Class 161 // B-13a/b/c (Locobase 11140)
Data from Schenectady Locomotive Works, Illustrated Catalogue of Simple and Compound Locomotives (Philadelphia: J B Lippincott, 1897), pp. 130-131. See also "Mogul freighter for the Fitchburg," Railway & Locomotive Engineering Journal, Volume 8, Number 6 (June 1895), p. 338-339. See also B&M Locomotive Names and Numbers supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. 161 was works number 4317.
After the first fivesome supplied in 1893 (Locobase 11142), Schenectady delivered a much larger class of engines with taller drivers that entered service beginning in 1895. This enlarged freighter meant to ensure the guarantee mentioned in the R & LE report: "The management of this line have made a great reputation and increased their business wonderfully by offering to deliver to any point on their line by daylight any and all freight offered before six o'clock P. M. "The B & M's well-known attachment to Moguls is shown by the class's continuing presence well into the 20th Century.
Class B-11a/b (Locobase 11144)
Data from B&M 8 - 1919 Locomotive Classification supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also B&M Locomotive Names and Numbers supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 2873-2876 in March 1893.
Amid all of the Schenectady Moguls coming on the Fitchburg, this quintet from the Ocean State brought its own configuration. The differences included a slightly larger cylinder volume, smaller boiler (1032 had two more tubes than the others), and a slightly longer wheelbase.Class B-12 (Locobase 11142)
Data from B&M 8 - 1919 Locomotive Classification supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also B&M Locomotive Names and Numbers supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.
Schenectady's first set of Moguls for the Fitchburg was this quintet of low-drivered freighters. They would be followed two years later by a much larger class with taller drivers and a few more boiler tubes; seeLocobase 11140.
Class B-14 (Locobase 11143)
Data from B&M 8 - 1919 Locomotive Classification and Locomotives and Tenders-Classification and Description, Boston & Maine Railroad Mechanical Department, 7 June 1928, supplied in May 2005 and August 2013, respectively, by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also B&M Locomotive Names and Numbers supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 4544 in May 1897 and 4667-4669 in January 1898.
After the builder had delivered the big order described inLocobase 11140, it added this quartet that had a higher boiler pressure, larger grate, and a bit more weight on the drivers. But the big difference was the cross-compound arrangement that used the Richmond intercepting valve. The HP cylinder measured 21" in diameter, the LP jug had a 32" diameter.
Class B-15 syphon (Locobase 15945)
Data from B&M 1928 Locomotives and Tenders Classification and Description supplied in August 2013 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for the data he found at [
] longer active--and for his 12 March 2020 email noting an inconsistent road number for this unique B-15.)
Class B-15/B-15a (Locobase 806)
Data from B & M 8 - 1919 Loco Class supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 27 December 2014 email pointing out the tender's coal capacity; and to Chuck Zeiler for his 31 March 2022 email noting an incorrect range of builders' numbers for the 1909 engines; and to James Bennett for his 3 October 2023 email correcting Manchester LW's home state..)
Typical turn-of-the-century Mogul. 140 built for the B&M by Manchester (in New Hampshire) and Schenectady (New York). Manchester works numbers were 1903 May 28222-28241; August 28616-286251904 October 29840-298491905 May 30585-3059 1906 March 38981-38990; November 41441-414511907 42820-42834 in August; 44364-44367 in October; November 44368- 44373; December 44740-447441910 (B-15a) May 47624-47633 1911 November 48960-48969.Schenectady's works numbers were 46292-46301 in June 1909, 46302-46311 in July,The 1909-1911 B-15as differed only in a slight weight gain (axle loadings of 41,666 lb (18,899 kg) were equally distributed). Many were rebuilt with piston valves, cast tender trucks, steel cab, cross-compound air pump, and centered headlight. But they kept the inside valve gear.78 of the class were updated with superheaters; seeLocobase 6628. Almost all of the unmodified locomotives were withdrawn in the mid-1930s. Two--1389 and 1406--were purchased in September 1933 by the Brockton Agricultural Society. Renumbered 666 and 999 and dubbed "Miss Brockton" and "Mary Wiggins", respectively, the two were wrecked in a staged accident at the 1933 Brockton Fair.As part of a B&M divestiture strategy, the railroad sold off its northern Vermont lines to local interests. 1417 was sold in August 1926 to the Montpelier & White River railroad as their 17. In September & October 1929, another northern Vermont railroad, the St Johnsbury & Lake Champlain, bought B-15 class 1419 and the B15a 1485, 1491-1492 as their 26-29. They were retired in 1930-1936.
Class B-15b/c - superheated (Locobase 6628)
Data from B&M 6-1939 Locomotive Diagram books supplied in August 2013 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 27 December 2014 email pointing out the tender's coal capacity and his 18 June 2015 email adding key details to the class information; see below.)
In the late 'teens, the B&M began superheating their B-15s (the originals described inLocobase 806), almost all of the B-15s were updated in the middle 1920s in a program that involved the usual exchange of many small tubes for fewer flues and piston valves (8"/203 mm) instead of the original slide valves.B-15c had higher axle loadings (the highest being the middle axle at 46,200 lb/20,956 kg) and thus a higher adhesion weight of 133,300 lb (60,464 kg).In an email to Chris Hohl, Frederick "Rick" N.Nowell, III, Archives Chairman and Webmaster of the Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society gave the following details on the superheated engines in this large class.Locomotives from first several batches designated B-15 were redesignated B-15-b when superheated: 1360, 1362-1366, 1370-1374, 1376-1377, 1380-1385, 1388, 1391, 1393, 1395, 1397, 1399, 1401, 1402, 1404, 1408, 1415, 1418, 1420, 1421, 1425-1429, 1431, 1435-1438, 1440-1441, 1443-1445, 1448-1451, 1455, 1457, 1458.B-15a machines were reclassified B-15-c: 1460, 1464-1466, 1468-1470, 1474-1475, 1478, 1481-1485, 1487-1490, 1493-1496, 1498.The superheater modification and general makeover extended the engines' careers by an average of almost 20 years over those that didn't go through such an upgrade. Most of the 15b, 15c locomotives remained in secondary line service until diesels superseded them in the 1950s.
Class B-9 (Locobase 11141)
Data from B&M 8 - 1919 Locomotive Classification supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 933-934 in March 1887, 935-937 in April, and 938 in May.
This was a long-striding Mogul design built by a small, but well-known Massachusetts firm; they were the very last locomotives to emerge from that shop. All six were retained by the Boston & Maine, although the last one was converted to an 0-6-0 switcher with 17" diameter cylinders in 1897.NB: The direct heating surface (including the firebox heating surface) is an estimate calculated by subtracting the calculated tube heating surface from the reported total evaporative heating surface.