearings on all of its axles on not only the locomotive but also on the tender. All of the locomotives driving wheels were of the Boxpork type. The J3s had about the same specifications of the J2s, with the same sized driving wheels, same boiler pressure, same cylinders, and the same tractive effort. The only difference was that they weighed in at 200.25 tons each (342.75 tons with tender) and they were numbered 570 - 579. Their tenders held up to the same amount of oil, but the biggest improvement was that they held 15,000 gallons of water.
The total wheelbase of the J3s and their tenders was less than 87 feet, only 5 feet greater than the J2s. Total length was slightly below 100 feet, and because of this, it made possible, but impractical, to turn the locomotives on the old 90 feet turntables. So to avoid this problem, they fitted 110-foot turntables at the Nashville, Chattanooga, and Atlanta roundhouses for a safer and faster operation. The locomotives were equipped with a wide yellow skirt below the running board of the locomotive, and extending as a yellow band on the locomotives' tender. Also in front of the engine, a streamlined smokebox front was also included in the original design. This along with the yellow stripe gave the engines the nickname "Yellow-Jackets".
#580 after she arrived straight from the factory in 1943. Note the streamlined front end.
Later on in 1943, 10 more engines were ordered from ALCo and were numbered 580 - 589. The only difference with this batch was that the shirting and the broad yellow band weren't applied because of the war. However this proved to be too bare so the NC&StL employees painted a thin yellow line alongside the running board and tender. This gave the engines the nickname "Stripes" from the employees. Eventually, all of the J3s were modified as "Stripes" and the streamlined front on the smokebox was replaced with a simple one of a more practical design.
In the post war years of the NC&StL from 1945 to 1948, the J2 and J3 locomotives put up a good show as fast freight and passenger locomotives. For several years, the engines were utilized in an efficient through steam operation between Nashville and Atlanta. They also were used to their full potential westward from Nashville to Bruceton, Martin, and Memphis. FInallt in the last years of steam, the J3s were used as helpers on the Cowan hill, replacing the L1 class 2-8-2s. But that didn't last for long.
All of the J2s were retired on May 11, 1951 and the J3s followed suit with the first of the J3s went off the roster on December 6, 1951 and the rest of the locomotives retired on September 2, 1952. All but one werre scrapped by September 1953.
Preservation[]
In September 1953, J3 #576 was presented to the City of Nashville, Tennessee where it stayed for over 60 years. In 2016, the Nashville Steam Preservation Society began the process of restoring the locomotive.
Gallery[]
#576 at Memphis Union Station in 1947.
#577 at Memphis in 1948
#567 in Memphis in 1930. Note that NC&StL president is in the cab.
NC&StL #568 in Atlanta 1947