PRR Class HC1s #3700 under full Steam at Altoona, PA. during August 1919.
The Pennsylvania Railroad Class HC1s was a Single Experimental Simple-Articulated 2-8-8-0 Steam Locomotive built in June 1919 by the Pennsy's Juniata Street Shops in Altoona, PA, intended originally for Freight Services when built new for the Pennsylvania Railroad.
The Pennsy and its Articulated Locomotive Experiments[]
During it's heyday, the Pennsylvania Railroad was most famous for its varying Steam Fleets it spawned over the decades of the early Twentieth Century of the fact it was known as the "Standard Railroad of the World" at One time. Of many great developments of Steam Locomotives the Pennsy had Invested in and cared for, the Railroad was not a fan of the Articulated Steam Locomotive design as many Railroads at the time preferred. Despite being rather Unimpressed with their own ideas for such Monstrous locomotives, the Pennsy indeed gave the design type a Try after the first decade of the New Century. The story of Articulated Steam on the Pennsy was rather interesting as it was almost Forgotten, but the Life of the type found on "The Standard" was Short-lived. As the new Mallet type Locomotives were taking Interest of many Railroads a few years after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad developed "Old Maude" in 1904, the Pennsylvania Railroad would not attempt to Flirt with the type until at least 1910. Amongst the first designs of the Pennsy's own taste of development, was the HH1s type which had first Appeared on the Railroad in September 1911, this locomotive was an Experimental 2-8-8-2 design based on common Mallets then In-use. Intended for Freight or Helper services, this Locomotive was known as PRR #3396 and was distinct as it was built with a Radial-Stay Wagon top design, a Boiler type that was not popular with the Pennsy. Having two sets of Eight 56" Drivers under both frames, it had all four cylinders the same size of large 28" Diameter x 32" Stroke Cylinders creating a very Impressive 99,144 Lbs. of Tractive effort. This engine was credited to be the first Mallet-Articulated Steam Locomotive to use Simple-Expansion where each set of cylinders were fed only Steam once rather than the Common "Twice" practices on earlier Mallets. The advantages of this were the Simple locomotives were more powerful and slightly faster, but used more Piping connections. Being delivered by the American Locomotive Company's Schenectady Works, the engine turned out to be a moderate Success to push the heavier trains up the hills, the Pennsylvania Railroad would not build a second locomotive. However, a second chapter of Pennsy's Articulated History would be made as the Company still had little interest in using Mallet locomotives to assist the longer loads up the steeper grades as it was found that Articulated Locomotives could push just as well if not more than a pair of common Consolidations at less Fuel and Maintenance costs. The second attempt was a slightly smaller locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works numbered as Mallet #3397. This locomotive was built in April 1912 and was designed with a 0-8-8-0 Wheel Arrangement with a short tender but was made with the preferred Trademark Belpaire Boiler/Firebox design equipped on all other common PRR-owned locomotives at the time. Designed with the same previous 56" drivers, 3397 was a True Mallet with two Massive 39" x 30" Low-Pressure cylinders on the front driving frame, fed by two Smaller 25" x 30" High-Pressure cylinders on the rear frame creating a slightly lower Tractive effort rating of 82,702 Lbs. This locomotive was only regarded to Pusher and Yard hump services due to it's Smaller size and was not deemed worthy to build a second example. By December 1916, as the first I1 Class Decapod appeared on the roster, these newer 2-10-0 locomotives proved to have been more Successful in the varying services they provided as the Massive "Decs" would become the Premier Heavy freighters on the System and commonly took the roles of the Older Mallets. There was not much hope for the Articulated Family on the Pennsy that only two locomotives were constructed prior to America's entry into the First World War during April 1917. Even by this time, it had seemed Impossible at first to develop more of a concentrated Interest as the Pennsylvania Railroad and most of America's Mainline Roads were controlled by the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) as it was outlawed briefly to build All-New homemade designs as the Railroad were to instead use existing schematics to save on loads of new Steel required for the War. As the two large locomotives in use at the time were only considered small Successes, little would anyone realize that months before the War's dramatic demise fell the next year, the Pennsylvania would have one more bigger Trick up its Sleeve for another Prototype-Production Articulated steam locomotive.
History and Design[]
After the End of World War I as Business and revenue traffic returned to normal, the Pennsylvania Railroad gave the Articulated locomotive one last try along with a production order of ten 0-8-8-0 Class CC2s built in 1919. But a single prototype was in production once more as the Pennsy was highly Interested in Heavy freight power. With the inspiration likely originating from the earlier HH1 design from 1911, the Pennsylvania Railroad decided to have a Larger Boiler for a locomotive using the Simple Expansion setup and larger drivers. This further Idea of a Massive locomotive was designed at the PRR's Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pa. with construction starting in late 1918. This locomotive would be given the number #3700, designating it as the Class HC1s with a Schmidt Superheater just like the CC2s Class locomotives. Drawn up with a 2-8-8-0 Wheel arrangement, it was the only locomotive of this type ever built for service on the PRR. The locomotive was built with a Massively long 53' 9 1/2" Boiler with at least 26 feet covered by a Crown sheet bared by an Enormous Belpaire Firebox with shorter 19' Firetubes following to the rear of the Smokebox. This new HC1s Class locomotive had four High-Pressure 30 1/2" x 32" cylinders on both sets of driver frames with a pair of eight 62" Drivers each with 205 Lbs. of Boiler pressure maximum. With the locomotive's cylinders fed all by 12" Piston valves, the locomotive was able to turn out a Very Impressive 135,600 Lbs. of Tractive effort when tested by the PRR itself not too long after completion. A very wide Straight stack was equipped on the Smokebox as the multiple Exhaust pipes were mounted into the Smokebox with two Exhaust nozzles which was uncommon on any Steam Locomotive back in the day. This Locomotive was equipped with the older style Box lamp on the front pilot as it was indeed powered by Electricity as if almost All were equipped with the Generator in front of the exhaust stack. A main long Steam pipe was mounted from the rear of the Steam dome for power supply to the main Turret on top of the Firebox in front of the Cab. Equipped with a Mechanical Stoker for the engine's big size, the locomotive trailed a medium sized 13 Ton Coal tender carrying 12,900 Gallons of Water on a pair of four-wheel trucks being equipped with a Water scoop underneath between the wheel sets by the Master Brake cylinder. The Locomotive was painted in the Pennsy's typical Brunswick Green with Black along with a dark Graphite Smokebox with Firebox. The Cab windows and roof were painted Tuscan red with Gold leaf lettering/numbering on the Engine's cab and Tender sides. One such unusual feature of the HC1s was the Air pump locations, were mounted on the Smokebox face in front which was likely the only Steam Locomotive on the Pennsy to ever have this feature. The locomotive also had small Delivery and Exhaust pipes fit to the locomotive's sides and underneath along with a large Combustion chamber inside the Boiler. When completed, the sole HC1s was the Largest and Heaviest Locomotive in the World when completed new at Juniata in June 1919. It was certainly the Largest and most expensive locomotive the Juniata Shops ever turned out with an Impressive locomotive weight of 575,000 Lbs. with a loaded Tender weight of 219,000 Lbs. When completed that month, it was not put into service right away as it was transferred from Altoona to Atlantic City, NJ. where it was briefly on display as a "Modern Marvel" piece at the American Railway Association Convention during the week of June 10th, 1919. This locomotive was also known to have been the Largest and Heaviest 2-8-8-0 "Consolidation-Mallet" ever built as the Pennsy described it as a mashup of a H Class 2-8-0 in front with a C Class 0-8-0 on the rear, hence creating the HC1s Class. It was estimated after a few weeks of Exhibitions with the Titanic-like locomotive, the unit began Service by Mid-August of 1919 where it was Finally put to Work.
Revenue Service and Career[]
Not too much was really known of the #3700's History when pressed into Service, as this locomotive was Originally intended for heavy Freight service, the Pennsy measured its extremely high Tractive effort noticing the engine's force was much too powerful for most of the Freight car's Gear shaft Couplings back then on how much force they could really handle. Especially when pulled in very long lengths with Full loads, the Pennsylvania Railroad thought best for the Giant Behemoth to usually be fully used most of the Time for Pushing services where it seen seldom Success on the Allegheny Mountains near West Virginia where the Railroad mostly profited from Coal Work. When seeing service, the locomotive was often stationed in the Southern parts of Pennsylvania where it worked with other locomotives marching up and down the Mountain grades all day. Into the early 1920's, the Pennsylvania Railroad had mainly lost interest in the larger Experiments like the #3700 and focused on heavy Two-cylinder power. With having the developments of the M Class 4-8-2 "Mountains" along with the slightly older 2-10-0 "Decapods" proving themselves beyond successful by this point, the Articulated design's numerous parts and Maintenance bills was really what lead to they're Early Retirements. Although the locomotive was only several years old by 1924, the locomotive was still proven to have been an Interesting and Overpowered Subject that the Pennsy still kept it around for Show. In March 1924, the locomotive was displayed at the PRR's West Philadelphia Yard along with another Large locomotive and several Boxcab Electric locomotives where Mechanical representatives and Railmen observed the Hulking machine, it then went back to Work by the next month. By the next few years, the Pennsylvania Railroad only had thirteen Articulated Steam Locomotives in total (Not counting the HH1's purchased by the Pennsy during WWII), but no other prototypes or production locomotives were Attempted or produced. With the engine being the largest locomotive built by Juniata, it really was the Final word in the Story of the Articulated Engine employed by the PRR (As of those who were Delivered New). Some sources indicated that the #3700 was refitted to Operate up to 167,325 Lbs. of Tractive effort, likely to handle the Increasing Business in the earlier part of the Interwar period. Also stationed at Altoona, the locomotive a lot of Times sat in the Shops awaiting Inspections and new parts for Maintenance, such the size of a Locomotive back then was difficult to Operate. With the further Improvements and better riding Operations of the I1 Class Decapods, the Pennsylvania Railroad no longer was interested in the Articulated design as there wasn't as many Advantages to them as other engines of easier Maintenance and Steaming already were in Play. The expanded use of such Locomotives like the 4-8-2, 2-10-2, and 2-10-0 types were already the Most-conceived designs used on the Modern Pennsy as the Railroad had agreed by the late 1920's to only leave the older Production CC2s Heavy Switchers in use until several Secondhand Power were acquired during the middle stages of World War II as the older engines were Obsolete and Cut up for Scrap before 1933. One notable note was when the Locomotive first began service, the unit was ahead of its time as the locomotive possessed such a huge Combustion Chamber with it's huge Square-shouldered Firebox. Also being one of the very first Simple-Expansion Articulated Locomotives in North America that would eventually become the Modern standard years later, it's Piston and Piping arrangement along with the earlier HH1 class prototype would be the Inspiration for the first Regular-Production Simple Articulated Locomotives years later beginning in 1923. (These new Locomotives were the Chesapeake and Ohio's H-7 Classes)
Operating Issues[]
The subject of Pennsylvania's massive HC1s was not entirely All about a run for its money but was really Moreso a debate on Trial and Error. As the locomotive was a Successful pusher, it was not a very successful operating unit for which it was designed for. Used almost it's entire operating Career in the Alleghenies, the Steam energy distribution was figured wrong as all four of it's massive Cylinders with multiple Piston valves were costly to maintain. Even so, one unusual feature was that the rear Delivery pipes for the rear pair of Cylinders were Two inches larger than the front Delivery pipes for the front pair, another possible reason for it's distribution flaw. The Railroad crews did not like operating the locomotive as the engine itself also was costly to keep running as it spent over half the time in the Maintenance/Department Shops also taking up space. It was likely that the locomotive was hard on the Tracks due to it's large Counterweights as well as being a very heavy unit. Having a lot of combustion space, the Firebox was slightly undersized for it's grate.
Retirement and Scrapping[]
As the Late 1920's approached, the PRR was using better alternative locomotives that were more Ideal than the #3700, and with the locomotive's performance Issues, Expensive costs, and numerous Shopping's, these reasons were what lead to the Unfortunate End of the Sole Class HC1s locomotive. PRR #3700 was Retired from Full Regular Service in February 1929 and was placed into Storage, the locomotive was Sold for Scrapping as the Demolition was completed in August of that year being just months away from the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Nothing of this Historic Experimental locomotive was saved, except for its Immortalization through older photos as it was a face of the Past.
Trivia[]
- In all of the PRR's Entirety, the sole HC1s Class locomotive #3700 was the Largest Locomotive ever built by the Road itself from the famous Juniata Shops.
- The HC1s holds the distinction of being the Most Powerful Steam Locomotive ever to enter Service on the Pennsylvania Railroad.
- Despite the CC2s being amongst the most successful of the Pennsy's fleet of Articulated Locomotives, the HC1s was the Least Unsuccessful design to have been used in Mainline/Helper Revenue Services.
- The HC1s locomotive also was known to have had the Largest Boiler in diameter of any Freight-purpose PRR Steam Locomotive with the maximum Outer diameter being 110".
- Although there is no current day Production of a model version of this locomotive, there actually was a past offering made. In July 1978, NJB International Models (Japan) introduced a Limited-production Brass model of the HC1s unpainted in HO Scale which has been the only release to date. However, finding this model is very scarce as not very many were made.