USRA Heavy Mikado

The USRA Heavy Mikado was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration (USRA), 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.^[2]

USRA Heavy Mikado
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder ALCO, Baldwin, Lima Build date 1918–1944 Total produced 233 originals, plus 724 copies[1]
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-2  • UIC 1′D1′ h2 Driver dia. 63 in (1,600 mm)[2] Wheelbase locomotive: 36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)[2] Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 14.5 t (14.3 long tons; 16.0 short tons) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 70.8 sq ft (6.58 m2)[2] Boiler pressure 190 psi (1.31 MPa)[2] Superheater: ​  • Heating area 92.25 m2 (993.0 sq ft) Cylinders Two, outside Cylinder size 27 in × 32 in (690 mm × 810 mm)[2] Valve gear Walschaerts[2] Loco brake Westinghouse air brake Train brakes Westinghouse air brake
Performance figures Power output 3,194 hp (2,382 kW) Tractive effort 60,000 lbf (270 kN)[2]
Career Scrapped 1938-1961 Disposition All scrapped

General arrangement drawing.

Heavy Mikado 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.^[1]

Original owners

USRA originals

Table of original USRA allocation^[3]

Railroad	Quantity	Class	Road numbers	Notes
Central Railroad of New Jersey	10	M1s	850–859	Built 1918-1925 by ALCO and Baldwin reclassified M63 in 1945.[4] Scrapped between 1947-1955.
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad	15	O-4	5500–5514	Built 1919 by Baldwin. Several to Colorado and Southern Railway and Fort Worth and Denver Railroad.[5] Scrapped between 1954-1957.
CB&Q affiliate Fort Worth and Denver Railway	5	E-4A2	451–455	[6] Built 1919 by Baldwin. Scrapped 1958-1959
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad ("Milwaukee Road")	100	L3	8600–8699	Built 1918 ALCO. Renumbered 300–399 (not in order).[7] Scrapped between 1938-1956.
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway ("Omaha Road")	4	J-2	422–425	[8] Built 1919 by ALCO. Scrapped between 1942-1944.
El Paso and Southwestern Railroad	5	H1s-59	363-367	Built 1918 by Baldwin. 4 to Great Northern Railway #3204–3208 in 1920 Scrapped by Great Northern 1947-1950.[9] Remainder scrapped between 1948-1955 by El Paso and Southwestern Railroad.
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway	5	AB	738-742	Built 1918 by Baldwin. To Western Pacific Railroad in 1920.[10] Scrapped 1939-1941.
Erie Railroad	15	N-2	3200–3214	[11] Built 1918 by ALCO. Scrapped between 1950-1952.
Great Northern Railway	4	O-3	3145–3148	[9] Built 1918 by ALCO. Renumbered 3200-3203. Scrapped between 1941-1942.
Louisville and Nashville Railroad	20	J4	1750–1769	[12] Built 1918 by ALCO. Scrapped between 1943-1945.
New York Central Railroad subsidiary Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad	15	H-9b, H-9d	9505–9509, 9510–9519	[13] Built 1919 by ALCO and Baldwin. Scrapped between 1950-1952.
New York Central Railroad subsidiary Pittsburgh, McKeesport and Youghiogheny Railroad	15	H-9a, H-9c	9580–9589, 9590–9594	[13] Built 1918-1919 by ALCO. Scrapped between 1947-1948.
Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway	20	M-1	6001–6020	Built 1918. Later to New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad ("Nickel Plate Road") #671–690 in 1949.[14] Scrapped between 1950-1953.
Total	233

Copies^[1]

Table of copies

Railroad	Quantity	Class	Road numbers	Notes
Central Railroad of New Jersey	56	M2s, M2as, M3	860–915	Built 1920-1923 by ALCO. Later reclassified M63 in 1945.[4] Scrapped 1949-1958
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad ("Monon")	1		530	[citation needed] Built 1923 ALCO. Scrapped in 1946.
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway ("Omaha Road")	6	J-2	426–431	[8] Built 1919 by ALCO. Scrapped between 1947-1960.
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway ("Omaha Road")	8	J-3	432–439	[8] Built 1926 by ALCO Schenectady. Scrapped between 1949-1961.
Louisville and Nashville Railroad	145	J-4, J-4A	1770–1914	[12] Built 1918-1926 by ALCO. Scrapped between 1945-1960.
Missouri Pacific Railroad	170	MK-63	1401–1570	[15] Built 1921-1923 by ALCO. Scrapped between 1949-1955.
MP subsidiary St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway	10	MK-63	1111–1120	[15] Built 1926 by ALCO-Brooks. Scrapped between 1949-1956.
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad ("Nickel Plate Road")	3	H-6f	662-665	[citation needed]Built 1918 by Lima. Scrapped in 1955.
Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway	8	H6, H7	1001-1002, 1110, 1150-1153	Built 1918 by Baldwin and ALCO. Scrapped between 1945-1953.
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway	65	4100	4100–4164	[16] Built 1923-1926 by Baldwin. Scrapped in 1952.
Southern Railway	115	Ms-4	4800–4915	[17] Built 1923-1928 by ALCO and Baldwin. Scrapped between 1952-1954.
Southern subsidiary Alabama Great Southern Railroad	8	Ms-4	6622–6629	[17] Built 1926 by ALCO. Scrapped between 1941-1949.
Southern subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railroad	43	Ms-4	6320–6337, 6350–6374	[17] Built 1926 by Baldwin and ALCO. Scrapped between 1950-1955.
West Point Route (Atlanta and West Point Rail Road)	1	F	430	[18] Built 1944 by Baldwin. Scrapped in 1949.
West Point Route (Western Railway of Alabama)	1	F	380	[18] Built 1944 by Baldwin. Scrapped in 1952.
Total	724

None of the originals built under USRA auspices or any of the subsequent copies were preserved.