INTRODUCTION

The Central Vermont's Offices, Station and Train Shed c.1905

Number 212 was built by Schenectady in 1904

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HOME - Illustrated Preface

INTRODUCTION - Navigating the Site, Roster and Locomotive Classification System

2-6-0 TYPE - D and E Classes

2-8-0 TYPE - M Class

2-8-0 TYPE - N Class

2-10-4 TYPE

SWITCHERS - 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 Types

4-4-0 TYPE

4-6-0 TYPE - G and I Classes

4-6-2 TYPE

4-8-2 TYPE

VISITORS - CV engines off-line and CN-GT engines on the CV

All illustrations are from my collection. Names of photographers are given if known.

ROSTER - The Central Vermont rostered a relatively small number of steam locomotives but had a wide variety of types which provided interest. At the start of 1929, after the Central Vermont took delivery of its last steam locomotive purchase, the railroad had only 68 steam engines on the roster. The roster was comprised of three 0-6-0's, eight 0-8-0's, two 2-6-0's, twenty-seven 2-8-0's, ten 2-10-4's, two 4-4-0's, nine 4-6-0's, three 4-6-2's and four 4-8-2's. The only common type not found on the roster was the 2-8-2.

CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM - In 1898 the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada obtained a controlling interest in the Central Vermont. The Canadian National System was formed in 1918 to acquire and consolidate the Canadian Goverment Railways and the Canadian Northern and in 1923 it assumed control of the Grand Trunk after the transcontinental railroad became insolvent. The Central Vermont was thus part of the Canadian National System although it was operated as a separate entity.

The Canadian National renumbered the Grand Trunk locomotives and those of its subsidiary, the Central Vermont. The Canadian National class system was also applied. The Canadian National class system assigned one or more letters to each wheel arrangement and in general the size of the driving wheels determined which of two or more letters would be used. For example L, M and N were 2-8-0 type class letters but the L class had 50 or 51 inch drivers, the M class had 56 or 57 inch drivers and the N class 63 inch drivers. A number and lower case letter was used to identify similar groups of locomotives such as those built in a specific year, or a specific builder or having a specific cylinder size, i.e., an N-4-c or an N-5-d. Prior to the application of the Canadian National system, the Central Vermont also used a letter class system but it is not cited in this web site to avoid confusion.

The class system did not distinguish a two wheel trailing truck from a four wheel trailing truck. A K class was a 4-6-2 or a 4-6-4, a U class was a 4-8-2 or 4-8-4 and a T class was a 2-10-2 or 2-10-4.

At the bottom of each locomotive cab were two items, the locomotive class such as N-5-a and a haulage rating such as 50%. The haulage rating was an abreviation of the tractive force exerted by the locomotive at starting. The tractive force was abreviated by rounding the actual tractive force to the nearest thousand and replacing the last three digits with a percent sign. For example, a tractive force of 50,354 lbs. was represented on the cab side by 50%.

After 1923, the Canadian National dictated motive power policy and new locomotives were purchased to Canadian National specifications. Accordingly Central Vermont locomotives often closely resembled Canadian National locomotives although there were differences in details. The use of the same classification system on both the CV and CN could be somewhat confusing. For example, the Central Vermont owned 2-10-4 engines but the Canadian National did not. Usually one would expect that if there was only one group of 2-10-4's on the railroad the class letter would be followed by a 1. However, the Central Vermont's 2-10-4's were designated T-3-a class. At the start of 1928, the Canadian National owned fifty 2-10-2's in classes T-1 and T-2. In August of 1928 it purchased ten Boston & Albany 2-10-2's built in 1919 for the United States Railroad Administration. A few months latter ten new 2-10-4's were delivered to the Central Vermont and all twenty engines were designated T-3-a class since they all had 27x32 inch cylinders even though the two groups were totally different designs. In 1929 and 1930 the Canadian National purchased a total of 33 more modern ten coupled locomotives but they were 2-10-2's rather than 2-10-4's and became the T-4 class.

The New London engine terminal in 1957 showing the turntable, water tank, coaling tower and ash conveyor. The compact facility mainly served 2-8-0 type locomotives and was located under the high I 95 bridge that crossed the Thames River.

PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR

Map from April 25, 1937 Timetable.

The diverging line that runs to Springfield, New Haven, and New York is the Boston & Maine and New Haven, not the Central Vermont. However, Central Vermont locomotives frequently powered trains to Springfield.