Coffin Feedwater Heaters

I think you will find that the Santa Fe and the Southern Pacific purchased those Berkshires from the B&M during WWII. The Santa Fe quickly got rid of them after the war was over, but the SP rebuilt the ones they purchased, converting them to oil burning and removing the Coffin feed water systems.

I dom't know why, but when the SP first got the ex BM unites, they painted the undersides of the feedwater heaters a "sliver"(don't remember the color's name!) color.  It made them look as if they were wearing some sort of nun's veil!

SP painted the fronts of all their steam locomotives silver for visibility at crossings. Even the cab-forwards had their cab fronts painted silver.

Yes, I knew.  it's just that that feedwater heater gives it that "nun's look".

Santa Fe rebuilt one, removing the Coffin feed water heater and installing an Elesco at the top of the smokebox.  I believe it was ATSF 4197.

 

GM&O (some 2-10-0's,) Milwaukee (some articulateds,) Central Vermont (some 2-8-0's and 4-6-0's) also had the overhanging Coffin feedwater heater.

 

There were other roads that had the Coffin feedwater heated recessed flush into the smokebox and its presence wouldn't be obvious.

 

Rusty

Thanks, interesting that some smaller locos had them, such as Consolidations and

Ten Wheeler on the C.V.

There were a significant number of NYC J-1 Hudsons that had Coffin heaters...they were inside the smokebox, however, and not external like the B&M engines

The Northern Pacific's Z-5 2-8-8-4's had two Coffin units mounted inside the smokebox.

 

Stuart

 

Southern had one Ms-4 Mikado, the 4912, and one Ps-4 Pacific, the 1409, with inside Coffin Feedwater Heaters.  Both were built by Baldwin in 1928.

 

EdKing

Four CB&Q O3 heavy 2-8-2's and some Central Vermont 2-8-0's had externally mounted Coffin feedwater heaters. Get a kick out of the Northern Pacific 2-8-8-4 with two Coffin feedwater heaters. They were designed to eliminate doubleheaded W3 and W5 Mikes on the Yellowstone Division, which they did. So, why not "double headed" feedwater heaters?!

Oooo, I forgot about the O3's.  Apparently only four locomotive received the Coffin FWH and were eventually removed.

Image: Steam Locomotives of the Burlington Route: Bernard G. Corbin & William F. Kerka c. 1960

 

Rusty

I added a brass part Elesco FWH to the brow of my kitbashed Marx #1829 Mikado, but

I have never seen (did I miss them?) Coffin FWH's as brass parts in O scale shows I

have walked through.....

Heres a few pics of the SP's Berks that they acquired...with and w/o the coffin feedwater heater.

 

 

 

Chris