The Union Pacific Class SA-57s (Ex-C&O) Locomotives were a large batch of Thirty H-7 and H-7a Class Simple-Articulated 2-8-8-2 Steam Locomotives that were bought second-hand from the Chesapeake and Ohio Ry. during the latter half of World War II for assisting in Wartime traffic.
UP #3579 under maintenance near Cheyenne, c. 1947.
Origins[]
The thirty locomotives were originally built for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway as part of a batch of 45 Simple-Expansion 2-8-8-2s that were built during the 1920s between 1923 to 1926. As delivered, this class of engine had Duplex stokers, Elesco superheaters, Walscherts valve gear, 57" drivers and several different styles of Rectangular Cast-Steel Water Bottom Tenders which had been built in the late 1920s. They also used six-wheel tender trucks. Becoming a mainline choice for heavy coal drags at slow speeds for the C&O during the 1920s and 1930s, they were too slow for modern fast freight as by 1930 a large Group of 2-10-4 "Texas" type locomotives with larger 69" drivers replaced them majorly on the main line. During World War II with enough huge power on the Roster such as the mighty H-8 Alleghenies and K-4 Class Kanawhas, more than half of the H-7 and H-7a fleets were put up for Sale and some were sold to other Railroads.
Service Lives on the Union Pacific[]
During early 1945 the Union Pacific found itself, just like other major Railroads like the Santa Fe and the Southern Pacific Railroads in need of more Locomotives to help assist in the increasing Wartime Traffic upon tougher routes like Sherman Hill, WY. UP Railroad officials observed the east for a fitting locomotive type for the heavier jobs like the Road's home articulated engines. By May 1945 the C&O put over 30 used Older H-7 series Simple Expansion Articulateds for sale as the UP was interested, the thirty arrived on the Union Pacific at Council Bluffs in the summer of 1945. The engines were renumbered as the 3570-3599 series and were re-lettered before entering Service on the UP. However, the C&O units were in poor Shape, but the Railroad managed with some Time and money bringing up they're standards higher for UP's demands. The Ex C&O units were divided into two classes, the H-7 Class of 1923-1924, (#3570-#3588, ALCO 19 units) and the H-7a Class of 1926 (#3589-#3599, Baldwin 11 units) .By the UP crews because of being put into service on its new home during the war, they called these units "Warbabies" where they were mainly assigned to Haul heavy freights on Sherman Hill. The UP had to use an unusual coal formula developed by its research department to fire them correctly. They did a good job pulling the heavy tonnage over the hill, but they were too slow while in the process. The UP managed with all 30 locomotives raising the boiler pressure from 215 Lbs. PSI to 225 Lbs. which gave an Impressive 113,595 Lbs. of tractive effort. 11 of the 30 units were heavily rebuilt in the Cheyenne, WY. Shops from August-December 1945, these touch ups greatly changed its appearance with extra parts, new wheel shoes, and boiler jackets with better steaming qualities. Although the UP was impressed with the great Tender capacities and improved steam intake with better water pumps, the speed didn't change. Occasionally times they double headed with others of the group, several of the Ex-N&W units. The UP also had double-headed them with the UP Big Boys and Bull Moose SA-59s, although they couldn't keep up with the Newer steam Power on the UP, they still managed to help Tackle anything over Sherman. After the War was over, they still were in use primarily in coal hauling assignments until the first to be dropped from the Roster, UP #3597 (Ex C&O #1582) was Retired in May 1946 after 11 months on the UP. But others began retirement in January 1947. By the time the Traffic had slowed down after 1946, the C&O Units became surplus with many sitting in Storage at Cheyenne, WY. Despite being very powerful the group was, there was already more than what was needed and the Former H7s were quickly cut up for scrap. The Last two to Retire from service was UP #3573 (Ex C&O #1549) and UP #3593 (Ex C&O 1575) in December 1947, and by the early months of 1948 all of them were scrapped.
Rebuilding the War Babies[]
With 11 locomotives, the UP began with C&O #1556 in the summer of 1945 rebuilding to better standards and performance benefits, This unit was given new paint, a new boiler jacket, new running tires, relocated air tanks, rebuilt running boards, Installing lighted number boards, new cast steel smokestacks to replace the worn ones, new larger smokebox door to replace the smaller original, relocated headlight to the smokebox door, newly machined air pump brackets mounted to the pilot with the relocation of them like the UP's 3500 Series and Challengers, new steam pipe connections, relocating the water pump on the side of the firebox for closer connection to the water supply, relocating the high-sitting elesco water heater from the top of the smokebox to the bottom of the door and behind the air pumps, frame bushings, new turret covers, relocating the bell above the smokebox door, and remodeling the cab windows wider for better visibility. Little attention was made with the tenders as the worn out coal boards on the tender footplate was replaced with newly machined steel doors, some had steam heater lines installed and new paint. This first engine to be outshopped was UP #3588, which walked out of Cheyenne ready for track tests on August, 20th 1945. The others rebuilt until 1946 were #3573, #3579, #3581, #3582, #3583, #3584, #3585, #3586, #3593, and #3595. Others only received new number boards, re-lettering and renumbering, new paint, and few replacement parts such as new boiler jackets and running tires before being pressed into full-time service. Despite the FEF-3 Class of December 1944 being the last Steam Locomotives built new for the Union Pacific, the secondhand C&O 2-8-8-2s were the last overall steam locomotives to join the UP.
Stock List[]
| Numbers | Builder and year | Notes | Retired and Scrapped |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3570 (Ex C&O 1540) | ALCO-Schenectady, December 1923 | Transferred to UP June 1945, had 21k Gal. Tender, was first H7 built for C&O. | Janurary 1947 |
| #3571 (Ex C&O 1541) | ALCO-Schenectady, December 1923 | Transferred to UP June 1945, had 25k Gal. Tender. | February 1947 |
| #3572 (Ex C&O 1542) | ALCO-Schenectady, Janurary 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, had 25k Gal. Tender. Tender reused on UP #900075 rotary snowplow 1/1950, plow and tender preserved. | May 1947 |
| #3573 (Ex C&O 1549) | ALCO-Schenectady, February 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance in late 1945, had 25k Gal. Tender, among the last units to be retired. | December 1947 |
| #3574 (Ex C&O 1551) | ALCO-Schenectady, February 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, had 23k Gal. Tender. | May 1947 |
| #3575 (Ex C&O 1557) | ALCO-Schenectady, March 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, had 21k Gal. Tender. | May 1947 |
| #3576 (Ex C&O 1559) | ALCO-Schenectady, March 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, had 21k Gal. Tender. | May 1947 |
| #3577 (Ex C&O 1561) | ALCO-Schenectady, March 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, had 21k Gal. Tender. | January 1947 |
| #3578 (Ex C&O 1562) | ALCO-Schenectady, March 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, had 23k Gal. Tender. Tender rebuilt to UP #B-1 Stea generator car 11/1949, generator retired 5/1971, scrapped. | February 1947 |
| #3579 (Ex C&O 1563) | ALCO-Schenectady, March 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance in late 1945, had 23k Gal. Tender. | September 1947 |
| #3580 (Ex C&O 1543) | ALCO-Schenectady, January 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, had 21k Gal. Tender. | March 1947 |
| #3581 (Ex C&O 1544) | ALCO-Schenectady, January 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance in late 1945, had 23k Gal. Tender. | October 1947 |
| #3582 (Ex C&O 1545) | ALCO-Schenectady, February 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance in late 1945, had 21k Gal. Tender, | September 1947 |
| #3583 (Ex C&O 1547) | ALCO-Schenectady, February 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance in late 1945, had 25k Gal. Tender. | August 1947 |
| #3584 (Ex C&O 1548) | ALCO-Schenectady, February 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance in late 1945, had 25k Gal. Tender. | October 1947 |
| #3585 (Ex C&O 1550) | ALCO-Schenectady, February 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance in late 1945, had 23k Gal. Tender. | September 1947 |
| #3586 (Ex C&O 1554) | ALCO-Schenectady, March 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance in late 1945, had 21k Gal. Tender. | November 1947 |
| #3587 (Ex C&O 1555) | ALCO-Schenectady, March 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, had 23k Gal. Tender. | April 1947 |
| #3588 (Ex C&O 1556) | ALCO-Schenectady, March 1924 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance 8/1945, had 21k Gal. Tender, was the first unit to be heavily rebuilt. | September 1947 |
| #3589(Ex C&O 1574) | Baldwin, January 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Refit with new parts machined 12/1945, had 21k Gal. Tender. Tender rebuilt to UP #B-2 Steam generator car 1/1950, Retired 5/1971, scrapped. | April 1947 |
| #3590 (Ex C&O 1581) | Baldwin, March 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Refit with new parts machined in late 1945, had 21k Gal. Tender. | March 1947 |
| #3591 (Ex C&O 1585) | Baldwin, April 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Refit with new parts machined 12/1945, had 25k Gal. Tender. | March 1947 |
| #3592 (Ex C&O 1589) | Baldwin, May 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Refit with new parts machined in late 1945, had 21k Gal. Tender. Tender reused on UP #900076 rotary snowplow 1/1950, plow and tender preserved. | March 1947 |
| #3593 (Ex C&O 1575) | Baldwin, March 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance 12/1945, had 25k Gal. Tender, among the last units to be retired. | December 1947 |
| #3594 (Ex C&O 1571) | Baldwin, January 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Refit with new parts machined 12/1945, had 25k Gal. Tender. | May 1947 |
| #3595 (Ex C&O 1579) | Baldwin, March 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Rebuilt with new parts and appearance 12/1945, had 25k Gal. Tender. | September 1947 |
| #3596 (Ex C&O 1577) | Baldwin, February 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Refit with new parts machined 12/1945, had 25k Gal. Tender. | March 1947 |
| #3597 (Ex C&O 1582) | Baldwin, March 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Refit with new parts machined 12/1945, had 25k Gal. Tender, first unit to be retired. | May 1946 |
| #3598 (Ex C&O 1586) | Baldwin, May 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Refit with new parts machined 12/1945, had 25k Gal. Tender. | April 1947 |
| #3599 (Ex C&O 1587) | Baldwin, May 1926 | Transferred to UP June 1945, Refit with new parts machined 12/1945, had 25k Gal. Tender, | March 1947 |