Missouri-Kansas-Texas Mikados

The first “Mikados” to arrive on the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was a very large group received from the American Locomotive Company in 1913 and 1914. These locomotives, 70 in total, were designated as Class L-1 and were assigned road numbers 701-770. They had 61” drivers, 26 ½ “ x 30” cylinders, a 195 psi boiler pressure and they exerted 57,250 pounds of tractive effort. Road numbers 701-760 (Class L-1-a) were coal burners and numbers 761-770 (Class L-1-b) burned oil.

In 1915, thirty-five more “Mikados came from ALCO. This group was designated as Class L-2-a and was giver road numbers 801-835. These 2-8-2s had 61” drivers, 28” x 30” cylinders, a 195 psi boiler pressure and a tractive effort of 63,900 pounds. The last group to be built by ALCO followed this group in 1918. This group of 25 locomotives was designated as Class L-2-b and assigned road numbers 836-860. They were very similar to the L-2-a class expect they had a larger grate area. The 35 Class L-2-a locomotives had a tendency to be rough riding and they were poor steamers and were scrapped in 1934. The Class L-2-b locomotives were very similar but performed very well and lasted to the end of steam on the M-K-T.

In the early 1920s The Lima Locomotive Works built 60 “Mikados” for the M-K-T. Twenty were delivered in 1920 (Class L-2-c, road numbers 861-880) and the others came in 1923 (Class L-2-d, road numbers 881-920). These locomotives had 61” drivers, 28” x 30” cylinders, a 195 psi boiler pressure and they exerted 63,900 pounds of tractive effort. All but six of the Class L-2-c locomotives were built as oil burners and all had trailing truck boosters.

There are no surviving Katy 2-8-2 “Mikado” type locomotives.

M-K-T 2-8-2 Roster
ClassQty.Road NumbersYear BuiltBuilderNotes
L-1-a60701-7601913-1914ALCO1
L-1-b10761-7701914ALCO2
L-2-a35801-8351915ALCO3
L-2-b25836-8601918ALCO2
L-2-c20861-8801920Lima4,5
L-2-d40881-9201923Lima4,6

Notes
  1. All built as Coal Burners
  2. All built as Oil Burners
  3. Because of poor performance all were scrapped in 1934
  4. All had a trailing truck booster.
  5. All but six were built as oil burners.
  6. All built as oil burner.

Specifications
ClassL-1-a, L-1-bL-2-aL-2-bL-2-c, L-2-d
Wheel Arrangement:2-8-22-8-22-8-22-8-2
Length:
Drivers:61” dia.61” dia.61” dia.61” dia.
Weight on Drivers:
Total Locomotive Weight:287,500 lbs.314,00 lbs.315,000 lbs.324,000 lbs.
Locomotive & Tender Weight:
Grate Area:57.5 sq. ft.62.8 sq. ft.70.4 sq. ft.70.4 sq. ft.
Cylinders (dia. x stroke):(2) 26 ½” x 30”(2) 28” x 30”(2) 28” x 30”(2) 28” x 30”
Boiler Pressure:195 psi195 psi195 psi195 psi
Tractive Effort:57,250 lbs.63,900 lbs.63,900 lbs.63,900 lbs.
Tender Capacity:
Water:8,000 gals.10,000 gals.10,000 gals.
Oil in gals. / Coal in tons:2990gals, 14 tons4,000 gals.4,000 gal.

Photos

References

Much thanks to Richard Duley who has helped to provide a great deal of the information found on this page.
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