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New Orleans class M-4 2-6-0s

Pacific Lines M-4 no. 1664 displays a near-original appearance at Whittier, Calif., in 191 O.
The most notable changes by this date are its conversion to oil fuel and the addition of oil-
burning train indicators, the angled "number boards" next to the smokestack.

n steam days the Southern Pacific
I here. Afficionados can find detailed
was home to unusual and distinc-
rosters in the Southern Pacific Co.
Steam Locomotive Compendium, by
tive locomotives. Backward-run-
ning articulateds of several wheel
Timothy S. Diebert and Joseph A. Stra-
arrangements, for example, were
pac. This valuable reference for stu-
unique to the SP, but it had so many dents of SP power was published in
Cab-Forwards, its few normal articulat- 1987 by Shade Tree Books, P. 0. Box
eds seemed out of place. As for smaller 2268, Huntington Beach, CA 9264 7.
engines, no other road fielded such a
variety of 2-6-0 Moguls, and kept so Demoted into longevity
many working into steam's last decade. When built the M-4s were average-
The subject of Ed Gebhardt's draw- size fast freight engines, a role often
ing is class M-4, one of the smaller taken by 2-6-0s at that time, but by the
Moguls to serve both the Southern end of their first decade they'd been
Pacific and its subsidiary, the Texas & eclipsed by both larger Moguls and
New Orleans. These 130 2-6-0s were engines of other wheel arrangements.
built as class ED from 1899 through The SP had plenty of work for them,
1901. Twenty-two of them came from though, in its branchline and local
the Schenectady Locomotive Works, feeder services. Performing tasks that
later home of the American Locomo- would today be the domain of light road
tive Co., and the rest were built by switchers, many enjoyed long lives.
Cooke, also later an Alco affiliate.- Several Pacific Lines M-4s were sold
At first the engines were numbered or leased to SP affiliates other than
in a variety of series, but in the system lines in Texas and Louisiana. At differ-
renumbering of 1901 they became ent times these engines worked for the
1615-1718 on the "Pacific Lines," or SP Arizona & Colorado, Arizona Eastern,
proper, and were reclassified as M-4s. Gila Valley, Globe & Northern, Mari-
At the same time the T&NO engines copa & Phoenix, Nevada-California-Ore-
were renumbered 410-459, including gon, Northwestern Pacific, San Diego &
after 1916 the M-4s assigned to the Arizona Eastern, and Southern Pacific
Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio of Mexico. All these wanderings are
(part of T&NO after 1927). listed by Diebert and Strapac.
Those series contain more than 130
numbers. That's because 25 M-4s were Specifications _
transferred from Pacific to Texas Lines Original dimensions of the M-4 class
in 1901 and 1902, one went the other included 63" drivers, 20" x 28" cylinders,
way in 1924, and several on both parts and 190 psi boiler pressure. In working
of the system were renumbered within order the engine alone weighed 146,000
the "1901" series. pounds, with 126,000 pounds carried on
The history of the M-4s is too convo- the driving wheels. Tractive effort was
1 uted for an engine-by-engine listing 28,710 pounds. These Moguls were built
Bruce Wilson Story continues on page 76

MODEL RAILROADER 73