Chesapeake and Ohio classes L-2 and L-2-A

C&O L-2
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Build date 1941 Total produced 8
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-4  • UIC 2′C2′ h2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 78 in (1.981 m) Length 108 ft 0 in (32.92 m) Adhesive weight 217,500 lb (98,700 kg; 98.7 t) Loco weight 439,500 lb (199,400 kg; 199.4 t) Total weight 832,500 lb (377,600 kg; 377.6 t) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 60,000 lb (27,000 kg; 27 t) Water cap. 21,000 US gallons (79,000 L; 17,000 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 90 sq ft (8.4 m2) Boiler pressure 255 psi (1.76 MPa) Heating surface 4,233 sq ft (393.3 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 1,810 sq ft (168.2 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 25 in × 30 in (635 mm × 762 mm)
Career Operators Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Numbers 300–307 Retired 1953 Disposition All scrapped

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's class L-2 comprised eight coal-fired 4-6-4 "Hudson" type steam locomotives numbered 300–307 and built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1941. They had roller bearings on all axles, and the first-built, No. 300, also had roller bearings on its side and main rods. No. 300 bore "Elephant ear" smoke deflectors from 1948.

In 1947, the C&O ordered five additional and very similar locomotives, numbering them 310–314; these were class L-2-A and differed mostly in using Franklin RC poppet valves instead of the Baker valve gear of the L-2s. These were the last express passenger steam locomotives ordered by a United States railroad, and some of the most expensive at $353,346 each, 80% more than the cost of the 8 earlier L-2 locomotives.^[1]

Both classes were among the largest 4-6-4s ever built, and they were even more powerful than the C&O's L-1 class. The heaviest were the C&O's L2a class at 443,000 lbs,^[1] They were intended to work the C&O's top-flight express trains on level ground; the railroad purchased 4-8-4 "Greenbrier" types for mountain service.

By 1953, C&O passenger services were wholly dieselized, and there was no more work for these locomotives to do. Hudson locomotives were very unsuited to freight work, with such a comparatively small proportion of their weight on the drivers. All the L2’s and L2a’s were quickly scrapped by 1953.

1. ^ Huddleston, Eugene L. (Jan–Feb 2002). "The outstanding features and many lives of C&O 614". Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Magazine. Archived from the original on 2006-06-21. Retrieved 2006-01-11.