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The 4-12-2's were originally delievered starting in 1926 a little before the super-steam era. From what I've read, the biggest problem was the middle cylinder main rods punching holes in the boiler when they broke! The 2nd axle was cranked, automotive style and breakage was a problem there too. The guides also gave much trouble and fixing a lot of this stuff meant finding a hoist! The early ones also had problems with the built-up frames breaking or causing alignment problems and many received cast steel frames and cylinders through the 1st driver. The later ones had 1 piece cast cylinders and frames. Some were rebuilt with double Walshaerts valve gear, but the cost wasn't deemed worth it over the Greesly system. They ran for almost 30 years finishing up on the Nebraska and Kansas divisions, the last was retired in '56. The wheelbase wasn't a problem there or in Wyoming, but they were unsuitable on the Blue Mountain grades on the Oregon line, which led to the development of the Challenger in 1936.
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