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PHOTOGRAPHS OF MIKADO TYPE STEAM LOCOMOTIVES

-- THE 2-8-2 TYPE IN NORTH AMERICA --

ROCK ISLAND 2677 AT ELK CITY, OKLAHOMA IN 1947 BY PRESTON GEORGE

This site offers over 600 photographs of one of the most common types

of steam locomotives used in North America

Widespread use of the 2-8-2 wheel arrangement originated with a group of locomotives built by Baldwin in 1897 for the Nippon Railway of Japan, hence the name Mikado for this type of locomotive. The type offered a two-wheel leading truck for guidance, eight driving wheels for adequate adhesion and power, and two-wheels under the firebox to carry the weight of a deep and wide furnace. The Nippon Railway 2-8-2 was designed for an inferior grade of coal and the first 2-8-2 built for use in the United States was built to burn poor lignite coal and consequently the locomotives required a larger firebox than could be accomodated by a 2-8-0 locomotive of the type then the common heavy freight locomotive. The enlarged firebox provided greater steam production and power and the 2-8-2 was soon purchased by major railroads. By the time the first decade of the twentieth century ended the Mikado locomotive had become the most popular for demanding freight work. Through the mid-1920s the 2-8-2 was built in the thousands but by the final years of that decade the Berkshire type with a four wheel truck under an even larger firebox reduced the demand for the 2-8-2 type. Nevertheless, many were built in the 1930s and even in the postwar years despite the rapid ascendancy of the diesel. Relatively few railroads did not buy the 2-8-2 type.

My first action shot of a 2-8-2.

Grand Trunk 3415 in 1954 in Quebec Province. Photo by the author, Edward J. Ozog.

ORGANIZATION

All the photographs on this site are from my collection, nearly all by unknown photographers. Only locomotives in regular service are shown; preserved locomotives are not included. They are arranged by year built and within that group by railroad. Generally I used the common name for the railroad, i.e., Frisco, Santa Fe, Nickel Plate, etc. rather than the corporate name. Locomotives sold and lettered for other railroads are generally shown with the original owner. The site begins with my own shots, then the year-built photos, action photos and finally shots of smaller Mikados generally of the type used by lumber roads, short lines or light rail lines.

NAVIGATION

The individual pages are listed on the sidebar. If the sidebar is not visible, click the sidebar in the upper left corner, Click the page desired. You can not scroll from page to page but you can access the next page by simply using the list on the sidebar.

A PERSONAL NOTE

The Mikado locomotives I photographed in active service were all Canadian since I grew up in New England and the nearby railroads using steam such as the Boston & Maine and Central Vermont were not operating 2-8-2s although my home town railroad, the New Haven, did have a serviceable 2-8-2 available for snow melting. Following are some 2-8-2 engines I photographed, including a Grand Trunk engine; Grand Trunk of New England (Canadian National Lines), not the better known Grand Trunk Western.