In his letter Wallis also made the following statement to explain the significance of the modification of this class of locomotive:
The Atlantic, or 4-4-2, type locomotive was developed in an effort to retain the desirable features of the American, or 4-4-0, type of locomotive and at the same time to produce a locomotive in answer to the demand for greater power. To do this, the firebox was increased in area by making it considerably wider, so that a greater amount of soft coal could be burned. The diameter of the barrel of the boiler was increased to allow for greater heating surface, which, of course, increased the weight on the drivers.
To make room for the driving wheels without unduly increasing the length of the tubes in the boiler, the driving wheels were moved forward, the main driver being in the rear instead of in front as in the American type locomotive. In order to carry the weight of the firebox, which, with the new driving wheel location, overhangs the rear driver too much to be properly supported, a two-wheel trailer truck was used. This trailer truck, which is fulcrumed a short distance back of the main driver, is so designed that it has lateral motion, and provision is made for ash pan as well as firebox clearance.
By the use of higher steam pressure, larger heating surface and grate area, the use of passenger locomotives of the three-coupled type, with the troubles incident to the use of long parallel rods, was put off for a decade.
General Electric Locomotive, 1926
A detailed and exquisitely made operable model of the New York Central class T-3A electric locomotive No. 1173, now No. 273, was constructed by W. Howard R. Parsons, and was donated by him in 1952 to the Museum (USNM 314237).
The model ([figure 75]) is powered by eight electric motors, as is the full sized original, one for each axle, but because of space limitations and power requirements the model’s drive is through gears rather than direct. The model operates on 12-volt direct current. Its length is 43 inches and its gauge is 3½ inches.
The New York Central System purchased 10 class T-3A locomotives in late 1926 at a cost of $100,000 each. These supplemented an earlier group of 10 T-1’s and 16 T-2’s built for the New York Central from 1913 to 1917 at the Erie, Pa., plant of the General Electric Co. Of this total of 36 locomotives only one, No. 270 (formerly No. 1170), had been stricken from the records as of December 1954. The remaining 35 still perform routine passenger service between New York and Harmon, and New York and North White Plains. The numbers in the group now run from 247 to 282 (formerly 1147 to 1182), with the exception of the scrapped No. 270.
Figure 75.—Operable model of General Electric locomotive, 1926.
With an operating weight of 292,600 pounds, the locomotives of the T-3A class develop 1,908 horsepower continuously, with a tractive force of 12,750 pounds, and they can develop 2,488 horsepower for 1 hour, with a tractive force of 18,440 pounds. The maximum speed of a T-3A is 75 miles an hour. These locomotives operate on 660-volt direct current, usually obtained from a third rail. The pantographs are used only when crossing certain complicated crossover switches. Each of the eight axles is driven by its individual gearless motor. The overall wheelbase is 46 feet, 5 inches, the overall length 56 feet, 10 inches.