Addendum: Re the Baltimore & Ohio EM-1 2-8-8-4, their weight was 628,700 lbs. A goodly number of locomotives out weighed them. For example, The Rio Grande's L-105 4-6-6-4's weighed 641,900 lbs and the Northern Pacific's Z-8 4-6-6-4's weighed 644,000 lbs. There is a relatively simple explanation for the disparity in weight for the EM-1 vs. big western steam locomotives: western locomotives tended to be approximately a foot taller and a foot wider then their eastern counterparts. Why? The eastern railroads were built earlier in the 19th century to accommodate smaller locomotives. Out east, the clearances were less generous.
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