Geared Locomotives Climb Grades Of 10 Percent

February 6, 2007

A little known fact is that many railroad steam locomotives consisted of engines that used gears together with steam cylinders (common on all steam locomotives) to produce more “constant” pulling power than the conventional and more prevalent “rod” type of steam locomotive.

The most common geared locomotives were Shays, Climaxes, and Heislers. These were manufactured by different companies with different means of getting geared power to their drivers.

The geared locomotives were the “4 wheel drive” versions of the “rod” locomotives. The geared locomotives were lighter, smaller, and had geared transmissions to provide steady, constant power to all wheels (or drivers).

The geared locomotives were designed to climb steep grades (in excess of 10%), operate on lighter, smaller rail (for economy) and on rail that was often crooked and poorly maintained (also for economy purposes).

The locomotives were mainly used in the lumber and mining industries. The rails were laid to the timber or minerals to provide a practical and economical means to transport these commodities out of their locations and to the mills for processing.