The USRA Light Mikado was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I. This was the standard light freight locomotive of the USRA types, and was of 2-8-2 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or 1′D1′ in UIC classification. This wheel type was known as Mikado, after the Emperor of Japan.

A total of 614 locomotives were built under the auspices of the USRA,Drury p.409 with a further 641 copies built after the end of the USRA's control. The first, for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, was completed in July 1918 and given #4500. The locomotives were considered well designed and modern, and were popular and successful. Large numbers remained in service until replaced by diesel locomotives. It was also called the McAdoo Mikado after William Gibbs McAdoo, head of the USRA.

Built

With later copies, over 50 railroads used the type, including the following:

+ Table of original USRA allocation Railroad Quantity Class Road numbers Notes Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Drury pp.39–40, 47 Built 1918 by Baldwin. Scrapped 1959. 4500 preserved. Chicago and Alton Railroad Built 1918 by ALCO. To Alton Railroad 4385–4394, class Q-8.Drury pp.436, 438 Scrapped 1941-1952 Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad Drury pp.440–442 Built 1918 by ALCO-Schenectady. Scrapped 1942-1955. Chicago Great Western Railway Drury pp.107, 110 Built 1918 by Baldwin. Scrapped 1944-1951. Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad ("Monon") Drury pp.112–113 Built 1918 by ALCO-Schenectady. Scrapped 1947-1949 Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Drury pp.125, 129 Built 1919 by Baldwin And ALCO. Scrapped 1942-1945 and scrapped 1947-1951 Grand Trunk Railway Built 1918 by ALCO to Canadian National Railway 3700–3714, class S-3-a.Edson & Corley p.168 Scrapped 1958-1959. Grand Trunk Western Railroad Built 1918 by ALCO to Canadian National Railway 3715–3739, class S-3-a. Scrapped 1959-1960. 4070/3734 preserved Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway Lehigh and Hudson River Railway Drury pp.213–214 Built 1918 by Baldwin. Scrapped 1942-1948. Louisville and Nashville Railroad Drury pp.227, 230 Built 1919 by Lima. Scrapped 1951-1954. Maine Central Railroad Drury pp.233, 235 Built 1919 by ALCO. Scrapped 1953. Missouri Pacific Railroad Drury pp.248, 254 Built 1926 by ALCO-Brooks. Scrapped 1947-1950 Monongahela Railway Built 1919 by ALCO-Schenectady. Scrapped 1941-1949 Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway Drury pp.258, 260 Built 1918 by ALCO-Schenectady. All scrapped in 1951. New York Central Railroad Built 1918-1919 by ALCO and Lima. Renumbered 1800–1894, less 11 to PM.Drury pp.268, 278 Scrapped 1944-1955. New York Central subsidiary Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Built 1918 by Baldwin. Renumbered 1700–1724. Scrapped 1944-1952. New York Central subsidiary Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Built 1918 by ALCO. 10 to SLSF, others to PM. Scrapped 1949-1950 New York Central subsidiary Lake Erie and Western Railroad Built 1918 by Baldwin. To Nickel Plate Road 586–600. Scrapped 1947-1957. 587 preserved. New York Central subsidiary Michigan Central Railroad Built 1918 by ALCO. Renumbered 1770–1789. Scrapped 1947-1956 New York Central subsidiary Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad Built 1918 by ALCO. Renumbered 1732–1736. Scrapped 1945-1955 New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway ("Nickel Plate Road") Drury pp.281, 286–287 Built 1918 by ALCO. Scrapped 1940-1950 Pennsylvania Railroad Built 1919 by ALCO. Refused; 10 to MP, 23 to SLSF. Scrapped 1948-1949 Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad Built 1919 renumbered PRR 9627-9631.Drury pp.322, 328 Scrapped 1949-1953 Pere Marquette Railway Built 1919-1920 by ALCO and Lima. Acquired secondhand from IHB (14), NYC (11) and WAB (5).Drury pp.80, 88 To C&O 2350–2379 Scrapped 1952 Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway Built 1918 by Baldwin. Scrapped 1949-1951 Rutland Railway Drury pp.338–339 Built 1918 by ALCO-Schenectady. Scrapped 1951-1952 Seaboard Air Line Railroad Built 1918 by ALCO. Renumbered 490-499 in 1925. Scrapped 1954-1957. St. Louis – San Francisco Railway Drury pp.342, 345 Built 1919 by ALCO. Scrapped 1950-1951. 4003 and 4018 preserved. Southern Railway Drury pp.369, 372–373 4765–4775. To subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway. Renumbered 6285–6294 in 1920 Texas and Pacific Railway Refused; to Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific.Drury pp.387, 390 Texas and Pacific Railway Built by Baldwin in 1919 Union Pacific Railroad Drury pp.397, 402 Renumbered 2480–2499 in 1920. Union Pacific subsidiary Oregon Short Line Railroad Built 1918 by Baldwin. Scrapped 1945-1953 Wabash Railroad Built 1918 by ALCO. 5 to PM, replaced by 5 from WPDrury pp.420, 422 Scrapped 1950-1955: Wabash Western Pacific Railroad Built 1919 by Baldwin . Sold to Wabash in 1920.Drury pp.430–431 Scrapped 1949-1956 Totals 625

Copies

+ Table of USRA copies Railroad Quantity Class Road numbers Notes Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Canadian National Railway (Grand Trunk (Western)) Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Chicago and Alton Railroad to Alton Railroad 4395–4399, class Q-8a Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad Florida East Coast Railway Drury p.185 Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway Louisville and Nashville Railroad Midland Valley Railroad Missouri Pacific subsidiary International-Great Northern Railroad Mobile and Ohio Railroad Drury p.256 Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway ("Nickel Plate Road") Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway Pere Marquette Railway to C&O 1060–1069 Seaboard Air Line Railroad Drury pp.349, 353 Southern Railway subsidiary Alabama Great Southern Railroad West Point Route (Atlanta and West Point Rail Road) Drury pp.30–31 West Point Route (Georgia Railroad) West Point Route (Western Railway of Alabama) Total 641

Preservation Nine USRA Light Mikados both originals and copies are preserved.

No.BuilderYear builtPost-USRA ownerLocationImageDisposition4003American Locomotive Company1919St. Louis-San Francisco RailroadFort Smith Trolley MuseumOn Static Display4018Lima Locomotive Works1919St. Louis-San Francisco RailroadSloss Furnaces National Historic LandmarkOn Static Display587Baldwin Locomotive Works1918New York, Chicago, and St. Louis RailroadRavenna, KentuckyStored, awaiting restoration624Lima Locomotive Works 1922New York, Chicago, and St. Louis RailroadHammond, IndianaOn Static Display639Lima Locomotive Works1923New York, Chicago, and St. Louis RailroadMiller Park (Bloomington, Illinois)On Static Display4500Baldwin Locomotive Works1918Baltimore and Ohio RailroadB&O Railroad MuseumOn Static Display4070American Locomotive Company1918Grand Trunk RailwayCleveland, OhioUndergoing Restoration2537American Locomotive Company1918Union Pacific RailroadWalla Walla, WashingtonOn Static Display551Lima Locomotive Works1928Chicago & Illinois Midland RailroadSt. Louis Transportation MuseumOn Static Display

See also South Australian Railways 500 class (steam) A class of 10 broad gauge locomotives that use modified designs of the USRA Light Mikados. SNCF Class 141R A class of French steam locomotives that were ultimately derived from a modified version of the USRA Light Mikado.

References

Bibliography