Steam & Excursion > Triplex question

What type of freight did they haul?? I have the Virginian model that just came out. Thanks in advance for anyones knowledge on this.

It (there was only one) pulled long trains of coal in steel Virginian black hopper cars, as well as 12-wheel battleship gondolas.

According to J. Parker Lamb's excellent book, Perfection of the American Steam Locomotive, the Erie owned three Baldwin-built 2-8-8-8-4 triplex locomotives. They were used in pusher service around Susquehanna. The Virginian owned one 2-8-8-8-4 triplex, also. The locomotives were unsuccessful because the firebox volume and the total evaporative surface was too small to permit the steam generation rate necessary for the locomotives to operate faster than 10 or 15 miles per hour for more than a short time.

OCV

Minor correction: the three Erie Triplexes were 2-8-8-2s. Only the Virginian Triplex had a four-wheel trailing truck.

Thanks for the correction.

I relied on the sentence in Lamb's book, (p. 79) "The idea was to put what was called a 'tractor engine' beneath the tender of a 2-8-8-0 to produce a 2-8-8-8-4 wheel arrangement." for my information.

For those wanting more information, here are links to web pages regarding the locomotives.

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/articulated/eriep1.shtml

http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/MUSEUM/LOCOLOCO/triplex/triplex.htm

OCV