and he notes -
The practice of B&M employees using class or number series such as
"P2s" or "3800s" for a Pacific for a passenger diesel was actually
slang for that road. I never heard an employee call a GP-7 a "Geep" -
they were referred to as "1500s" and the ALCO Rs-2s in the 1500
number series were just ALCOs. When the GP-9s arrived, fans called
them "Bluebirds" for their McGinnis paint scheme but to the workmen
they were "1700s"
As far as "M" for Mikado, the B&M didn't own any, but they did have
four Class M-1 2-6-6-2s built in 1910 and sold to the MeC in 1911
where they became class "X" and were called "Malleys". They were
originally oil burners and used in helper service through Hoosac
Tunnel until it was electrified, making them surplus. The Maine
Central converted them to coal and used them on their Mountain
Sub-Division. When the 4-8-2s arrived on the B&M in 1935 they were
became class "R-1" (not M) and were either called R1s or "4100s"
It could get confusing if you went from the B&M to the MeC for
example: The Maine Central's Mikados were Class S (which was a 2-10-2
on the B&M). But a "P" Class Pacific on the B&M was Class C on the
MeC. Conversely, Class P locos on the MeC were Moguls but on the B&M
they were Class B, which figures as the 4-4-0s were Class A and the
Moguls began showing up in the 1880s replacing 4-4-0s in freight
service. BTW Class C locos on the B&M were Ten Wheelers. Again a
logical progression from the 4-4-0 for mainline service.
Although a great number of the 4-6-0s were inherited from roads the
B&M acquired and were light enough to use on branch lines, those
purchased new were meant for mainline service, replacing 4-4-0s and
Moguls.Oddly enough both of these types actually outlasted the bulk
of the Ten Wheelers by 20 years with the last being dismantled in
1936. The last group purchased in the 1900s had 73" drivers (same as
the later P-1, P-2 and P-3 Pacifics) and were known as
"Grasshoppers" for their rough riding characteristics. I guess a
trailing truck ironed out that problem!
One of the more interesting, if less colorful, nick-names for a B&M
locomotive was the J Class Atlantics. The first group arrived in 1895
and were called "Trailers" as they were little more than a 4-4-0 with
a trailing truck. Later models were much heavier and more powerful to
handle steel cars on the mainline service between Boston and
Portland, Me. a task they performed until bumped into locals by the
P-1 Pacifics in 1910, but they retained the nickname "Trailers" until
the last one was scrapped in 1952!
It gets more confusing when you visited the New Haven RR. NH
employees referred to their I Class Pacific locomotives by road
numbers (i. e. 1300s) but the Hudsons, which were (1400s) by the
class number I-5 - go figure - two different type locomotives in the
same general class! The New Haven also numbered diesels and
electrics with a '0' preface during the steam era. Thus an 0100
series 2-C+C-2 electric would be an "Oh-One Hundred" or an 0700
series ALCO DL-109 diesel would be an "Oh-Seven Hundred" etc.
Supposedly this was to differentiate them for steamers with low road numbers.
Railroads may be 'run' by the front office but it's the man in
coveralls that operates it. The generic names for locomotives were
for tenderfoots and if you called a B&M 4-4-0 an "American" you'd get
a blank stare. Call it a "Ten Hundred" and they'd know what you were
talking about. Maybe it was more due to familiarity than lack of
knowledge of Whyte's nomenclature - after all the class and number
was painted under the cab - not some fancy name from a book. Much
like radio shows of the 40s and 50s, y' hadda be there to appreciate it!
Incidentally and not to start on another subject, but on the B&M (at
least) there were no roundhouses - they called 'em "Enginehouses"...
Raleigh in rainy Maine
At 11:41 PM 6/10/2007, Pieter Roos wrote:
>While Raleigh's comment about using class number of
>types among RR employee's is no doubt correct, it
>isn't terribly useful when you consider multiple RRs
>which the same number series or even class designation
>probably represents a very different locomotive. While
>assigning "P" class to pacifics and "m" class to
>mikado's makes sense (until the first mountain types
>arrive), many railroads chose different schemes.
>
>Pieter Roos
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
