Pennsylvania Railroad Class B6

Pennsylvania Railroad Class B6
PRR No. 1670 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in 2010
Railway(s)	Pennsylvania Railroad
Technical specifications
Type	Class B6
Manufacturer(s)	Altoona Works Baldwin Lima
Wheel arrangement	0-6-0
Rail gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Valve gear	B6: Stephenson B6sa/B6sb: Walschaerts
Fuel type	Coal
Performance figures
Tractive effort	36,144 lbf (160.8 kN)
Service information
Operator(s)	Pennsylvania Railroad
Running numbers	B6: 79; B6sa: 55; B6sb: 238

The Pennsylvania Railroad class B6 were the most successful class of 0-6-0 switcher, or as the PRR termed them, "shifter".

History

The Altoona Works constructed the prototype B6 in 1902. The B6 had the Pennsylvania's trademark square-shouldered Belpaire firebox and 56-inch (1.422 m) drivers. They were constructed as saturated steam engines, rebuilt with superheaters later as class B6s, and had Piston valves and Stephenson valve gear. A total of 79 were built by Baldwin and Lima, in addition to Altoona, between 1902–1913.

The next version built was the B6sa, 55 of which were built at Altoona during 1913–1914. These had radial-stay fireboxes, common elsewhere but rare on the Pennsylvania, and they replaced the Stephenson gear with the more modern Walschaerts valve gear. Steam delivery pipes were outside, like all other PRR modern power.

Finally, during 1916–1920, 238 of class B6sb were built. These were the final, definitive type, and had a Belpaire firebox, but were otherwise little changed from the B6sa. The final 97 locomotives had piston valves mounted outboard of the cylinders, instead of inbound as previously built, giving the cylinder assemblies an outward cant at the top, rather than inward.

All B6sa and B6sb locomotives were retrofitted with power reverse to make the frequent back-and-forth of switching quicker and easier.

The last PRR locomotive in active service was #5244, leased to Union Transportation of New Egypt, New Jersey until July 1959. This was considered quite an achievement considering the Pennsylvania Railroad's extensive steam program.

Today only 2 of these engines still exist B6sb #1670 is at the the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania along with the majority of that collection. And B6sa #60 is on a siding in Hockessin, Delaware, along the Wilmington and Western Railroad.

Trivia

• All these engines were built superheated.
• In 1939, toy train manufacturer, Lionel, introduced their version of Pennsy's B6 in several variations including a scale version (scale couplers and smaller flanges to operate on special track) along with 6 versions of what would later become known as "semi-scale."

Gallery