USRA Heavy Mikado
Encyclopedia
The USRA Heavy Mikado was a USRA standard
class of steam locomotive
designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration
, the nationalized railroad system in the United States
during World War I
. These locomotives were of 2-8-2
wheel arrangement
in the Whyte notation
, or 1′D1′ in UIC classification
. A total of 233 locomotives were built to this plan for the USRA; postwar, it became a de facto standard design, which was built to the total of 957 locomotives including the USRA originals and all subsequent copies.
They used the same running gear as the USRA Light Mikado
but were built to a higher axle load, larger cylinders and a much larger boiler for more power and steam-generating ability. Many aspects of the PRR L1s
class were carried over to the Heavy Mikado, although not that locomotive's distinctive Belpaire firebox
.
USRA standard
The USRA standard locomotives and railroad cars were designed by the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalised rail system of the United States during World War I. 1,856 steam locomotives and over 100,000 railroad cars were built to these designs during the USRA's tenure...
class of steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration
United States Railroad Administration
The United States Railroad Administration was the name of the nationalized railroad system of the United States between 1917 and 1920. It was possibly the largest American experiment with nationalization, and was undertaken against a background of war emergency.- Background :On April 6, 1917, the...
, the nationalized railroad system in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. These locomotives were of 2-8-2
2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
wheel arrangement
Wheel arrangement
In rail transport, a wheel arrangement is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed beneath a locomotive.. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and connections, with the adopted notations varying by country...
in the Whyte notation
Whyte notation
The Whyte notation for classifying steam locomotives by wheel arrangement was devised by Frederick Methvan Whyte and came into use in the early twentieth century encouraged by an editorial in American Engineer and Railroad Journal...
, or 1′D1′ in UIC classification
UIC classification
The UIC classification of locomotive axle arrangements describes the wheel arrangement of locomotives, multiple units and trams. It is set out in the International Union of Railways "Leaflet 650 - Standard designation of axle arrangement on locomotives and multiple-unit sets". It is used in much...
. A total of 233 locomotives were built to this plan for the USRA; postwar, it became a de facto standard design, which was built to the total of 957 locomotives including the USRA originals and all subsequent copies.
They used the same running gear as the USRA Light Mikado
USRA Light Mikado
The USRA Light Mikado was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I...
but were built to a higher axle load, larger cylinders and a much larger boiler for more power and steam-generating ability. Many aspects of the PRR L1s
PRR L1s
Class L1s on the Pennsylvania Railroad comprised 574 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives constructed between 1914 and 1919 by the railroad's own Juniata Shops as well as the Baldwin Locomotive Works and the Lima Locomotive Works ....
class were carried over to the Heavy Mikado, although not that locomotive's distinctive Belpaire firebox
Belpaire firebox
The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...
.
USRA originals
| Railroad | Quantity | Class | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Railroad of New Jersey Central Railroad of New Jersey The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States... |
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reclassified M63 in 1945 |
| Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad | |
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Several to Colorado and Southern Railway Colorado and Southern Railway The Colorado and Southern Railway was a railroad company in the western United States that operated independently from 1898 to 1908, then as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until it was absorbed into the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1981.The railway began as the... and Fort Worth and Denver Railroad |
| CB&Q affiliate Fort Worth and Denver Railway Fort Worth and Denver Railway The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road," was a class I American railroad company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influence on the early settlement and economic development of the region.... |
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| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names... (“Milwaukee Road”) |
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Renumbered 300–399 (not in order) |
| Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway or Omaha Road was a railroad in the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. It was incorporated in 1880 as a consolidation of the Chicago, St. Paul and Minneapolis Railway and the North Wisconsin Railway,. The... (“Omaha Road”) |
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| El Paso and Southwestern Railroad El Paso and Southwestern Railroad The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad was a short-line American railway company which operated in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, with line extensions across the international border into Mexico. The railroad was known as the Arizona and South Eastern Railroad from 1888 to 1902.-Founding:James... |
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to Great Northern Railway #3204–3208 in 1920 |
| Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway is a Class II railroad that operates in the suburbs surrounding Chicago. The railroad is a link between Class I railroads in northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana... |
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to Western Pacific Railroad Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California... in 1920 |
| Erie Railroad Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie... |
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| Great Northern Railway | |
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| Louisville and Nashville Railroad Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business... |
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| New York Central Railroad subsidiary Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio at nearby Haselton, Ohio in the west and Connellsville, ... |
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| New York Central Railroad subsidiary Pittsburgh, McKeesport and Youghiogheny Railroad | |
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| Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway (1916-1988) The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway was a Class I railroad mostly within the U.S. state of Ohio. It was leased to the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad in 1949, and merged into the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1988... |
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to New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the Nickel Plate Road, the railroad served a large area, including trackage in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois... (“Nickel Plate Road”) #671–690 in 1949 |
| Total | 233 |
Copies
| Railroad | Quantity | Class | Road numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Railroad of New Jersey Central Railroad of New Jersey The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States... |
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reclassified M63 in 1945 |
| Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad (“Monon”) | |
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| Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway or Omaha Road was a railroad in the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. It was incorporated in 1880 as a consolidation of the Chicago, St. Paul and Minneapolis Railway and the North Wisconsin Railway,. The... (“Omaha Road”) |
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| Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway or Omaha Road was a railroad in the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. It was incorporated in 1880 as a consolidation of the Chicago, St. Paul and Minneapolis Railway and the North Wisconsin Railway,. The... (“Omaha Road”) |
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| Louisville and Nashville Railroad Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business... |
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| Missouri Pacific Railroad Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific... |
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| MP subsidiary St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway The St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Railway was a 200-mile railroad that operated from Brownsville, Texas to Gulf Coast Junction in Houston. It passed through small southeast Texas communities such as Robstown, Corpus Christi, Bay City, and Harlingen as well as the Rio Grande Valley.-History:Uriah... |
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| New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (“Nickel Plate Road”) | |
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| Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway The Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway was a railroad in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Wheeling, West Virginia areas. Originally built as the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, a Pittsburgh extension of George J. Gould's Wabash Railroad, the venture entered receivership in 1908 and the line... |
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| St. Louis-San Francisco Railway St. Louis-San Francisco Railway The St. Louis – San Francisco Railway , also known as the Frisco, was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central U.S. from 1876 to 1980.-History:... |
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| Southern Railway | |
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| Southern subsidiary Alabama Great Southern Railroad Alabama Great Southern Railroad The Alabama Great Southern Railroad is a railroad in the U.S. states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It is an operating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Corporation , running southwest from Chattanooga to New Orleans through Birmingham and Meridian... |
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| Southern subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railroad | |
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| West Point Route (Atlanta and West Point Rail Road Atlanta and West Point Rail Road The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia, forming the east portion of the Atlanta-Selma West Point Route. The company was chartered in 1847 as the Atlanta and LaGrange Rail Road and renamed in 1857; construction was begun in 1849-50 and completed in May 1854... ) |
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| West Point Route (Western Railway of Alabama Western Railway of Alabama The Western Railway of Alabama was created as the Western Railroad of Alabama by the owners of the Montgomery and West Point Railroad in 1860. It was built to further the M&WP's development West from Montgomery, Alabama to Selma, Alabama. When the line was finally constructed in 1870, the M&WP... ) |
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| Total | 724 |