Delaware, Lackawanna &Western 2-8-2 "Mikado" Locomotives in the USA

The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad mail line ran from Buffalo, NY through Binghamton, NY on to Scranton, PA and the to a terminated in Hoboken, NJ with rail and ferry connection to New York City. The railroad had major branches at Binghamton, NY and Scranton, PA. At Binghamton there was a branch to Syracuse, NY and onto Oswego, NY, and also at Binghamton there was a branch to Utica, NY and at Scranton there was a branch to Sunbury, PA.

The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, a relatively small railroad purchased a total of 112 "Mikado" type locomotives all with 63" diameter drivers. The early sixty-two had 28" x 30" cylinders and exerted a respectable 60,000+ pounds of tractive effort. The last fifty delivered in 1923 and 1924, were what may be described as a fatter versions of the USRA "Mikado-Heavy". With a similar sized boiler and with 28" x 27" cylinders and almost nineteen tons more weight than the USRA design these locomotives were under-boilered. However, since this class was used primarily in helper and mine run service, this may not have been too significant.

The first "Mikado" type locomotives on the DL&W arrives in 1912 with the delivery from the American Locomotive of the first batch of twenty-seven it would deliver during 1912 and 1913. They were designated as Class L-1 and L-2 and given road numbers 1201 through 1227. These locomotives had 63" diameter drivers, 28" x 30" cylinders, a 190 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 60,293 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 312,000 pounds. The firebox was 260 square feet, the evaporative heating surface was 4,885 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 5,950 square feet.

In 1916 and 1917, ALCO delivered twenty-five more "Mikados" which were designated as Class L-3/L-4 and assigned road numbers 1228 through 1252. In 1920, ten more 2-8-2s were delivered from ALCO which were designated as Class L-5 and assigned road numbers 1253 through 1262. These thirty-five locomotives had 63" diameter drivers, 28" x 30" cylinders, a 200 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 63,467 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 321,000 pounds. The firebox was 260 square feet, the evaporative heating surface was 4,205 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 5,270 square feet.

In 1923, twenty-five more 2-8-2s came from ALCO and were designated as Class L-6 and given road numbers 2101 through 2124. In 1924, fifteen more locomotive of a similar design were delivered from ALCO and were designated as Class L-6a and assigned road numbers 2126 through 2140. These forty locomotives had 63" diameter drivers, 28" x 32" cylinders, a 200 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 67,698 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 356,500 pounds. The firebox was 320 square feet, the evaporative heating surface was 4,414 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 5,680 square feet.

The last group of "Mikados" was delivered in 1924 and it was designated as Class L-7 with road numbers 2141 through 2150 assigned. These locomotives had 63" diameter drivers, 28" x 32" cylinders, a 200 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 67,698 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 362,500 pounds. The firebox was 350 square feet, the evaporative heating surface was 4,423 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 5,535 square feet.

There are no surviving DL&W 2-8-2 "Mikado" type locomotives.


Roster

ClassQty.Road NumbersYear BuiltBuilderNotes
L-1/L-2271201-12271912-1913ALCO1
L-3/L-4251228-12521916-1917ALCO2
L-5101253-12621920ALCO3
L-6252101-21251923ALCO4
L-6a152126-21401924ALCO5
L-7102141-21501924ALCO6
Notes:
  1. Numbers 1201-1222 rebuilt to 0-8-0 and assigned numbers in the 201-260 series. The other five were scrapped between 1936 and 1948.
  2. Numbers 1228-1252 scrapped between 1946 and 1953
  3. Numbers 1253-1262 scrapped between 1946 and 1953.
  4. Numbers 2101-2125. Number 2101 was sold to the Alton & Southern in the 1940s. The others scrapped between 1946 and 1952.
  5. Numbers 2136-2140 scrapped between 1946 and 1950.
  6. Numbers 2141-2150 scrapped between 1946 and 1950.

Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class L-1/L-2 (Locobase 5733)

Data from the Lackawanna's diagrams as posted on [link] (29 October 2003). See also "Comparative Tests of Freight Locomotives", Railway Age Gazette, 4 October 1912, pp. 643-644 and "Consolidation Locomotives for the Wheeling & Lake Erie," Railway and Locomotive Engineering, Vol 26, No 12 (December 1913), pp. 451-452. Works numbers were 51355-51369 in 1912 (L-1) and 53146-53157 in 1913.

Firebox heating surface included 30 sq ft (2.78 sq m) of arch tubes. From the start, Lackawanna Mikes had big piston valves measuring 16" (406 mm) in diameter. Over time the class had slight variations in the tube count, but most retained 292 2" tubes.

These were the first Mikados on the Lackawanna and, as Drury (1993) notes, they represented a big increase in power at speed over the road's Consolidations. The R&LE article summarized the intent in the design by noting that the boiler was described as a 100% vessel guaranteed "to furnish a constant supply of steam for any sustained speed the locomotive cylinders are capable of making."

Drury notes that the engineers disliked the then-new screw reverser, but that the firemen hated the larger and still hand-fired grate. Introduction of mechanical stoking and power reverse relieved the two problems.

In the late 1920s, the first 22 in the class were converted to 0-8-0 heavy switchers by deleting both auxiliary trucks. The other 5 were retired in a long period between 1936 and 1948.


Class L-3/L-4/L-5 (Locobase 5734)

Data from the Lackawanna's diagrams as posted on [link] (29 October 2003). Works numbers were 55927-55936 (L-3) in 1916, 60240-60254 (L-4) in 1918, and 61828-61837 in 1920.

Firebox heating surface included 30 sq ft (2.8 sq m) of arch tubes. Piston valves measured 16" (406 mm) in diameter in the 1916 & 1918 batches, but 14" (356 mm) in 1252-1262, delivered in 1920.

Interesting modification of Lackawanna's first Mikado (Locobase 5733) in which the grate stays the same, but the boiler is three feet (914 mm) shorter. These were strong locomotives for their size and obviously well-suited to their service as they were retired at the end of steam in 1946 to 1953.


Class L-6/L-6a (Locobase 5732)

Although the Locomotive Cyclopedia of 1930 had complete data, Locobase also went with the Lackawanna's diagrams as posted on [link] (29 October 2003). One big difference: The Cyclopedia credited the engines with 30 5 1/2" flues rather than the 50 5 3/8" shown on the diagrams. See also the long story by Charles W Foss and James G Lyne, "Lackawanna Success the Result of Supervision", Railway Age, Volume 71, No 22 (26 November 1921), pp. 1027-1032 [Part 1] and No 23 (3 December 1921) ,pp. 1097-1102. Works #63581-63605 were in 1923, 64039-64048 and 64065-64069 in 1924.

Firebox heating surface included 35 sq ft (3.25 sq m) of arch tubes and the piston valves measured 14" (356 mm) in diameter. This batch of Mikes came after the USRA Mountains (Locobase 232) had been developed, but were somewhat bigger than that design. Locobase 12 has another ten from Brooks with slightly different dimensions.

In the Railway Age story, Foss and Lyne assert (p. 1032) that "the nucleus of the Lackawanna's business is the transportation of anthracite coal." In 1920, coal revenue constituted 36% (10,219,848 tons) of traffic and generated 33% of freight revenue. Anthracite coal came from only a "very small" area from a small number of mines, each of which was "very large."

"The reader should also be reminded", the authors usefully comment, "that anthracite is classified not by mines or pools as in the case of bituminous, but by sizes. These sizes are separated in the breaker which is at the head of the mine shaft. There are 8 sizes; furnace, egg, stove, chestnut, pea, buckwheat, rice and barley. The first five are domestic sizes and the latter three commercial."

The expense of such careful sorting gets its due: "The size of the breaker will be perhaps best evidenced not only by the tonnage of coal which it sorts by sizes--as noted, in some cases 4,000 to 6,000 tons daily--but by the fact that a modern steel breaker costs about $1,500,000." (p. 1032)

Drury (1993) comments about all 50: "They were about as much locomotive as could be put on a 2-8-2 running gear with 63" drivers". He also notes that when the DL&W was done with them, seven went to railroads such as the Montour, Alton & Southern, and the Chicago & Illinois Midland.


Class L-7 (Locobase 12)

Although the Locomotive Cyclopedia of 1930 had complete data, Locobase chose the Lackawanna's diagrams as posted on [link] (29 October 2003). (Many thanks to Chris Hohl for his 22 September 2017 email reporting unlikely boiler pressure values for 177 entries. A Locobase macro caused the error .) Works numbers were 65408-65417 in 1924.

These ten were built at Brooks in 1924 and followed an order for 40 from Schenectady (see Locobase 5730). One big difference: The Cyclopedia credited the engines with 30 5 1/2" flues rather than the 50 5 3/8" shown on the diagrams. The diagrams show that these had 14" (356 mm) piston valves.

Firebox heating surface included 35 sq ft (3.25 sq m) in four arch tubes. See 5732 for discussion of all 50 locomotives.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassL-1/L-2L-3/L-4/L-5L-6/L-6aL-7
Locobase ID5733 5734 5732 12
RailroadDelaware, Lackawanna &WesternDelaware, Lackawanna &WesternDelaware, Lackawanna &WesternDelaware, Lackawanna &Western
CountryUSAUSAUSAUSA
Whyte2-8-22-8-22-8-22-8-2
Number in Class27354010
Road Numbers1201-12271228-12622101-21402141-2150
GaugeStdStdStdStd
Number Built27354010
BuilderAlco-SchenectadyAlco-SchenectadyAlco-SchenectadyAlco-Brooks
Year1912191619221924
Valve GearWalschaertBakerBakerWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)17 / 5.1817 / 5.1817 / 5.1817 / 5.18
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)35.17 / 10.7235.17 / 10.7237.30 / 11.3737.30 / 11.37
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.48 0.48 0.46 0.46
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)67.29 / 20.5167.43 / 20.5573.25 / 22.3373.25 / 22.33
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)236,500 / 107,275254,500 / 115,439271,500 / 123,150276,500 / 125,418
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)312,000 / 141,521321,000 / 145,603356,500 / 161,706362,500 / 164,427
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)161,500 / 73,255163,800 / 74,299217,600 / 98,702217,600 / 98,702
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)473,500 / 214,776484,800 / 219,902574,100 / 260,408580,100 / 263,129
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)8000 / 30.309000 / 34.0912,000 / 45.4512,000 / 45.45
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)15 / 1415 / 1414 / 1314 / 13
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)99 / 49.50106 / 53113 / 56.50115 / 57.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)63 / 160063 / 160063 / 160063 / 1600
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)190 / 1310200 / 1380200 / 1380200 / 1380
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)28" x 30" / 711x76228" x 30" / 711x76228" x 32" / 711x81328" x 32" / 711x813
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)60,293 / 27348.4863,467 / 28788.1867,698 / 30707.3367,698 / 30707.33
Booster (lbs)11,50011,50011,500
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 3.92 4.01 4.01 4.08
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)292 - 2" / 51303 - 2" / 51300 - 2" / 51300 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)43 - 5.375" / 13743 - 5.375" / 13750 - 5.375" / 13750 - 5.375" / 137
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)21 / 6.4018 / 5.4918 / 5.4918 / 5.49
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)260 / 24.16260 / 24.16320 / 29.74350 / 32.52
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)63 / 5.8663 / 5.8670.40 / 6.5470.40 / 6.54
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)4885 / 4544205 / 390.804414 / 410.224423 / 411.06
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)1065 / 98.981065 / 98.981266 / 117.661112 / 103.35
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)5950 / 552.985270 / 489.785680 / 527.885535 / 514.41
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume228.48196.68193.51193.91
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation11,97012,60014,08014,080
Same as above plus superheater percentage14,12515,12017,17816,896
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area58,29262,40078,08084,000
Power L114,71514,82216,02714,897
Power MT548.68513.59520.57475.11

Photos

  • 1211 (ALCO Collection)
  • 1231 (Harold K. Vollrath photo)
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