http://www.steamlocomotive.com/2-6-6-2/?page=mec

Sounds like they were unwanted by the B&M and the MEC, were retired early, and were used on a relatively inaccessible portion of the MEC while they were in service.

B&M first owned them, then sold them to MEC. Crews disliked them and they were cut up after relatively short service lives.

Anyone have records about why they were disliked?

Firebox too small, too light for number of wheels (traction issues), uncomfortable, boiler too small, hard to operate, maintenance issues, etc...????

Rich C.

That small firebox would've hurt the X-class in the steaming department. Lack of superheating likely didn't do them any favors either. Furthermore I'd imagine that maintainance on two roads with no prior exprience with articulated designs didn't endear them to crews... On the Maine Central their S-class successors turned less tractive effort, to the tune of about 6,000 pounds less, but the larger firebox, superheating, and possibly stokers (I'm not sure if they carried them) on a locomotive that is easier to maintain probably made up for their shortcomings. We also need to consider that some of these opinions could've developed after the X-class was gone from both the B&M and Maine Central, where they had taken delievery of decidely superior successors in the form of Berksires, Santa Fes, Mountains and Mikados.

I found this information in Robert A LeMassena's two volumes on articulated locomotives.

Boston & Maine #1291-1294 2-6-6-2
Alco C/N 48648-48651 November 1910
200 psi 50 square feet of grates 21&35x30 61" drivers 62,000 lbs te
"Intended for use as helpers through the Hoosac Tunnel, these Mallets possessed unusual specifications, which assured unsatisfactory performance, and they were soon sold."

Sold to the Maine Central 1923 as #1201-1204. The MC used them on the 2 1/2% grade over the White Mountains for about 10 years. They were replaced with newer 2-8-2s.

Many similar locomotives built at the same time had 70 square feet of grates.

Charles Fisher reported in his "Locomotives of the Maine Central" series in R&LHS Bulletin 56 in 1941 that it was 1203 (ex-B&M 3001) that lasted until 1935, not 1204 as reported at the steamlocomotive.com link above. Fisher also said the class had 63" drivers, not 61". I don't know who is correct, so I'm just noting a discrepancy in the record.

-Philip Marshall

I forgot to mention that as built they weighed 308,000 pounds, carried 4000 gallons of oil and 8500 gallons of water.

Only 50 square feet of grate for a 2-6-6-2? No wonder they were "unsatisfactory". For comparison, a USRA light Pacific had a little over 70 square feet of grate area.

I believe they were reported to ride terribly.

I double checked on the S-class 2-8-2s that replaced them... 56.5 square feet on their grates. I'm no expert but that looks to be a decent improvement...
*Scratch that, that's the pre-USRA S-Class specs, which come out at 66.7 square feet.

That 56.5 square feet of grate area sounded familiar. . .for another pre-USRA design from about the same time. . .nothing other than Southern's Ms class, with the surviving example being the famous 4501.

Looks like the engines from both roads were fairly close, though hardly identical.

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/mikado/?page=mec

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/mikado/?page=srs

Oddly enough, on eBay this evening:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-photo-M ... SwUKxYfSMm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6K527-RP-1912-1 ... Sw6DtYU0Nn

No. They were cut up in Waterville. It ain't so.

Sounds like another thing that didn't help were oil fired locomotives on a bituminous coal fired road. Odd balls never last unless they are a lot better than the regular ones.

Since we were probably not comparing apples to apples is a 50 sq ft grate area small for an oil burner? I am sure they ran steam pipes back to the tank, but oil in Maine winters doesn't flow the best especially since we are probably talking about the tar like Bunker grade oils.

Rich C.

None of which we know. Scrapping steam was no big deal back then, so no real interest.