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Top 5 2-8-2's

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Posted by beaulieu on Sunday, April 5, 2009 10:15 PM

feltonhill

I've seen one reference to the 70" drivered Q4c and Q4d (B&O Power, Staufer), but not one photo in any B&O book I have or any other source I recall.  Can anyone help out here?   I'd like to see what they looked like!

 

The book "Q - The Definitive History of The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Q Class Mikado Locomotives" by Barr and Barringer shows them to look like a slightly beefier version of the Q-3 design.

 

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Posted by Ulrich on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 3:46 PM

In my opinion the 2-8-2 is the most beautiful steam locomotive...I'm somewhat partial to CN's S class but they all look great.

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 12, 2009 10:25 PM
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Posted by CNCharlie on Friday, March 6, 2009 11:35 PM

How about these;

CNR  S4b : a somewhat different looking mike built in 1936 complete with Vandy tender.

or probably one of the last mikes built,  CPR P2k's that were built as late as 1948.

CN Charlie

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Posted by wjstix on Friday, March 6, 2009 3:01 PM

SOO and NP had some nice 2-8-2's - I kinda like the early NP ones with Stephenson valve gear. Interesting how both railroads used 2-8-2's as the mainstay of their mainline ore trains in Minnesota, while most railroads were using much larger engines.

Good looking Mike:

Stix
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Posted by Beach Bill on Thursday, March 5, 2009 4:17 PM

Well, I've got to "throw a curve ball" on this one, and submit the Illinois Central's 2100-2140 class.  These were the heaviest of the 605 Mikes on the IC, and were "Paducah rebuilds", having been made from 2-10-2 chassis.  Some lament those huge square sand domes on IC locomotives, but they project a real workmanlike image along with the front-deck mounted pumps.  My Dad was a conductor on the IC (42 years of service when he retired).  While he had the highest regard for the 2400 series 4-8-2's, it was the Mikes that saw a large percentage of the hard service every day.  With the high demand of WWII, the IC Mikes carried a tremendous load that reflected well on their in-house beginnings.

Otherwise, I'd certainly add another vote for those EBT narrow gauge locomotives.

Bill

With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost. William Lloyd Garrison
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Posted by CopCarSS on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 1:54 PM

A couple of personal favorites that haven't been mentioned so far (though I realize that favorite and best are not the same...but how is best interpreted anyways?):

CB&Q O1a

D&RGW K-27 Mudhens.

-Chris
West Chicago, IL
Christopher May Fine Art Photography

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Posted by JimValle on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 11:40 AM

The 2-8-2 was so ubiquitous That a list of the top five is really hard to decide on.  I feel that any list should include the USRA light and heavy types.  These engines were handsome and versatile, had an excellent balance of qualities, wide route availability due to favorable axle loadings, and were duplicated and distributed for at least a decade after the initial batch was constructed in 1918. Oddly enough, you could say they were an iron horse designed by a committee that bore no resemblance to an "iron camel".  I noticed that some commentators have included the Pennsy's L1 in their list.  In the book "Set Up Running" the author's father, a PRR engineman of the old school, roundly critcized the L1 for it's inadequate cab, lack of a mechanical stoker and general dearth of modern appliances.  It wasn't until later shoppings added these items to the original design that the L1 began to live up to expectations but it was never really popular on the Pennsy.  When traffic turned down, L1s were the first engines to go into storage and the last to come out again when business improved. After the WWII traffic surge died down they were mostly relegated to flat secondary mainlines in the eastern regions and Midwest. 

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 9:46 AM

I do like all the above, but would add the K-28 narrow gauge D&RGW and certainly the New York Central's last 2-8-2's before they bought the Berkshires.   Very good looking locomotives, and about as modern as a 2-8-2 can be, built by Lima.   Oh, of course, the Q's O-1!   Favorite is of course the L-1 with a boiler and firebox similar to a K-4.

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Posted by JonathanS on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 9:15 AM

In no particular order

The piston valve EBT mikes

CNJ's Mikes.  One of the best looking rear cab Wooten firebox locomotives IMHO

Lehigh Valley's first Camelback Mikados

Reading's M1s  Ugly as a mud fence, but had a very respectable record.

PRR's L1 

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Posted by feltonhill on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 9:08 AM

I've seen one reference to the 70" drivered Q4c and Q4d (B&O Power, Staufer), but not one photo in any B&O book I have or any other source I recall.  Can anyone help out here?   I'd like to see what they looked like!

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Posted by tpatrick on Sunday, February 8, 2009 10:20 AM

GN's may have been the largest 2-8-2s, but their 69" drivers were eclipsed by B&O's classes Q-4c and Q-4d, which had 70" drivers. They were built for speed, but maintained a respectable tractive effort exceeding 65000 lbs.

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Posted by fluff on Saturday, February 7, 2009 10:21 PM

great northern had the largest, only one with 69 in. drivers

frisco 4200s next to the gn's loco's

missouri pacific

all i can think of

 

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Posted by locoi1sa on Saturday, February 7, 2009 8:00 PM

 PRR L1s they built 574 of them. Must have liked them to build so many.

       Pete

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Posted by oldline1 on Saturday, February 7, 2009 5:14 PM

These are my favorite Mikes:

EBT 16-18 (Piston valve engines)

Virginian MCA

B&O Q-4b

Magma Arizona (Texas State RR) 7

WP&Y 70-73

Roger Huber

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Top 5 2-8-2's
Posted by New Haven I-5 on Saturday, February 7, 2009 12:15 PM

 Same as Fluff's top 5 4-8-4 thread.

  Southern's Ms Class

  Canadian National S-1-b Class

 NKP (former LE&W) H6o Class

 D&RGW K-28 Class

 UP's MK-10 Class

- Luke

Modeling the Southern Pacific in the 1960's-1980's

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