Pennsylvania Railroad class H5

The class H5 were a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotives that were built for the Pennsylvania Railroad. They were pusher locomotives designed with high tractive effort for maximum force on short-distance helper assistance on the mountains of Altoona.

History and Design[]

(Under Construction)

Service and Retirement[]

Not very much is known about these locomotives in Revenue service. But when these so-called "Mammoths" were first put into service in June 1898, they were the largest and heaviest pusher locomotives on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Powered by large grate Narrow-Belpaire Boilers they were used primarily in Pusher service in Pennsylvania near horseshoe curve. Being intended for the Pennsy's Gallitzin Grade, the H5's were rather enormous for their time as home-built Consolidations and were much more powerful than the 1880's-built H3 classes. Sometimes they were used in Freights as being double headed with the "Smooth Bore" H6's, working up and down the hills and curves they found themselves replaced by newer and more powerful locomotives such as the L1 Mikado's, I1 Decapods, and newer H class Consolidation's. Even during they're service lives none of the H5's ever entered a Superheater rebuilding program and all remained Saturated and hand-fired until Retirement. After World War I into the early 1920's, there were already more Consolidations than what was needed and the H5's became surplus making way for more efficient locomotives and were scrapped along with the early H6's and almost all other earlier Classes of 2-8-0's as none were preserved.

Stock List[]


Number(s)	Builder and Year	Retired and Scrapped	Notes
19 (Ren. TP&W Ry. #21)	PRR Juniata, 1898.	Unknown	Sold to New Owner, June 1924.
38	PRR Juniata, 10/1898.	June 1924
82	PRR Juniata, 1898.	Sometime in the 1920s
208	PRR Juniata, 1898.	June 1924
220	PRR Juniata, 1898.	January 1926
872	PRR Juniata, 6/1898.	December 1924	First production H5, also pulled record load in August 1898.
1420	PRR Juniata, 1898.	April 1925
1430	PRR Juniata, 1898.	June 1924
1431	PRR Juniata, 1898.	June 1924
1432	PRR Juniata, 1898.	June 1924
1668	PRR Juniata, 1898.	October 1925
1669 (Ren. TP&W Ry. #20)	PRR Juniata, 1898.	Unknown	Sold to New Owner, June 1924.
1740	PRR Juniata, 1898.	April 1925
2748	PRR Juniata, 1898.	February 1926	Last Active H5 on Pennsy.
1749	PRR Juniata, 1898.	June 1924

Trivia[]

The H5 design, although few were built, they were the Inspiration of the H6 class 2-8-0s introduced in 1899 for Freight Service.
When built in 1898, they were briefly the most powerful and largest Eight-coupled locomotives in service as only the Altoona Turntables could fit they're long wheelbase.
On August 8th, 1898, Engine No. 872 hauled 130 loaded cars of Coal, weighing 5,212 Tons which once was a record high at the time.

Locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad
A (0-4-0):	A1 • A2 • A3 • A4 • A5 • A6
B (0-6-0):	B1 (s) • B2 • B3 • B4 • B5 • B6 • B7 • B8 • B1 (e) • B28 • B29
C (0-8-0):	C1 • C29 • C30 • C31
D (4-4-0):	D1 • D2 • D3 • D4 • D5 • D6 • D7 • D8 • D9 • D10 • D11 • D12 • D13 • D14 • D15 • D16 • D17 • D18 • D19 • D20 • D21 • D22 • D23 • D24 • D25 • D26 • D27 • D27 • D28 • D28 • D29 • D30 • D31 • D32 • D33 • D34 • D35 • D36 • D37 • D38 • D39 • D61 • "Odd D" #10003
E (4-4-2):	E1 • E2 • E3 • E4 • E5 • E6 • E7 • E21 • E22 • E23 • E28 • de Glehn
F (2-6-0):	F1 • F2 • F3 • F21 • F22 • F23 • F24 • F25 • F26 • F27 • F30 • F31 • F61
G (4-6-0):	G1 • G2 • G3 • G4 • G5 • G53
H (2-8-0):	H1 • H2 • H3 • H4 • H5 • H6 • H6a • H6b • H28s • H8 • H9 • H10
I (2-10-0):	I1s
J (2-6-2 and 2-10-4):	J1 • J28
K (4-6-2):	K1 • K2 • K3 • K4 • K5 • K21s • K28s • K29s
L (2-8-2):	L1s • L2s • L5 • L6
M (4-8-2):	M1
N (2-10-2):	N1s • N2s
O (4-4-4):	O1
P (4-6-4):	P5
Q (4-6-4-4 and 4-4-6-4):	Q1 • Q2
R (4-8-4):	R1
S (6-4-4-6 and 6-8-6):	S1 • S2
T (4-4-4-4):	T1
Articulated steam locomotives:	CC1s • CC2s • HC1s • HH1 • HH1s • HH2s
Articulated electric locomotives:	AA1 • BB1 • BB2 • BB3 • DD1 • DD2 • FF1 • FF2 • GG1
Non-standard:	E2b • E3b • E3c • E44