Hello

[bob220st]

Hi,New to the site.Looking for info on 2-8-2 Mikado's,and Heavyweight Pullmans;Did they pull passenger cars?how long were the Mikado's on the Rails?

I am up here in Northern Kentucky(NMRA District 7).Thanks Again.

Regards,

Bob

[Wizlish]

There is a Mike near me (Frisco 1351) that was equipped to pull passengers (steam and signal lines).  I think that's unusual.  In the United States most passenger engines that were eight-coupled would have a four-wheel engine truck.

This locomotive was a late rebuild (during the War in 1943, I think)  from a very old class of 2-8-0 (built 1912), and has many of the bells and whistles normally associated with larger power.  It operated less than 10 years as rebuilt.

[daveklepper]

During WWII,  it was not uncommon for freight locomotives equipped with steam heat and commuication wire connections to haul heayweight troop-triain consists, sometimes entirely, sometimes partly, standard 12-&-1 Pullmans.  I think this was true of just about all the major railroads.  And at least half the time this would be a 2-8-2 Mikado. Both USA and Canada.   Some Mikados lasted until the end of steam, generally 1952 - 1958.  I beleive the last steam revenue move on the Burlington was a Q-1 Mikado freight.

[Firelock76]

Not unusual for a Mikado to "pinch-hit" on passenger trains from time to time.  I've seen pictures of Mikes pulling Erie commuter and mixed milk and passenger trains at various times during the late steam era.  If the Erie did it I'd assume they all did it at one time or another.

And if the passenger train was being pulled by a Mike during the warm weather months steam heat lines wouldn't be needed anyway.

And since the 2-8-2, and 2-8-0 types for that matter, were very versatile engines they lasted right up to the end of the steam era as Dave K. stated.  It's the reason there's so many of them existing today in various rail museums.

[ACY Tom]

Most passsenger locomotives had 4-wheel leading trucks, and most freight locomotives had 2-wheel leading trucks, at least in North America.  There were certainly exceptions to this general rule. I believe a few 2-8-2's were built for passenger service on mountainous regions of the U.P. and possibly other roads, just as there were 4-6-2's built for freight service on RF&P, ACL, Erie, and a few other lines.  I believe the UP Mikaos were reassigned to freight duties when larger 4-8-2's took over their passenger duties in the 1920's.

If a passenger locomotive was disabled or otherwise unavailable, any locomotive capable of the job might be assigned.  There is a photo showing the B&O's Cincinnatian with a black Q-4 Mikado subbing for the train's regularly assigned streamlined blue P-7d Pacific.  During WWII, most railroads had enough passenger locomotives to handle their regularly scheduled passenger trains, with perhaps a small pool of extra passenger engines for extras.  The great number of extra troop trains and freight trains meant that every available locomotive was put in service, including older engines that had been stored during the Great Depression.  Passenger engines, if available, were still preferred for passenger trains, including troop trains.  However, a freight engine, such as a Mikado, would not be particularly unusual.  If an engine of sufficient power wasn't available, two smaller engines might be doubleheaded.

During the war emergency, the bottom line was that the traffic had to be moved by whatever means possible.  Mikados were rightly considered to be excellent engines for all-around utility work, including passenger service if a more appropriate passenger engine wasn't available. 

Tom 

[ACY Tom]

You asked about the years during which Mikados were active, and the answer was only hinted at.  The type got its name from a group of small 2-8-2's built by Baldwin for Japan in the 1890's.  By 1900, a few small Mikados were being built for domestic use.  The type came into its own in the period approximately 1910-1926, and the last new Mikado for domestic service was built by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Akron Canton & Youngstown in 1944.  That engine was retired in 1954, and most Mikados had been retired by about 1958.  PRR's last official mainline steam run was in 1957, and B&O's was in 1958.  Both runs used Mikados.  Many roads had already achieved 100% dieselization by then.

Tom

[U-3-b]

In Charles Foss's fantastic book "Evening before the Diesel” he states that Grand Trunk Western's last 2-8-2 was used for the last steam run on March 29, 1960 even though the GTW had dieselized two days before. That engine, 4070, still exist today and is currently undergoing a rebuild in the Cleveland area.

Steve