Maybe 20 years ago surprisingly I see this 2-8-2 in Sylvester, GA.
As my interest at that time was only geared locomotives I took a couple pics and drive away.

Recently I found the Baldwin paster on this and I must say for a Mikado this was a really beauty new.
Nice proportions, polished steel boiler jacket, outstanding lining for a 1930 make.

A quick internet search showed that they build a new shed and give some paint.
See e.g. here:
https://www.rgusrail.com/gagasc100.html

Thanks for sharing.

I don't have the specs right in front of me, but I think this one is similar to B & HS 300,

Sierra Ry. 34 is close too, but she has much smaller drivers, 46". Both are extant.

A trim little thing she is, and if I remember right, Model Railroader magazine even published drawings of her for those who wished to build a model.

@Tom

Yes Sierra #34 and Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern #300 are the same class plus Santa Maria Valley #21 too.

Here the main differences:
B&HS #300: 12-32-1/4-E,94 - EWT 68" 200lbs Boiler, 13' tubes, 52" drivers
display Hattiesburg, MS

Santa Maria Valley #21: 12-32-1/4-E,107 - EWT 64" 200lbs Boiler*, 16'10" tubes, 50" drivers
restoration Astoria, OR *not superheated!

Sierra Railway #34: 12-32-1/4-E,116 - EWT 66" 190lbs Boiler, 16'6" tubes, 46" drivers
stored Jamestown, CA

G.A.S.&C. #100: 12-32-1/4-E,122 - EWT 64" 200lbs Boiler, 16'10" tubes, 52" drivers
display Sylvester, GA

Good day, your comments on two of these locomotives prompt me to answer.
In reverse order, I can tell you that Sierra Railway 34 was built and did operate at 200 lbs.

About Santa Maria Valley 21 not being superheated, I just checked my in-service slides
and indeed, they do not show either a superheater plate or the 5 bolts that support the header. However, further scrutiny shows that the smokebox was insulated, an unusual feature, but that could have covered these features up.

I just cannot see a piston valve locomotive at that modern date being built without superheat for the SMV. Just about everything else on the roster had it. It is possible though. Quincy RR 2 now at Niles Canyon has piston valves, but lacks superheat.

You have brought up a good point that needs further exploration.

I couldn't leave this alone & remembered that I have a builders photo of 21 in a yellow Kodak 8x10 box.

It sure looks like 21 was built that way. The one thing that still causes me to question this is the seam that separates the boiler from smokebox looks to be of the same diameter and the smokebox still looks like it could be insulated. Why would that be?

Wow, ordered that way from Baldwin. SMV did not have grades of any real consequence,
so I could see where an accountant could have suggested to omit superheat to save initial capital expense. Would like to see the correspondence when she was ordered. That would explain a lot.

All right, I went one step further and looked through my slides.

My first trip to McCloud was on Sept. 19, 1966. I was allowed to ride the daily train to Burney and back behind one of the Baldwins. Before leaving town in late afternoon, I wandered around and took slides of anything interesting.

Sitting out on the South side of the engine house floor was SMV 21. Her tender was outside and her smokebox front was off. I used a tripod and even though my exposures were alright, the image that I got from the front does not get into the smokebox detail at all.

What does show from my low down on the floor shot, is at least 13 large superheater flues. These are all laying directly adjacent to the wooden planking laid out on front of the smokebox of the 21. Also, in looking closely, the smokebox does appear to be insulated.
The thickness is 3 times what would be normal and it sure looks like insulation showing in the gap between the outer skin and the steel.

I can't speak to the engines in question, but there is a way to have the boiler jacket equal the diameter of the smokebox without the smokebox being lagged; introduce a rolled ring of heavy bar stock between the first boiler course and the smokebox. Most the smaller engines on the Soo Line, Alcos all, used this construction, including 2719, which ran until recently. That diagram is not handy, but the diagram for the H-20 class, built in 1909, calls out the O.D. of the first boiler course as 66-3/8", while the smokebox is 69-3/8 O.D. leaving a 1-1/2" step to accommodate the lagging. I have no idea of the reason for this construction; it may be an attempt to use a slightly larger smokebox to make it easier to fit screens into.

The builder's photo of G.A.S.&C. #100 looks to be similar. The change of finish color between the boiler and smokebox makes no sense if both were jacketed, it appears that, like the Soo engines, the front boiler band laps between the jacket and outer surface of the smokebox.

Good Morning Tom.
Seems like you have as much time researching for our hobby as I do.
Thank you.
See here the Baldwin factory records for Sierra #34 -> working steam pressure and safety valves 190lbs.

@Tom
regarding the Santa Maria Valley #21.
Maybe Captain Hancock (SMV owner) was excentric I do not know.
But for sure he want his first (and only) new bought Steam Locomotive as nice and beautiful as possible.
Ordered with lagged smokebox. Polished jacket. Gold lettering.
"Attractive as possible"

And there was NO superheater when new.
The owners still have to decide to trade fuel economy vs maintenance. In this case to go for less maintenance.
There are several 1920s locos out with piston valves but no superheater
e.g. MRSR #5 this Porter also has no superheater.

New at the factory.

OK, I asked a couple of old friends for help regarding the Sierra Ry. 34 issue. Both of these guys are retired rails and both had worked for the Sierra for a number of years.
34 always ran with 200 lbs. Also, because of that, her t.e. was 34,000 lbs. plus. I don't have the figure right in front of me.

This is where you can sometimes get into trouble even with company/ builder documents as they do not always reflect real world instances. 200 lbs., that's what she is.

I still have my suspicions regarding SMV 21 and the superheat issue. I do not have a ready means to post images here, but just this morning, was closely looking at a slide that I took of 21 while at McCloud which clearly shows about 13 of the big superheater tubes laying out on the floor next to 21 while she sat there with her smokebox front off.

We need a Pacific NW member who has recently worked on her in Astoria, OR to chime in here. That'd help.

BTW, a couple more piston valve/saturated locos that come to mind are the Big Creek and Telocaset 80 ton Heisler in Eastern OR and one of the old Reader RR Prairies. Not common, but they were around.

Interesting thread.

I don't know if it helps but the Astoria Railroad Preservation Association has a couple good shots of the inside of the smokebox on their website:

https://www.astoriarailroad.org/news/275.html
https://www.astoriarailroad.org/news/274.html
https://www.astoriarailroad.org/news/267.html

Here's a photo of the 21 in McCloud, part of a large collection of uncredited snapshots of McCloud excursions in the late 1960s and 1970s:



Lastly, another locomotive built with piston valves but without superheat is the Pacific Gas & Electric #4, bought new for the Pit River Project off the McCloud River at Bartle. This is the same engine that later worked for Oakland Terminal and the Santa Fe and ended its life at the Modesto & Empire Traction 9.



Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Jeff, I owe you dinner sometime!

Superheat and that should settle that once and for all.

.