Cotton Belt Class L-1

The Cotton Belt Class L-1 was a class of 20 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotives that were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works and the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (a.k.a. "Cotton Belt Route") at their own Pine Bluff Shops.

Cotton Belt Class L-1
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works (10) SSW's Pine Bluff Shops (10) Build date 1930, 1937, 1942–1943 Total produced 20
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-4  • UIC 2′D2′ h2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 70 in (1,778 mm) Length Total: 99 ft 8+1⁄2 in (30.39 m) Tender: 38 ft 9 in (11.81 m) Width 10 ft 5+5⁄8 in (3.191 m) Height 15 ft 10 in (4.826 m) Axle load 62,000 lb (28.1 tonnes) Adhesive weight 248,000 lb (112.5 tonnes) Loco weight 438,500 lb (198.9 tonnes) Tender weight 312,000 lb (141.5 tonnes) Total weight 750,500 lb (340.4 tonnes) Fuel type Oil Fuel capacity 5,000 US gal (19,000 L; 4,200 imp gal) Water cap. 15,000 US gal (57,000 L; 12,000 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 88.3 sq ft (8.20 m2) Boiler pressure 250 lbf/in2 (1.72 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 469 sq ft (43.6 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 1,962 sq ft (182.3 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 26 in × 30 in (660 mm × 762 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type Piston valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 61,564 lbf (273.85 kN) Factor of adh. 4.03
Career Operators St. Louis Southwestern "Cotton Belt" Southern Pacific Transportation Company Class L-1 Numbers 800-819 Retired 1953 Preserved No. 819 Scrapped 1955-1957 Disposition One preserved, remainder scrapped

History

In all, a total of 20 locomotives were ever built with the first 10 locomotives being built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1930 and being delivered to the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (a.k.a. "Cotton Belt Route") that same year in 1930, and the other 10 locomotives being built by the Cotton Belt themselves at their own Pine Bluff Shops in 1937, 1942 and 1943.

Then, in 1953, the Cotton Belt Route began to retire each of their L-1 locomotives when they began to dieselize their lines that they had owned. All, but one locomotive were scrapped between 1955 and 1957.

Leasing with the Southern Pacific

During the Second World War, the Cotton Belt Route had made an agreement with Southern Pacific Transportation Company to lease eleven of their L-1 locomotives to operate on the lines by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company as they needed more motive power to tackle the issues throughout the Second World War.

The leased L-1 locomotives were divided into two classes of locomotives on the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, those being the Southern Pacific Class GS-7 and Southern Pacific Class GS-8.

However, neither one of the two classes of leased L-1 locomotives were preserved, and they were all sold for scrap in 1957.

Preservation

Main article: Cotton Belt 819

Cotton Belt 819 attending the Fordyce on the Cotton Belt Festival in 1986

Only one locomotive of the class L-1 has survived into preservation, which was No. 819. The locomotive was retired from revenue service in 1953 and was presented to the City of Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1955 as a token of gratitude for the city’s support of the Cotton Belt’s steam locomotive operations. The ownership of the locomotive was retained by the city, and the restoration of the 819 was the responsibility of “Project 819”, an all-volunteer effort by two rail historical preservation groups: the Arkansas Railroad Club and the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society. The locomotive was restored to operating condition in 1986 and operated in excursion service until October 1993. As of 2022, the locomotive is being restored again at the Arkansas Railway Museum in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, by the Cotton Belt Rail Historical Society.

Further reading

• Strapac, Joseph (1999). Cotton Belt Locomotives. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253336019.
• Solomon, Brian (2013). Classic Locomotives: Steam and Diesel Power in 700 Photographs. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9781610588683.