I once saw a book, By an individual whose last name I have forgotten, but I believe whose first name was "kip", in which the author had details of cab rides he has taken all over the country during the 1930's.

At the end of the book was an appendix with a motive power report in which the Western Maryland operating dept. compared the performance of Consolidations with the Challengers. It was fairly detailed, showing horsepower curves and tables of trip times, etc.

Is there anything like this online?

Don't know about on-line stuff, but I think the author you refer to was S. Kip Farrington, who wrote a number of railroad books in the 1940s, such as Railroads at War, Railroading from the Head End, Railroading from the Rear End, etc.. When I was a kid, I checked them out frequently from the local library. Most libraries still have copies, and if not, they can now be obtained via interlibrary loan.

> I once saw a book, By an individual whose
> last name I have forgotten, but I believe
> whose first name was "kip", in
> which the author had details of cab rides he
> has taken all over the country during the
> 1930's.

> At the end of the book was an appendix with
> a motive power report in which the Western
> Maryland operating dept. compared the
> performance of Consolidations with the
> Challengers. It was fairly detailed, showing
> horsepower curves and tables of trip times,
> etc.

> Is there anything like this online?


ryarger@rypn.org

> Thats the guy! Great book, though I guess he must've been independently wealth to travel the country getting cab rides

> At the end of the book was an appendix with
> a motive power report in which the Western
> Maryland operating dept. compared the
> performance of Consolidations with the
> Challengers. It was fairly detailed, showing
> horsepower curves and tables of trip times,
> etc.

> Is there anything like this online?

I don't know of anything online, but the specific book you need to find for this report is Farrington's "Railroading Coast to Coast - Riding the locomotive Cabs, 1923 - 1950". In Section 2 of the book is the "WM Railway Company Report of Dynamometer Car Tests With Resulting Tonnage Ratings on the H9a 2-8-0 type, J1 4-8-4 type, I2 2-10-0 type and M2 4-6-6-4 type ...". I found a Bonanza Books reprint from 1976. Good luck on your search.


syfrettinc@bellsouth.net