This site is dedicated to the penultimate 4-4-0 steam locomotive of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the D16 series of locomotives, culminating in the D16sb. By Mark Cole

D16b #6 on a manual turntable. She was built in June of 1903 by the PRR Juniata Shops, assigned construction number 1022. She was scrapped in November of 1926. Location and date of the photo are unknown. (Author's Collection)

Note: All photos are from my personal collection unless otherwise noted. Photos are for personal use only. Any publication/distribution of any of the photos on this site is expressly forbidden without my written or electronic (e-mail) approval. This includes online or electronic publications as well as e-mail distribution.

For over fifty years the 4-4-0 wheel arrangement, also known as an "American", was the dominant type of locomotive on the Pennsylvania Railroad, the final class of which was first introduced in 1895. The Pennsylvania Railroad never had a more prolific series of Passenger locomotives than the D16's. With 5 subclasses for a total of 429 locomotives built between 1895 and 1910 entirely by the Pennsylvania Railroad's own Altoona and Juniata shops, surpassing even the 425 K4s built for the Pennsy in the decades to come, starting with the first, K4s 1737 in 1914, only four years after the last newly constructed D16 rolled out of the shops in Altoona.

D16b #4053 takes on water in Baltimore, Maryland on August 29, 1916 Built by the Juniata Shops in August 1903, construction number 1057. Rebuilt as a D16sb in February of 1919 and scrapped in October of 1930. (Author's Collection)

The D16 series saw many years of service on the Pennsylvania Railroad, some were sold off to short line railroads and several even survived on the Pennsy through and past WWII hidden away on the Delmarva Penninsula. The D16 had 68" drive wheels while the D16a had 80" drive wheels. They were large locomotives when built, which was further accentuated by the fact that the firebox was carried entirely above the frame allowing for a wider firebox while putting the boiler much higher than most of the locomotives of the time. The D16b with 68" drivers as well as the D16c and D16d with 80" drive wheels followed not long after. The major difference of the D16b, D16c and D16d subclasses when compared to the D16 and D16a, were their rear-sloping fireboxes which significantly increased the heating surface area allowing for better steam production.

One of the few built for Lines West, D16d #8531 in Richmond, Indiana in 1911. Note the headlight mounted to the front of the smokebox, early application of air-ringer and smoke deflector on cab roof behind the roof vent. (Author's Collection)

D16b #317 in Baltimore, Maryland pulling at least one wooden coach. (Author's Collection)

The most notable change to the D16 class came in 1914 when a superheater was first applied to D16b #178 making the first D16sb class locomotive. In addition to the application of the superheater, the #178 had it's slide valves replaced with piston valves that had outside steam pipes fed directly into the valves instead of through the cylinder saddle, and the operating steam pressure was dropped from 185 psi to 175 psi. These changes vastly increased efficiency and also provided nearly a 23% boost in tractive effort which was enough to convince the Pennsy to convert a significant portion of it's fleet of D16b, D16c and D16d locomotives to D16sb extending the useful service life of the 4-4-0s as the Pennsylvania Railroad began to rapidly make the switch from Wooden Passenger cars to heavier steel passenger equipment. Of note is that the D16sb retained the stephenson internal valve gear.

Locomotive #178 after conversion to D16sb. Note that she still retains her vertical wooden pilot, oil headlamp, old-style roof-vent and tender. (Author's Collection)

When the D16c and D16d subclasses were converted they had their 80" drive wheels replaced with 68" drivers, however there is one known example of a D16d that was converted to D16sd for high-speed service, Lines West #9821 although it is unlikely that it was as successful as it's 68" drivered counterparts because it was quickly converted to D16sb. It is unclear as to the reasons why the D16sd subclass was short-lived, but it was likely that the tractive effort was too great for the rail adhesion on such a high-drivered locomotive; simply the locomotive probably had problems with slippage and spinning wheels when getting started.

A drawing of PRR D16sd #9821. Has many of the Lines West adaptations. Oil Headlamp mounted on smokebox front instead of top, early type of air ringer, cab roof vent and (70P58e?) High Side tender. (Author's Collection)

In the 1920's a number of other modernizations were applied to the D16sb's including electric headlights, marker lights and classification lights, the slat-metal or "chicken coop" pilots replaced the old wood pilots and number of locomotives received air-ringers and sanders. Of note is that there are not any known examples of a D16sb that received a power-reverse or the Keystone number plates that began to be applied to passenger locomotives in the late twenties.

PRR D16sb #3191 operating on the Tuckerton Railroad in NJ, seen with modern pilot, Electric headlight, "claw-foot" marker and classification lamps. (Author's Collection)

By the early 1930's the majority of the D16's had been retired, only a handful the D16sb subclass remained and all had various alterations like footboard pilots, larger sand domes with additional sand piping leading behind the rear driver for better traction on reverse moves and larger classes tenders than they were first constructed with. Three D16sb locomotives were all that was left by 1937, locomotive #'s 1035, 1223 and 5079. From 1937 until being dropped from the roster in late 1950, locomotives 1035 and 5079 were leased to the Baltimore & Eastern Railroad a subsidiary of the PRR on the Delmarva Division where light rail (as light as 60 lbs. per yard) and timber bridges were still in service that required a lighter axle-load that most modern locomotives exceeded and therefore could not venture. During the same period, #1223 was officially assigned to the Delmarva Division and was normally based out of the Delmar, DE enginehouse.

D16sb #1035 in Wilmington, Delaware in 1935. She still retains her slat-metal pilot, 55P55a class tender and Classification lights. (Author's Collection)

Some accounts indicate that locomotive #1035 was originally slated for preservation but somewhere around 1936-37, when locomotive #1223 was due for "Class Repairs", meaning she was in need of a serious over-haul, which by the mid-1930's for a D16sb meant she was due to be scrapped, if not for a Pennsylvania Railroad official who lived along one of the lines that the #1223 operated on, was fond of the little 4-4-0 and intervened. #1223 was re-shopped at the Pennsylvania Railroad's Altoona Shops in Altoona, PA while her sister engines (1035 and 5079) had major repairs performed in the late 1930's at the Wilmington, DE shops. The 1223, practically new when she emerged from the Altoona Shops in pristine, modernized condition; resplendent in her passenger striping and it was at this time that she was paired with the tender she has to this day class 55P55a #4128. After her 1937 shopping, #1223 was used sparingly as she was already slated to be saved as a relic, some accounts indicate she was occasionally used on a lighter Delmarva Division Passenger or Mixed Train (Mixed Freight and Passenger train) but the only photo evidence that has surfaced show the 1223 in operation on the Baltimore & Eastern, presumably when her sister engines 1035 and 5079 were having maintenance and/or repairs completed. Not long after her restoration though, #1223 was put on display for a special event in Altoona, PA. #1223 was used in the filming of "Broadway Limited" a Hollywood comedy of the time starring Victor McLaglen and was occasionally put on display for different events.

D16sb #1223 freshly shopped on display in Altoona, Pennsylvania in 1937. (Author's Collection)

Locomotive #'s 1035, 1223 and 5079 served until Oct 27, 1950 when they were officially dropped from the Pennsy roster. D16sb #1035 was sold for scrap in November of 1950 and #5079 met the same fate in January of 1951. The 1223, having been selected for preservation, slumbered in (outside) storage at Wilmington for a number of years before she joined the PRR Northumberland Historic collection. The 1223 and a few passenger cars from the collection were being moved to Strasburg, Pennsylvania in the early 1960's for lease, initially to display at the East Strasburg Terminal. There #1223 was granted a second lease on life, operating on the Strasburg Rail Road starting in 1965 after having been out of service for fifteen years. Aside from being down for maintenance, #1223 operated until the end of the season in 1989. It was at this point that it was decided by folks at both the Strasburg Railroad and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, from whom the Strasburg had been leasing the 1223, that she would be retired. This was due to extensive (as well as expensive) work that was needed on her boiler along with additional maintenance that would be required to keep her running. The Strasburg was reluctant to invest that much money in a locomotive that they did not own, or even have a more long-term lease for, and those in charge at the Museum no longer wished to allow the work to be done, as it was felt that it would corrupt the "Historical Fabric" of the engine. The 1223 is now a static display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania for visitors to see. October 2014 was the 25th anniversary of the last time that #1223 moved under her own power, the longest amount of time that she has remained inactive since she was completed in November of 1905.

D16sb #1401 in New Castle, Pennsylvania in May of 1931. Note the unusual earlier style of replacement cab roof vent, larger sand dome and sand line behind rear driver. (Author's Collection)

D16sb #5091 on July 16, 1934 in Trainer, Pennsylvania (near Chester, PA) still sporting her slat-metal "chicken coop" passenger pilot but has a larger sand dome. (Author's Collection)

D16sb #5091 in an unknown location, possibly Love Point, Maryland sometime after July 16, 1934. (This photo appears to have been taken at the same location and likely the same day as a photo of 5091 published in the Winter 2007 Keystone Magazine, the publication of the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society or PRRT&HS. That photo was credited as being taken on July 18, 1934. This is just two days after the recorded date for the previous photo, so either the PRR works "very" fast or the dates captured on one of the photos may be incorrect.) Note that the slat-metal pilot in the previous photo has been replaced with foot-boards and the counterweight is halfway in the "Up" position while it is operating. (Author's Collection)

D16sb #5079 in Delmar, Delaware on July 18, 1937. Modifications include footboard pilot, larger sand dome, and tender is class 70P55 #9712 which was paired with the locomotive in late 1936. Note that the side-rear tender steps are the style commonly used on freight and switching locomotives and it appears to have foot-boards on the rear of the tender as well. Also of note are the sheet metal braces at the bottom edges of the wood cab, presumably to help hold the aging cab together where the wood may have been damaged and/or rotting. (Author's Collection)

D16sb #5079 circa 1940. Appearing to be mostly unchanged from the previous photo. Classification Lamps remain on the smokebox (even though they were phased out in mid-1939). Of note is the Air Bell Ringer, the superheater badge plate above the Builders Plate and the superheater cutoff counterweight in the "Down" position while the locomotive is idle. (Photo courtesy of the West Jersey Chapter-NRHS Trebino Collection)

D16sb #1035, one of the "Final Three" on September 11, 1940 in Delmar, Delaware. Note the addition of a second air compressor and the removal of the classification lights on the smokebox, leaving just the mounting brackets. The 55P55a tender shown in the earlier photo has been replaced with class 70P58f tender #612 which was paired with the engine in mid-1937. This class, which had a slightly higher firing deck than was normally found on a D16sb, were typically used on class E3sd and E5s Altantics of Lines East (of Pittsburgh) and E7s and E7sa 4-4-2 Atlantics on Lines West (of Pittsburgh). The side-rear tender steps are the freight/switching style and this tender like the one coupled to #5079 also appears to have foot-boards across the rear. (Author's Collection)