#9 I. E. James (2-4-0)

I. E. James as delivered.

Drawing by Michael Ames.

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Facts

Built

1870

By

Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia

Serial No

2199

Class 14 1/2C-2
Empty weight 65,000
Weight on drivers 48,000
Tractive effort 9,900
Boiler pressure 130

Dimension

14x22" / 48" / 25 tons

Cost

 12.000

Status

Scrapped

History

1870

Delivered to Virginia & Truckee.

May 26, 1873 The engine started a fire that burned Samuel Longabaugh's Mexican Mill Wood Yard.
Longabaugh got $5,281 by court for his loss.
June 1873 The Krombig Steam Fire Pump was ordered from Central Pacific.
1900 Rented to Boca and Loyalton Railroad.
1905 Retired.
July 16, 1907 Sold (without fire pump) for $2,500 to Willett and Burr Contractors, Oakland.
1907 Converted to burn oil.
1941 Dismantled for scrap at Decoto, San Francisco.

 

Builder's Specification

14 ½ C #3 See 6-22 C  Drawing 1  6/15/70
Virginia City & Truckee
 
  Gauge of Road, 4' 8½"    3/4 Play
  Boiler constructed to burn, Wood    
Waist. 41" at smoke box Chipped & Chalked   inside & out
Furnace. Material, Steel
  Size,
  Chamber, None
  Hollow Stays,
   
Flues. Material, Iron     Copper rings on fire box end
    Size and Number, 122    1 3/4" dia  8 ft long
Grates. Cast Iron for wood. Dead plate front & sides.
Ash Pan. Double Dampers
   
Cylinders. Size, 14" x 22"
  Valve Motion, Link   
  Oil Valves, in house
Guides. steel
Cross Heads. Cast Iron, steel Pin
Rock Shafts. Wrot
Drivers. Diameter, 48"              Centres gauge 43 1/4" diam
  Journals, 5 ½" x 8"     
  Tire, Steel all flanged 5½ x 2½
   
Feed Water. Pumps, 2 of Brass    Hollow plungers outside
  Injectors, None
  Feed Pipes, Iron
  Check Pipes, Copper
Throttle. Balance
Smoke Stack. Yankee
House. Small Round Corner
Pilot. Iron Round Bars
Sand Box. Small Round
Exhaust. Double
Name. I E James  No 9.    Brass Letters
   
Truck. Style, Single wheel, swing Bolsxxx
  Wheels, 24" dia   Hollow spoke
  Journals, 4  x 6
   
   
Tender. Mounted on, 8 wheels
  Tank, 1200 gallon
  Frame, Square
  Trucks,     "      Iron
  Wheels, 26" dia       Taylors
  Journals, 3 ½ x 6         special same as 27 ½ D #3 - 4
  Brakes, to both trucks.
   
   
Finish. Boiler, Covered with felt,    Jacket #12 Russia Iron      Brass bands
  Cylinder and St. Chests, Iron bodies    Cast head     polished.
  Dome, Brass body       Iron Rings
  Painting, Wine Color
  Best finish                   
  Brass foot Board hosing ???     Whistle all Brass
                                        
  V & T R. R. on side of Tank

 

Comments

The V&T #9 I. E. James arrived to Reno from Philadelphia. The locomotive was delivered to Carson City. In Carson City the locomotive was used as a switch engine within the yard.

I. E. James was named after Isaac E. James, Chief Engineer of the Virginia & Truckee. I. E. James was one of the smaller locomotives at Virginia & Truckee.

The locomotive was build by Baldwin with an mid-1869 technology. The loco's had 48" drivers. The V&T put on bigger tires (Tyres in the V&T records).

The Krombig Steam Fire Pump was mounted atop the boiler between the domes.

In a description of No. 9, IE James (1870) as painted "wine and blue" in 1874 (or so). The colors may have been a V&T repaint but according with what Baldwin was doing at the time the engine was built, as wine with blue, often with red wheels, was a popular combination. The James is one c/n number away from the Humboldt, creating a possibility the three moguls were similar, but its also possible the engine got a special "tasty" treatment, common to shifter engines, especially those named after officials or members of the railroad company. The James had probably an ornate panel and scrollwork framed in decorative striping on the tender.

02/09/1874
The I. E. James - We visited the V&TRR machine shop on Saturday last, for the purpose of seeing the beautiful little locomotive "I. E. James. Mr. Bowker, the master mechanic, is so immensely proud of his engine that he can scarcely be got away from her, and well he may, for nothing but a newly painted ship, under full sail, ever looked to us so beautiful as the little James. Red and blue paint and gilt stripes make a splendid appearance on anything, and we never saw it to better advantage than on the engine in question..."

So what was red and what was blue ? Seems hard to believe blue was the base color. Could the blue have been the Russia iron boiler rather than paint ? Red as a trim color for the wheels, headlight box, domes, etc. seems reasonable. But this still leaves the question of what was the base color ? Too bad we do not have any photos of the James from this era.

There are a couple of photos of the James at the Carson wood yard taken by Watkins. One front and one back, 1876? Do we have the date he took the Glenbrook photos, should be the same time? See pg 65 of Ferrell's V&T book.

There is a close up of the front view of the James at the Carson Wood Yard, same as in Ferrell's book. Bob Dockery made the close up. It's dated Oct. 1876. There is striping on the headlight with filigree around the lens. There appears to be filigree on the sand dome, the steam dome is brass finish and so are the boiler bands. The jacket is shiny, indicating Russia iron finish, so that could be the blue. In a photo copy of the rear you can see one large striped band (white?) on the back of the tender body and it looks like two very small sets of stripes on the wings. The "9" is in the center and it is two or three colors. There are two later photos of the James on the V&T and there is no strip on the tender, but the V&TRR is two tone. As ordered it was Russia iron jacket, wine color, best finish.



Source of information: V&T Locomotives by Koenig, Charlie Siebenthal, Dale Darney, Mike Collins.