Locomotives
Consolidations — Classes G, H-1, H-2 & H-3
The 2-8-0 Consolidation types that formed the core of A&Y freight power from the earliest A&Y era through the 1940s.
Class G-2 — Early Consolidations
- Wheel arrangement
- 2-8-0 (Consolidation)
- Builder
- Richmond Locomotive Works, 1895
- Origins
- Southern Railway predecessor-road acquisitions; inherited by A&Y via Southern lease
- Engines on A&Y
- 182, 187
- Evidence
- Mentioned in correspondence and Prince; at least one photograph known
The Southern Railway's G class designations covered Consolidations inherited from the predecessor roads that the Southern absorbed after its 1895 formation. The G-2 variant — represented on the A&Y by Nos. 182 and 187, both Richmond-built in 1895 — were small, aging engines by the time they served the A&Y in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Their service was brief: 182 was retired October 1930 and 187 in March 1933, the latter replaced in the lease agreement by No. 348. Despite the sparse documentary record, their presence on the A&Y is confirmed by correspondence files and at least one photograph.
Classes H-1, H-2 & H-3 — Standard Consolidations
- Wheel arrangement
- 2-8-0 (Consolidation)
- H-1 builder
- Richmond, Baldwin (1899–1901) — narrow firebox
- H-2 builder
- Richmond, Baldwin (1897–1898) — narrow firebox, lighter variant
- H-3 builder
- Pittsburgh (1899–1900) — narrow firebox
- Role
- Principal freight power; leased from Southern Railway, core of the A&Y fleet
- Peak count
- Roughly 12 H-class engines on lease simultaneously in the mid-1930s
The H-class Consolidations were the workhorses of the A&Y's independent era, forming the majority of the lease fleet through the 1930s. All used narrow fireboxes, which late in the period became an economic disadvantage compared to the wide-firebox J-class engines then available. The shift from H to J class in the lease agreement was a deliberate move by both the A&Y and Southern management: when H-class engines came due for expensive boiler work, they were typically replaced in the lease by J-class wide-firebox engines rather than repaired.
The H-1 class — twelve engines in total — dominates the H roster. The H-2 (Nos. 254 and 273) are a lighter, slightly earlier variant; both served and departed the roster in the mid-1930s without the documentary record that the H-1 engines accumulated. The H-3 (Nos. 287, 338, 344, 348) were Pittsburgh-built; Nos. 338 and 348 are the best documented of the H-3 group, with 348 being notable for regular assignment to the Ramseur (CR) branch due to its short wheelbase and suitability for the branch's light trestles and small turntable.
Photographs
No. 280 (H-1), Greensboro, 1937
Photo: Davidson
No. 297 (H-1), Greensboro, ca. 1944
Photo: Rathke
No. 311 (H-1), Pomona, ca. 1933
Wicker collection
No. 321 (H-1), Greensboro, 1937
Photo: Davidson
No. 338 (H-3), Sanford
Bott collection
No. 348 (H-3), Greensboro, ca. 1939
Photo: Gay
Class H Roster
| # | Class | Built | Builder | C/N | Retired | Road | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class H-2 (lighter early variant) | |||||||
| 254 | H-2 | 1897 | Richmond | 2627 | 10/1937 | A&Y | With 344, replaced Oct 1937 by 444 & 531; scrapped Hayne shops Oct 1938 |
| 273 | H-2 | 1898 | Baldwin | 16164 | 11/1930 | A&Y | Returned to Southern 11/17/1933; recommended retired, stored at Spencer |
| Class H-1 | |||||||
| 252 | H-1 | 1900 | Richmond | 3019 | 11/1930 | Southern | Rented from Danville Div 3/9/1936 at $18/day; pilot added prior to rental |
| 280 | H-1 | 1899 | Richmond | 2911 | 8/1942 | A&Y | Out of service 7/16/1931 for flue work; returned 10/26/1945 |
| 297 | H-1 | 1900 | Richmond | 3027 | 9/1944 | A&Y | Damaged Greensboro accident 4/13/1948; retired; replaced in lease by 313 |
| 302 | H-1 | 1900 | Richmond | 3032 | 3/1931 | A&Y | Returned 3/16/1940 in exchange for 522 (narrow firebox uneconomical) |
| 304 | H-1 | 1900 | Richmond | 3034 | 2/1939 | ? | Per R.E. Prince |
| 310 | H-1 | 1900 | Richmond | 3040 | 2/1935 | A&Y | Removed from lease 10/14/1937 for heavy repairs; replaced by 472 |
| 311 | H-1 | 1900 | Richmond | 3041 | 2/1935 | A&Y | Last trip on A&Y 1/22/1938; stored at Spencer |
| 313 | H-1 | 1901 | Richmond | 3124 | 3/1949 | A&Y | Replaced 297 in lease 7/9/1948 after Greensboro accident |
| 315 | H-1 | 1901 | Richmond | 3126 | 11/1942 | A&Y | Removed from lease 10/14/1937 for repairs; replaced by 458 |
| 317 | H-1 | 1901 | Richmond | 3128 | 1/1948 | A&Y | Entered lease in place of 313 on 1/17/1949 |
| 321 | H-1 | 1901 | Richmond | 3132 | 11/1936 | A&Y | Lease terminated after A&Y declined to fund Spencer repairs |
| 358 | H-1 | 1901 | Baldwin | 19607 | 10/1930 | ? | |
| Class H-3 | |||||||
| 287 | H-3 | 1899 | Pittsburgh | 2012 | 12/1931 | ? | |
| 338 | H-3 | 1900 | Pittsburgh | 2180 | 8/1943 | A&Y | Returned 10/26/1945 with 280; used on Ramseur branch |
| 344 | H-3 | 1900 | Pittsburgh | 2186 | 2/1935 | A&Y | With 254, replaced Oct 1937 by 444 & 531 |
| 348 | H-3 | 1900 | Pittsburgh | 2190 | 6/1948 | A&Y | Lease began 8/1/1936; regular Ramseur branch power (short wheelbase, light trestles) |