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A portfolio of steam locomotive photographs depicting Class A through Class Z
FROM
CLASS A
 A-1 407 Schenectady 1896 renumbered 1271. Shown at the New Haven coaling bridge
TO
CLASS Z
 Providence, Warren & Bristol 7 became New Haven Z-1 827 and 2102.
This website provides an illustration of well over three hundred steam locomotives used by the New Haven Railroad at some time during the first half of the twentieth century and depicts virtually every class that was owned. The site can be navigated by scrolling through each page from Class A-1 to Class Z-2 or by using the sitemap in the "list" configuration (click the symbol box with the horizontal lines) to go directly to a particular class, such as K-5 or U-3, etc. The inclusion of only one or two photographs as examples of a lesser known class is not meant to imply that they were the only locomotives in the class. The C-2 Class, for example, included locomotives built over fifteen years and by six builders.
Near the end of the nineteenth century the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad organized its locomotives into classes to bring some order to the hundreds of locomotives it owned most of which were aquired from the several railroads it then controlled. Letters were assigned to types of locomotives. For example A,B,C,D, and E were 4-4-0's, G and H were 4-6-0's, L and M were 2-6-0's, P was 2-8-0's, U and V were 0-6-0's and X and Y were 0-4-0's while S and Z were Forney's and Bogies, respectively. In general, each letter indicated the size and power of the locomotive by reflecting its cylinder size and age. An A Class 4-4-0 was larger and newer than an E Class 4-4-0, for example. A letter class also included subclasses designated by a dash and number such as B-1, B-2, etc. and sometimes an additional letter to reflect some difference as in D-1-a and D-1-b. However, as different types of locomotives were acquired the original scheme was adapted and became less consistent. For example, new 4-4-2's were first F Class but later H Class when Central New England F Class 2-8-0's were included and L and M 2-6-0's became M and N when new 2-10-2's became L.
The story of the class system and the locomotives is complex and can be found in detail in J.W.Swanberg's NEW HAVEN POWER or in Charles E. Fisher's rosters in The Railroad & Locomotive Historical Society Bulletins, particularly the reprint with William D. Edson's additions and corrections. The captions under the photographs in this site are basic and the two sources above should be consulted for a complete history of the many changes in ownership, renumberings, rebuildings, modifications, etc. of most of the locomotives.
All the photographs in this site are from my collection which I started over fifty years ago. In most cases I do not know the photographer and I doubt many, if any original negatives exist. I trust that all can be considered in the public domain and I do not believe I have violated any proprietary rights by displaying them.
MY OTHER RAILROAD SITES ARE:
PROVIDENCE STATIONS -- https://sites.google.com/site/rrstationsofprovidence
PROVIDENCE ROUNDHOUSES -- http://sites.google.com/site/roundhousesinprovidenceri
NORTHUP AVENUE YARD -- http://sites.google.com/site/humpyardprovidence
RHODE ISLAND RAILROADS -- http://sites.google.com/site/rhodeislandrailroads
PAWUCKET & CENTRAL FALLS -- http://sites.google.com/site/pawtucketcentralfalls
MOSHASSUCK VALLEY RR -- http://sites.google.com/site/moshassuckvalleyrailroad
B&M STEAM LOCOMOTIVES -- http://sites.google.com/site/bostonandmainerailroad
Constructed by EDWARD J. OZOG
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