NW 1239 New to the site.

Name	Type	Comments	Date

Chuck Zeiler	General	The following is from the November 1991 issue of Trains Magazine, by Robert A. Le Massena: During June 1952 2-6-6-4 1239 (built in 1949) made six round-trip test runs between Williamson WV and Portsmouth OH. These were followed in September by four similar runs by a four-unit EMD F7 diesel-electric, equalling the A's speed with 800 more tons and a 15 percent saving in fuel. The F-unit set retreated to EMD's plant in LaGrange, and the N&W behaved as though the steam era would never end. The evidence shows that the F7 set was not an off-the-shelf model with 1500 hp engines, but a modified version having 1700 hp engines. Back to the shop the 1239 went, where its boiler pressure was increased to 315 psi; there is some evidence that the cylinder bore and driver diameter were increased. These modifications increased the tractive effort (and horsepower) requiring 20 tons of lead to be added to the engine's machinery beds to prevent slipping. Three more tests with the 1239 (	6/10/2012 7:05:49 PM

Chuck Zeiler	General	Three more tests with the 1239 (now an unofficial Class A1) were made in October, beating the diesel's speed with 250 more tons and with only a 3 percent added fuel cost. A second battery of tests took place on the steeper grades between Williamson and Bluefield where the diesel contended with a modified compound-expansion 2-8-8-2 2197, an unofficial Y6c. The contest ended in a draw, the F7 had not proven and substantial advantage in performance or fuel costs. After the test programs had been completed, neither the N&W or EMD said anything about them; in fact, nothing was ever published, by either company, concerning their outcome. Electro-Motive may have been stunned by the inability of its newest, most powerful locomotive to overwhelm a pair of steam locomotives whose basic designs predated 1930 (the 2-8-8-2) and 1936 (the 2-6-6-4). What appeared to have been an easy victory for the hot-rod F7's had turned into a defeat by N&W's two secret weapons.	6/10/2012 7:07:50 PM

Chuck Zeiler	General	In the May 1992 edition of Trains Magazine, a letter to the editor by Louis A Newton, a career N&W man, states: Serious misstatements were made in connection with the steam vs. diesel test in 1952. I personally participated in the tests of Class A 1239 on the Kenova District in October of that year and can catagorically state the the boiler pressure was not raised to 315 psi, and that no lead was added to the engine's machinery beds. As for the allegations of increased driver diameter, such action would reduce tractive effort rather than increase it. In any event, the 70 inch drivers employed tires of full thickness when new, and there was no room to accommodate larger-diameter wheels. Although the 1239 did preform well in the tests, it simply did what it was designed to do, and no special arrangements were made to enhance its performance. In August 1952, I also participated in the test of Y6b 2197 on the Pocahontas Division, at the time the booster valve and its related mmodific	6/10/2012 7:08:28 PM

Chuck Zeiler	General	In August 1952, I also participated in the test of Y6b 2197 on the Pocahontas Division, at the time the booster valve and its related mmodifications were being developed Again, working pressure was 300 psi, not 315. One of the results of the tests was the decision to apply booster valves (allowing the Engineer control of the switch from simple to compound, previously semi-automatic) to all 100 Y5's and Y6's. In order to prevent slippage, lead was applied to the low pressure engine frames of these locomotives.	6/10/2012 7:09:18 PM

Chuck Zeiler	General	In the May 1992 issue of Trains Magazine, Mr. Le Massena responds: Mr. Newton's comments about no changes to the 1239 require a bit of explanation During the tests of the F7, the N&W discovered that the fuel-rack settings had been changed so that the engines were delivering 1700 shaft-horsepower, not 1500 At that point the N&W could have conceded, but it didn't do so. Instead it sent the 1239 out for another set of tests, most likely after some assurance from the motive power designers that they could beatthe hot-rod F7 It would have been pointless to retest the 1239 without something hving been done to increase its drawbar horsepower. The larger cylinder bore was mentioned in Lewis Ingles Jeffries book, N&W: Giant Of Steam, and the added weight was mentioned in an article in Mainline Modeler (July-August 1984) This new 1239 had suceeded in beating the diesel-electric in both performance and fuel cost, but it presented the N&W with a dilemma. Should it announce what it had done	6/10/2012 7:21:01 PM

Chuck Zeiler	General	Should it announce what it had done or keep quiet about the whole affair. The fact that the official policy was complete silence indicated that something had been done to the 1239, and any inquiries would be answered with a denial.	6/10/2012 7:23:58 PM

Chuck Zeiler	General	Sorry these comments are fragmented, there is some limitation on this site concerning the amout of words permitted in a Comment.	6/10/2012 7:24:06 PM

NW 1239 New to the site.
Date and location unknown. The slide is a bit rough but still history. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong about the type.
Date: 5/15/2012	Location: Peninsula, OH Map	Views: 2022	Collection Of: Wendy Crim
Locomotives: NW 1239(NW Type A 2-6-6-4)			Author: Wendy Crim

Picture Categories: Steam		This picture is part of album: Happy Accidents

Add a Comment:
Please Log in to leave a Comment.