Steam & Excursion > Union RR 0-10-2's

Who built Union RR's 0-10-2 locomotives? Was it Baldwin?

- Photo taken from a 1937 Standard Stoker advertisement.

JMW
http://www.waidephoto.com

---

Baldwin. Numbers 301-309. They weighed 404,360 lbs and had rated tractive effort of 108,050 lbs. with the tender booster cut in.

Some of these went to the DM&IR in Minnesota. We are working on a new DM&IR video that has some of these switching at Proctor Yard in the late 1950's. Odd wheel arrangement thats for sure!
Greg Scholl

(E-1)+(B-2)? Or would it be (E-1)x(B-2)? Hehehe

Here are a few photos of UNION 304 on display in Greenville pa. taken a few years ago.

Tim c

---

---

---

Okay...I'll bite: Why does the number plate say 604?

filmteknik Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Okay...I'll bite: Why does the number plate say
> 604?


A guess based on what I vaguely recall about the display:

One side of the locomotive is lettered for the Union Railroad and the other side is lettered for the Duluth Missabe & Iron Range.

Dave

filmteknik Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Okay...I'll bite: Why does the number plate say
> 604?


Must be Missabe's plate, as that was the 304's number on the DMIR.

I didn't know any of these survived, and I'm thrilled to see the survivors pic. According to the bible on DMIR steam, by Franklin King, all these engines were scrapped - though the 604 was the last removed from the roster in 1963.

Any more survivors out there??????

Here's the DM&IR side getting painted in July 2001.

---

---

How many of these went to the Missabe? And, did any of them keep the tender boosters to the end? Like MTM, I had no idea any of these ultimate switchers had survived, and am delighted to see these pics. Just wish the big girl was indoors. Will have to get over to Greenville some day and see her. And bring back some Lord Chesterfield Ale.........

Isn't that DM&IR tender logo great?

NYCSTL8 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How many of these went to the Missabe? And, did
> any of them keep the tender boosters to the end?
> Like MTM, I had no idea any of these ultimate
> switchers had survived, and am delighted to see
> these pics. Just wish the big girl was indoors.
> Will have to get over to Greenville some day and
> see her. And bring back some Lord Chesterfield
> Ale.........

According to Frank King's "The Missabe Road," the DM & IR received nine of these from the Union Railroad.

With respect to beer, I associate the DM & IR with Fitger's whose brewery was located in Duluth on DM & IR's Duluth - Two Harbors Line. While the Fitgers brewery went out of business in 1972, the building still stands along the line used by the North Shore Scenic Railroad with shops, a restaurant and a bar. When I was last there in 2000, the building also housed a small museum dedicated to the brewery.

Dave

NYCSTL8 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How many of these went to the Missabe?

All 9. Union numbers 301 to 309 became DMIR 601-609 in order in 1949, replacing the 1910 2-8-8-2's, that hadn't been simpled, on Procter Hill.

One more interesting bit about the 0-10-2s. They were originally intended as 2-10-2's, but the Union RR ordered the locomotives without the pilot truck so that the locomotives could fit the 70-foot turntables. However, the DM & IR also rostered 2-10-2s of two classes, 500-505 and 506-515.

Dave

RuleG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One more interesting bit about the 0-10-2s. They
> were originally intended as 2-10-2's, but the
> Union RR ordered the locomotives without the pilot
> truck so that the locomotives could fit the
> 70-foot turntables. However, the DM & IR also
> rostered 2-10-2s of two classes, 500-505 and
> 506-515.

The Iron Range 2-10-2's were used as road engines. I've never seen evidence that the 0-10-2's ever wandered out on the mains west of Proctor, nor up to Two Harbors, but rather were considered banking engines, being used only on the Procter Hill (including switching the docks), and to the furnaces at Steelton.

BTW, "switching the docks" on the DMIR was NOTHING like switching the docks on the BEDT! :-) (0-10-2's vs. 0-4-0T's)

Odd that on renumbering they would order a rather generic plate from Baldwin, the kind you see on shortlines. Were all their plates like that?

I don't ever recall seeing any DM&IR tender lettering in BLUE...It was always white in the films we have seen.
We do have shots of 604 in the program we are working on at Proctor as a switcher. There are also the 500 series 2-10-2's, 700 series 2-10-4's, some odd stuff, and oh yes, some Yellowstones in steam too!!
Cheers,
Greg

My guess is the blue is masking.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My guess is the blue is masking.


Yeah, you can see the roll on the scaffold in the first picture.

doubleheader Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't ever recall seeing any DM&IR tender
> lettering in BLUE...It was always white in the
> films we have seen.
> We do have shots of 604 in the program we are
> working on at Proctor as a switcher. There are
> also the 500 series 2-10-2's, 700 series 2-10-4's,
> some odd stuff, and oh yes, some Yellowstones in
> steam too!!
> Cheers,
> Greg

Greg:

I look forward to your tape. Your DM & IR Yellowstones program is one of the best rail videotapes around. I recommend it to anyone who likes big steam in general and/or the DM & IR in particular.

Dave