| This builder's photo shows the absolutely beautiful designed 4-8-4 Northern style locomotive built by Baldin in 1938 for the Atlantic Coast Line. According to www.steamlocomotive.com "These new 4-8-4s began to handle trains with as many as 21 heavyweight cars, eliminating the need for double-heading and running extra sections of many of the Richmond, VA to Jacksonville, FL "Specials". The ACL was very disappointed with their R-1s, and returned them to Baldwin for better counterbalancing of the 80 inch drive wheels. It seems the R-1s, as delivered, had a bad dynamic augment. Even after Baldwin checked their math, and put new disk drivers on the ACL R-1s, they still had unacceptable amounts of dynamic augment at high speeds. As soon as the ACL could replace them with EMD E-3 and E-6 diesel electrics, the Standard Railroad of the South put its latest and largest steamers in freight service." Specs - class R1, 80" drivers, 275 psi boiler pressure, 27x30" cylinders, engine weight of 460,270 lb, tractive effort of 63,901 lb. The class was retired in 1951-52. |