Colorado, Wyoming & Eastern 2-8-2 "Mikado" Locomotives in the USA

The Laramie, Hahns Peak and Pacific Railway began in 1901. In 1914, the railway was unable to pay its mortgage so the Colorado, Wyoming and Eastern Railroad took control of the line. In April 1924 the line was sold to new owners that renamed it the Northern Colorado and Eastern Railroad Company. The citizens in Laramie requested the name of the town be in the line, so in June it was renamed again as Laramie, North Park and Western Railroad.

The line continued to struggle and the Interstate Commerce Commission urged the Union Pacific to take it over. In 1935 the UP acquired the LNP&W, and ran it until 1951 when it merged, the line becoming the Coalmont Branch of the UP, and the LNP&W depot in Laramie was closed. Shortline Wyoming Colorado Railroad bought the line in 1987, and subsequently abandoned it.

The Baldwin Locomotive Works received an order from the Colorado, Wyoming & Eastern in 1917. It was delivered in 1917 and given road number 8. This locomotive had 48" diameter drivers, 20" x 28" cylinders, a 180 psi boiler pressure, it exerted 35,700 pounds of tractive effort and it weighed 187,600 pounds. The fire box was 178 square feet and the evaporative heating surface was 2,500 square feet. In 1917, Baldwin superheated the locomotive with a 536 superheater making the combined heating surface 3,036 square feet.

There are no surviving CW&E 2-8-2 "Mikado" type locomotives.


Roster

Qty.Road NumbersYear BuiltBuilderNotes
181917BaldwinScrapped by 1950

Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 8 (Locobase 6581)

Data from 1914 St J& G I diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 62, pp. 25+. See also "Union Pacific Subsidiaries -- Coalmont Branch, Wyoming Division -- Laramie, North Park & Western Railroad", on the UtahRails website at [link]. (

This page was last updated on December 29, 2015), last accessed 4 June 2020..

Works number was 47486 in December 1917.

The Laramie Plains Line went into receivership in 1914 and was taken over by the Colorado, Wyoming & Eastern Railway. Three years later, Baldwin took the earlier Mike design delivered in 1911 to the Laramie, Hahn's Peak & Pacific (aka Late, Hard Pressed and Panicky--Locobase 6580) and superheated it for delivery in 1917. An altered firebox disposed of the arch tubes, reducing the area. As usual the superheater contributed more than its nominal area to the engine's power. In this case, the relatively rare Southern valve gear distributed the steam through 10" (254 mm) piston valves.

The CW&E in turn fell into the hands of a receiver in 1924, when it was reorganized as the Northern Colorado & Eastern Railway. Several months later the NC&E was again reorganized as the Laramie, North Park & Western Railroad (LNP&W).

Locobase found very clear, complete diagrams of all five 2-8-2s in the St Joseph & Grand Island's diagram book nominally dated 9 July 1914. Yet no StJ&GI roster ever showed this set, the #8 described in Locobase 6581, nor any 2-8-2. Moreover, the 8, which was ordered n 1917, appears in the book. Locobase finds a clue to solve this mystery on the estimable UtahRails website.

According to its account, the Union Pacific sought to buy the StJ&GI in 1936. At the same time, the UP wanted to lease the major subsidiaries Los Angeles & Salt Lake, Oregon Short Line and acquire the StJ&GI. Locobase supposes that the UP planned to send alll five Mikados to the StJ&GI after it came under UP control. Objections by both the LNW&P and the Pacific & Idaho Northern led the ICC to require the UP to buy both railroads. The LNW&P came under UP ownership, the P&IN was folded into the OSL

StJ&GI didn't get the quintet. Apparently the UP decided to leave the locomotives on the line they'd served for 20 years and designated thc trackage as the Oakmont Branch. Still operating as the LNW&P Laramie Plains Line, the quartet remained in service through World War Two.

4, 6, and 7 were "vacated" from the roster in June 1947.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
Class8
Locobase ID6581
RailroadColorado, Wyoming & Eastern
CountryUSA
Whyte2-8-2
Number in Class1
Road Numbers8
GaugeStd
Number Built1
BuilderBaldwin
Year1917
Valve GearSouthern
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)13.08 / 3.99
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)28.17 / 8.59
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.46
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)59.12 / 18.02
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)141,300 / 64,093
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)187,600 / 85,094
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)130,000 / 58,967
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)317,600 / 144,061
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)7000 / 26.52
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)12 / 11
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)59 / 29.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)48 / 1219
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)180 / 1240
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)20" x 28" / 508x711
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)35,700 / 16193.27
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 3.96
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)199 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)28 - 5.375" / 137
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)16.25 / 4.95
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)178 / 16.54
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)54 / 5.02
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2500 / 232.34
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)536 / 49.81
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)3036 / 282.15
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume245.58
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation9720
Same as above plus superheater percentage11,470
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area37,807
Power L111,619
Power MT725.14

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