2-8-2

Gauge-convertible X class 2-8-2 used in Australia.

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle (usually in a leading truck), eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle (usually in a trailing truck). This configuration of steam locomotive is most often referred to as a Mikado (frequently shortened to Mike), but it is also referred to as a MacArthur. The 2-8-2 was particularly popular in North America, but was also used in continental Europe and elsewhere.

Other equivalent classifications are:
UIC classification: 1D1 (also known as German classification and Italian classification)
French classification: 141 (also known as Spanish classification)
Turkish classification: 46
Swiss classification: 4/6

The 2-8-2 arrangement allows the locomotive's firebox to be placed behind, instead of above, the driving wheels, allowing a large firebox that could be both wide and deep. This supported a greater rate of combustion and thus a greater capacity for steam generation, allowing for more power at higher speeds. Allied with the larger driving wheel diameter possible when they did not impinge on the firebox, this meant that the 2-8-2 was capable of higher speeds with a heavy train than a 2-8-0.

The notation 2-8-2T indicates a tank locomotive of this wheel arrangement (its water is carried in tanks mounted on the locomotive, rather than in an attached tender).

History

The very first 2-8-2 locomotive was built in 1884. They were originally named Calumets by Angus Sinclair, in reference to the 2-8-2 engines built for the Chicago & Calumet Terminal railroad. However, this name did not stick.

The class name Mikado originates from a group of 2-8-2 locomotives (JNR type 9700 (ja:国鉄9700形蒸気機関車)) that were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1897 for the 42 inch (1067mm) gauge Nippon Railway of Japan. In 1885, the Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Mikado premiered, so the name was on the minds of many in America, where the opera achieved great popularity.

The 2-8-2 was one of the more common configurations in the first half of the 20th century before dieselization. The total U.S. production was about 14,000, of which 9,500 were for U.S. customers and the rest exported. Nearly 2,200 of this type were constructed by ALCO, Lima and Baldwin based on designs of the USRA between 1917 and 1944. Of all of the USRA designs, the Mikado proved to be the most popular.

Mikado remained the class name until the Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Seeking a more "American" name, MacArthur came into use to describe the locomotive type, after General Douglas MacArthur. Since the war, the class name Mikado has again become the most common name for this locomotive type.

Geographical distribution

North America

Canada

Canadian National Railway operated a few Mikado locomotives:

• R-1 class - 1 (#3000)
• R-2 class - 29 (#300-329)
• S-1/S-4 class - ? (#3198-4097)

Canadian Pacific used Mikado locomotives for passenger and freight trains throughout Canada. Mostly in the Rocky Mountains where the standard 4-6-2 Pacifics and 4-6-4 Hudsons could not provide enough traction to handle the steep mountain grades. A perfect example of a preserved Canadian Pacific Mikado is Canadian Pacific 5468, on display in Revelstoke, B.C.

United States

PRR 520, on display at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum, Strasburg, Pennsylvania, in 1993.

The 2-8-2 saw great success in the United States, mostly as a freight locomotive. It largely replaced the 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type as the heavy freight locomotive type in the second decade of the 20th century. Tractive effort was similar to the best 2-8-0s, but a developing requirement for higher speed freight trains drove the shift to the 2-8-2. The type was in turn pushed from the top-flight trains by larger freight locomotive arrangements such as 2-10-2, 2-8-4, 2-10-4 and articulated locomotives, but no successor type became ubiquitous and the "Mike" remained the most common road freight locomotive with most railroads until the end of steam. More than 14,000 were built for North American service, about one-fifth of all locomotives in service at the time. The heaviest Mikados were Great Northern's class O-8, with an axle load of 81,250 lb.

USRA Light Mikado locomotive as used on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad

Almost all North American railroads rostered the type; notable exceptions included Boston and Maine Railroad, Delaware and Hudson Railway, St. Louis Southwestern Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway. The largest users included New York Central Railroad (715 examples), Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (610), Pennsylvania Railroad (579), Illinois Central Railroad (565), Milwaukee Road (500), and the Southern Railway (435).

Currently or recently operational survivors

There are more than 125 Mikados remaining in the USA of which about 40 are narrow gauge. Half of those are from the D&RGW. Thirty of the 125 are operational.

• East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company owns six narrow-gauge Mikados of which only number 15 is operational
• Dollywood operates three Baldwin 2-8-2 steam trains, originally from the White Pass & Yukon Railroad (two original and one USRA S118 class).
• There are two Denver and Rio Grande Western K-27s remaining:
  • 464 is on the Huckleberry Railroad
  • 463 was operational on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad until it broke a side rod in 2002
• D&RGW K-28s:
  • 473 and 478 are in service on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
  • 476 is in the D&SNG museum in Durango, Colorado
• D&RGW K-36s:
  • 480, 481, 482, and 486 are operational on the D&SNG
  • 483, 484, 487, 488, and 489 are operational on the C&TS
• Southern Pacific 745 is operational, based in Jefferson, Louisiana
• Canadian National 3254 operates at Steamtown National Historic Site

Static displays

• Southern Railway 4501 was operational until 1998, but is now undergoing an operational restoration
• Soo Line 1003 has also run in railfan service.
• Elk River Coal and Lumber Company No.10 is on display at Huntington, West Virginia
• Nickel Plate 587 is undergoing restoration in Indianapolis, Indiana
• PRR 520 is on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
• D&RGW K-37s:
  • 492, 494, 495, and 497 are on the C&TS; only 497 was recently operational
  • 493 and 498 are on static display on the D&SNG
  • 499 is on static display in Canon City, Colorado
  • 491 is on static display at the Colorado Railroad Museum
• SLSF #1355 is on display on Garden Street in Pensacola, Florida

South America

Argentina

In 1930 Vulcan Foundry supplied the Central Argentine Railway with twenty 2-8-2s (works numbers 4427–4446). They were cross-compounds with one 21-inch (533 mm) high-pressure cylinder and one 31+¹⁄₂-inch (800 mm) low-pressure cylinder, with a stroke of 26 inches (660 mm). These 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) gauge locomotives had 55+¹⁄₂-inch (1.410 m) driving wheels.

Europe

Austria

The 4-cylinder compound class 470, developed in 1914 by Karl Gölsdorf, was built for express trains on mountain lines. From 1927 some the locomotives were rebuilt to 2-cylinder superheated steam locomotives class 670. Numbered class 39 from 1938 on, they remained in service until 1957.

Finland

Finnish class Tr1 No 490 locomotive no. 1088 in Toijala Finland

Tender Locomotives

VR Class Tr1, (or R1) were built from 1940 by Tampella of Tampere, Lokomo of Tampere and Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik GmbH, Jungenthal, until 1975. They were numbered 1030-1096. They were nicknamed “Risto”, after the Finnish President Risto Ryti. No 1033 is preserved at the Finnish Railway Museum.

Finnish VR Class Pr1 steam locomotive no. 775 in the 1950s in Kerava, Finland

Tank Locomotives

VR Class Pr1 were local passenger locomotives. They were nicknamed “Paikku” which means local. VR Class Pr1 were operational from 1924-1972. They were numbered 761-776. They were built by Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG ; Tampella Tampereen Pellava- ja Rautateollisuus Oy, and Lokomo Oy. No 776 is preserved at the Finnish Railway Museum

France

France built a fairly large number of 2-8-2s, both tender-hauling and tank locomotives. Of the pre-nationisation companies, the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM) had the most. Their first 12, initially 1001–1012, later 141.A.1 to 141.A.12 were copied by the Chemin de Fer du Nord, who had 50 (4.1101 to 4.1150). The PLM's second series, 1013–1129, later 141.B.1 to 141.B.117, were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in the USA. Their third and largest class was 141.C.1 to 141.C.680; although those locomotive fitted with feedwater heaters had the class letter changed from "C" to "D". The PLM also rebuilt 44 C/Ds to 141.E. The Chemins de Fer de l'État also had a class of 250 mikados, 141-001 to 141-250, later SNCF 141.B.1 to 141.B.250, although with modifications, the "B"s became "C"s, as well as one "D" (141.D.136) and one "E" (141.E.113) class locomotive.

SNCF 141.P

The most powerful French Mikado was the 141.P. At about 3,300 drawbar hp, these engines were among the most efficient steam locomotives in the world thanks to their Compound design. They could burn 30% less fuel and 40% less water than their "R" counterparts, but could not compete when it comes to reliability. Every unit of the 318-strong class has been scrapped.

SNCF 141.R

The American and Canadian-built 141.R were the most widespread locomotives France has ever had, with 1340 units ordered and 1323 operated (sixteen engines were lost at sea in a storm off the coast of Newfoundland en route to France, one was lost in Marseille harbour). They were praised for being easy to maintain and have proved very reliable, that is why they served until the very end of the steam era (1975). Today, twelve locomotives have been preserved.

Mikado locomotive 141 R 568

Tank locomotives

Alsace-Lorraine had a class of 40, the T 14, later SNCF 141.TA.501 to 141.TA.540; they were copies of the Prussian T 14. The Chemins de fer de l'Est had two classes, 4401–4512, later 141.401 to 141.512, later SNCF 141.TB.401 to 141.TB.512; and 141.701 to 141.742, later SNCF 141.TC.701 to 141.TC.742. The Nord had two classes, 4.1201 to 4.1202, later 4.1701 to 4.1702, later SNCF 141.TB.1 to 141.TB.2; and 4.1201 to 4.1272, later SNCF 141.TC.1 to 141.TC.72. The État had two classes, 42.001 to 42.020, later SNCF 141.TC.1 to 20; and 42.101 to 42.140, later SNCF 141.TD.101 to 141.TD, which were copies of the Est 141.700-series. The Chemin de fer de Paris à Orléans (PO) had two classes, 5301–5490, later SNCF 141.TA.301 to 141.TA.490; and 5616 to 5740, later SNCF 141.TB.616 to 141.TB.740.

Germany

BR41.

German 2-8-2s were built in both passenger and freight types. The passenger locomotives were used mainly in mountainous terrain (BR 39). Although eclipsed by the success of German 2-10-0 designs, many successful 2-8-2 freight locomotives were also built, all of type BR 41. The third type of German 2-8-2 locomotive was the tank locomotive (BR 86, BR 93).

The Mollibahn operates a fleet of 3, 900 mm gauge 2-8-2T locomotives.

Italy

FS engine 746.038

Italy built two 2-8-2 types, the Gruppo 746 for heavy passenger trains and the Gruppo 940, a tender engine for freight and mountain service. Gruppo 940 was more a 2-8-0 with an extra bissel to support the coal bunker and it was indeed the tank version of the 2-8-0 Gruppo 740 tender locomotive.

Spain

The broad gauge network of Spain (1668 mm) had two mikado series. The first one was built by the American Locomotive Company in 1917 (15 by Brooks, 40 by Schenectady). They were a slightly minored version of a USRA Light Mikado and served well in the Norte system (4501–4555 series), where they were nicknamed "Chalecos". In 1953, RENFE, the nationalized company, acquired 25 units from North British Locomotive Company of Glasgow. Some Spanish builders (MTM, MACOSA, Babcock & Wilcox, Euskalduna) added 213 more (1953–60) with only minor details such as double chimney, llubera sanders, ACFI pre-heaters or oil fuel. They worked well in both freight or passenger service and lasted until the official end of steam in common service in 1975. They weighed 94,000 kg (empty) and had 1,560 mm (5 ft 1.4 in) drivers. One Norte and eighteen RENFE are preserved, three of them in good working condition. MTM built six 2-8-2 tank locomotives to the Madrid-Caceres-Portugal in 1925. A project from 1942 of a MTM big 2-8-2 was never built.

United Kingdom

The 2-8-2 type saw little success on British rails. Sir Nigel Gresley of the London and North Eastern Railway designed two Mikado types of note; the P1 was a freight derivative of his famed A1 4-6-2s, inspired by the Pennsylvania Railroad's twin K4s 4-6-2s and L1s 2-8-2s. Two were built, but there was never really much call for their ability and they remained underutilised throughout their short existence.

Gresley's other class of Mikados was his P2 class. These were express passenger locomotives rather more inspired by European influences than American. They were built to haul heavy expresses north of Edinburgh in hilly terrain, where Gresley thought the extra adhesion possible with a 2-8-2 might serve well. Unfortunately, poor self-centering on the leading truck meant that the lead driving wheels wore against the rails on tighter curves, being hard on both track and wheels. Gresley's successor Edward Thompson converted the P2s into (rather unattractive, by most opinions) Pacifics.

The Great Western Railway operated a class of 54 2-8-2 tank engines designed by C. B. Collett. As early as 1906 their then chief mechanical engineer, G. J. Churchward, planned a class of 2-8-2 tank engines to handle heavy coal trains in South Wales. However the plan was abandoned as it was feared they would be unable to handle the sharp bends found on Welsh mineral branches. Instead, Churchward designed the 4200 Class of 2-8-0 tank engines, of which nearly 200 were built. In the 1930s, coal traffic declined, and many of these engines stood idle; they could not be switched to other duties because of their limited operating range. Collett, as Churchward's successor, decided to rebuild some of the 4200 Class engines as 2-8-2s. The addition of a trailing axle increased the engines' operating ranges by allowing more coal and water storage. In all 54 engines were modified in this way. The 7200 Class tank engines as they were known remained in service until the end of steam in Britain in the early 1960s.

Yugoslavia

Borsig built 2-8-2s were delivered in in 1930 to the railway of the Kingdom of SHS. These became JDZ class 06, and a few remain in the former Yugoslav nations.

Africa

South Africa

The narrow gauge, two feet or 610 mm, Avontuur Railway line from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur operated 21 locomotives of the NG15 class from 1960 onwards. These locomotives had been moved to the line after the narrow gauge, 600 mm, Otavi Railway in South West Africa had been replaced by a Cape standard gauge, 42 inches (1,100 mm), railway.

The NG15s had been built in five batches from 1931 to 1957 specifically for service on the Otavi Railway and were a development of a design dating from 1912.

Asia

India

WG Nº 9619 at Agra

On the broad gauge, the XD class was the first 2-8-2 in India to be built in quantity. Introduced in 1927, 78 were built before the World War II by Vulcan Foundry, North British Locomotive Company (NBL), Armstrong Whitworth and Škoda Works. Production after the war resumed, and 110 were built by NBL in 1945–1946, and Vulcan Foundry built the last six in 1948. There was also an XE class that was built by William Beardmore and Company and Vulcan Foundry. Wartime designs were the AWE and AWD classes built by Baldwin Locomotive Works, and the CWD built by Canadian Locomotive Company and Montreal Locomotive Works.

After the war, a new design was produced and put into production in 1950. The WG class was IR's main post-WWII freight type. The first order of 200 was split evenly between NBL and Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW). Examples were built in England, Scotland, Germany, Austria, USA, Japan, Italy, and of course in India. By the time production finished in 1970, 2450 had been built.

On the metre gauge, prior to World War I, the main heavy freight type was the BESA 4-8-0 heavy goods locomotive design. Post-WWI, this design was supplanted by the Indian Railway Standards 2-8-2 classes: the YD class with a 10-ton axle load, and the YE class with a 12-ton axle load. None of the latter class were built. During WWII, many of the war-time S118 class locomotives were sent to India, and 33 copies were ordered after the war. The post-WWII design was the YG class, 1074 of which were built between 1949 and 1972, with nearly half being manufactured in India.

On the narrow gauge, the Bengal Nagpur Railway has a saturated B class, a superheated BS class, and a BC class comprising B class locomotives that had been converted from saturated to superheated. The Barsi Light Railway had an F class of thirteen locomotives — ten built by Nasmyth, Wilson and Company in 1926–29, and three by Hunslet Engine Company in 1949. The Great Indian Peninsula Railway had a B/1 class of seven locomotives — four by North British Locomotive Company in 1917, one more in 1922, and two by Nasmyth, Wilson and Company in 1926. The Scindia State Railway had 16 locomotives of five classes – NH/1 through NH/5 built between 1914 and 1959.

The main standard narrow gauge 2-8-2 was the ZE class, with 65 built between 1928 and 1954 by five companies – Nasmyth Wilson (10 in 1928), Hanomag (16 in 1931), Corpet, Louvet & Cie. (12 in 1950), Kawasaki (10 in 1954), Krauss-Maffei (15 in 1952 and 10 in 1954). The six ZD class locomotives were built in Japan in 1957–58 by Nippon Sharyo.

Indonesia

After the independence of Indonesia in 1945, the government of Indonesia started to nationalizing all of Dutch-owned railway companies, including SS (Staatspoorwegen). This company later changed its name to DKA (Departmental Agency of Railway/Djawatan Kereta Api). As a follow-up, DKA bought 100 new steam locomotives of D52 type from Krupp (Germany), where its wheel arrangement was 2-8-2 (Mikado). This is the most modern steam locomotive in Indonesia at that time because of its large physical appearance and equipped with electric lighting. In addition to these features, this locomotive had its physical appearance similar to the Deutsche Reischbahn 41 series locomotive.

D52 locomotives in Java were placed in service as passenger engine, or in some occasions as a freight locomotive. Some people even idolized these locomotives because of its loyalty for taking passengers anywhere. As happened on the Rapih Dhoho Train from Madiunto Kertosono, D52 was a mainstay for this train until the end of steam operation in Indonesia. In contrast to the Java-based units, Sumatra-based D52 were used for pulling freight trains, mainly coal trains from Tanjung Enim coal mine (now owned by PT Bukit Asam mining company) to coal dumping site at Kertapati or Tarahan (the dumping site at Tarahan has been upgraded to Rotary Coal Dumping (RCD) system, allowing coal cars operating there (most of today's coal cars are built without bottom unloading bays) to be easily unloaded at the site).

This locomotive mainly used coal as its fuel, so they were classified as coal-firing D52 locomotives. But from mid-1956, 28 locomotives (D52002-D52029) were successfully converted as oil-firing version of D52 locomotive. It was the work done by the locomotive repairment shop at Madiun (now PT. INKA) in stages over five years.

There have been one locomotive from this class that written off from service because of accident. On August 1977, D52 locomotive number D52084 was taking a short mixed train (both freight and passenger cars were coupled in one consist) from Prupuk toward Purwokerto, When the clock showed 5 p.m, the D52084 was exploded near Linggapura station, and killed its engineer. The explosion was identified as a result of steam pipe failure, because one of the surviving crew explained that the internal steam pipe was in leaky condition. Apparently, though quite large and very useful on its job, this locomotive was known for its prone to explosion.

Only one example from 100 locomotives that survived until 21st century. D52 number D52099 is on display at Transport Museum in TMII (Taman Mini Indonesia Indah), but some of its Walschaerts valve gear components are reported lost from the locomotive.

Japan

Plinthed Russian D51-22 outside Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Railway Station Sakhalin Island, Russia

Japan built the JNR Class D51 for use on the Japanese Mainland and its former colonies.

Australasia

Australia

The need to build locomotives that could be converted from 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) broad gauge to 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge operation without major reengineering led to the introduction of Mikado locomotives by Victorian Railways in the 1920s. Whereas previous 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotives featured long, narrow fireboxes between the frames that made gauge conversion impractical, the N class light lines and X class heavy goods locomotives both featured a wide firebox positioned behind the driving wheels and above the frames.

South Australian Railways employed no fewer than four distinct classes of 2-8-2 locomotive, the locally designed 700 and 710 class, the 740 class (originally built by Clyde Engineering for China, but purchased by SAR after the order was cancelled in the wake of the Chinese Communist Revolution) and the 750 class (a group of ten surplus VR N class locomotives).

American-design Mikado locomotives, such as the Baldwin-built NSWGR D59 class and the QR AC16 class, were also introduced after World War II to assist with the postwar rebuilding of Australian railways.

The last new class of mainline steam locomotive introduced in Australia, WAGR's V class heavy freight locomotive of 1955, was a 2-8-2.

New Zealand

Only one 2-8-2 locomotive ever operated on New Zealand's national rail network, and it was not even ordered by the New Zealand Railways Department, who ran almost the entire network. The locomotive was ordered in 1901 from Baldwin by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR) for use on their main line's steep section between Wellington and Paekakariki and entered service on 10 June 1902 classified as No. 17. At the time, it was the most powerful locomotive in New Zealand and successfully performed its intended tasks. When the WMR was incorporated into the national network in 1908, the Railways Department reclassified No. 17 as the solitary member of the B^C class, B^C 463, and the locomotive continued to operate on the Wellington-Paekakariki line until it was withdrawn on 31 March 1927.

See also

• USATC S200 Class – a class of standard gauge 2-8-2 that was built by American manufacturers for use in North Africa and the Middle East during World War II
• USATC S118 Class – a class of narrow gauge 2-8-2 that was built by American manufacturers in World War II, and used in many countries around the world.

References

• Bruce, Alfred (1952). The Steam Locomotive in America: Its Development in the Twentieth Century. W.W. Norton. 
• Hughes, Hugh & Jux, Frank (1980). Steam Locomotives in India, Part 1 – Narrow Gauge. Harrow, Middlesex: Continental Railway Circle. ISBN 0-9503469-5-0. 
• Hughes, Hugh (1992). Indian Locomotives, Part 2 – Metre Gauge 1872–1940. Harrow, Middlesex: Continental Railway Circle. ISBN 0-9503469-9-3. 
• Hughes, Hugh (1996). Indian Locomotives, Part 4 – 1941–1990. Harrow, Middlesex: Continental Railway Circle. ISBN 0-9521655-1-1. 
• LeMassena, Robert (1993). America's Workhorse Locomotive: the 2-8-2. Quadrant Press, Inc.. ISBN 0-915276-54-2. 
• Pearce et al. (1980). North Williamstown Railway Museum. Melbourne: ARHS. ISBN 0-85849-018-8. 

External links

• Mikados