Lehigh Valley 2-8-2 "Mikado" Locomotives in the USA

Class Bee/B (Locobase 16601)

Data from "Locomotives on the Lehigh Valley Railroad", Railway Engineer, Volume 6 (January 1885), p 6.

The 1885 report from RE presented a summary of Alexander Mitchell's remarks about two decapods--Ant and Bee--he'd had Norris Locomotive Company build in 1867. It tu rned out his aspirations outstripped the engines' capabilities, especially as the engine weighed only 108,000 lb (48,988 kg). After fifteen years, Mitchell, realizing that he could achieve the same adhesion weight with four axles rather than five, replaced the rear driving axle with a rear truck, thus creating one of the very first 2-8-2s. The resulting engine wheelbase measured 6" (1.82 m) longer than a Consolidation.

In the new configuration, a combination of the traversing trailing truck and flangeless wheels on the rear drivers reduced "the rigid wheelbase the same as that of a Mogul " (i.e. (914 mm) or 3' shorter than that 2-8-0.) Clearly, the result was something of a jury rig and the LV had turned its eye toward a series of 4-8-0s. The B was converted to a 2-8-0 in 1889 and was gone from the roster within four years.

Class N-1 (Locobase 1359)

Data from "Locomotive Building," The Railway Gazette, Vol XXXIX, No 24 (15 December 1905), p. 191 and Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 28, p. 190. Works numbers for Baldwin engines were 27665-27666, 27693, 27698, 27699, 27713-27714, 27726, 27756 in March 1905; 27783 in April. Alco's engines bore the higher road numbers. Their works numbers were 42684-42693 in May 1905.

The repeat order for camelback Mikados came two years after Baldwin's 27 were delivered (as described in Locobase 12681. Apparently finding that 343 2 1/4" tubes in a 72" boiler crowded the vessel intolerably, the railroad's next order pared the count by 25. (Interestingly, this was still a pretty big count for a saturated-boiler Mikado.) The design also increased adhesive weight by 4 1/2 tons.

Locobase occasionally reproduces the equipment list that often accompanied RG's longer entries in the "Locomotive Building" department of the journal.

Baldwin's production of its ten-engine order made use of:

Westinghouse air brakes

Snow bell ringers

Keasbey & Mattison magnesia boiler lagging

Diamond special brake-beams

Tower all-steel couplers

Glazier headlights

Hancock Injectors

Magnus Metal Co.'s journal bearings

U. S. metallic piston and valve packings

Consolidated safety valves

Leach sanding devices

Detroit sight-feed lubricators

Railway Steel Spring Co.'s springs

Ashcroft steam gages

Latrobe driving, truck and tender wheel tires and cast steel wheel centers for driving wheels.

Almost all the N-1s had 20+-year careers on the LV. A few were scrapped in 1924 while a few lasted into 1932.

Class N-1 (Locobase 12681)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 25, p. 280. See also "Locomotive Building," The Railway Gazette, Vol XXXIX, No 24 (15 December 1905), p. 191 and "Locomotives on the Lehigh Valley Railroad", Railway Engineer, Volume 6 (January 1885), p 6. Works numbers for Baldwin engines were 22532, 22550, 22561-22562, 22566, 22572 in July 1903; 22596, 22608, 22640, 22648, 22663, 22668-22669, 22682, 22698, 22706, 22712, 22722, 22743, 22757 in August; 22764, 22775, 22784, 22800, 22825, 22857, 22877 in September; and 27665-27666, 27693, 27698, 27699, 27713-27714, 27726, 27756 in March 1905; 27783 in April. Alco's engines bore the higher road numbers.

Special note: The 1885 report from RE presented a summary of Alexander Mitchell's remarks about two decapods--Ant and Bee--he'd had Norris Locomotive Company build in 1867. Mitchell ultimately (1883) he replaced the rear driving axle with a rear truck, thus creating one of the very first 2-8-2s. See Locobase 16601.

The next engines to use that arrangement on the Lehigh Valley were these camelback. They rolled on low drivers suitable for slogging through the eastern Pennsylvania coal country on the Lehigh Valley. These were the only camelbacks built in the Mikado wheel arrangement and came to the LV in two sub-classes. Such double-end "Mother Hubbards" were rare and photographs show that placing the cab ahead of the massive Wootten firebox created a "center-cab" look when seen above six axles.

The first group seems to have stuffed the relatively slim border with too many tubes. When Locobase compares the design with other saturated-boiler Mikes of the same vintage, those that had 2 1/4" tubes also show significantly larger diameters of boiler.

Another sign that the installation may have proved too crowded appears in the later batch, which was split between Baldwin and Alco. See Locobase 1359.

Even so, a paid-for engine counts for a lot and all of the N-1s enjoyed 20+-year careers before being scrapped in 1924-1932.

Class N-2 (Locobase 1360)

Data from LV 3 - 1934 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer, Volume 43, p. 43-58. Works numbers were

1912

December 38942, 38989-38994

1913

February 39233-39238, 39303-39306; June 39972-39976, 39989-39992, 40041-40044, 40092-40094; July 40105-40106, 40151-40153, 40201-40254.

These Mikes followed the N-1 camelbacks. Although conventional in layout, they also had the Wooten firebox.and a big boiler to go with it. Piston valves measured 14" (356 mm) in diameter. The specifications included the desire to have the crown and side sheets to be made in one piece "if material of sufficient dimensions can be obtained."

Nineteen were scrapped before the US entered World War II, most of these in 1938 (7) and 1939 (6). When war preparations gained traction in 1940, the railroad held on to most of the rest, scrapping only 6 in 1940 (3) and 1941 (3). The next retirement call summoned 332 in July 1947 and 308 followed in October 1948, but most of the class went to the scrapyard in 1949 (9), 1950 (8), and 1951 (4).

Class N-2 1/2 (Locobase 14596)

Data from DeGolyer, Volume 48, pp. 103+ and Volume 59, pp. 213+. Works numbers were

1913

40441-40442 in August; 40520-40521, 40525-40527, 40581-40588, 40654-40655, 40692-40694 in September; 40701-40702, 40705-40707 in October.

1916

42830-42831 in January; 42849-42851, 42909-42911, 42940-42941. 42953-42959 in February; 43001-43003 in March.

These Mikes repeated the Wootten-firebox N-2s that had brought such a large boiler to the LV through the adoption of 21-ft long tubes. The one difference (and it was an important one) was the use of 62" (later 63") drivers in place of the N-2's 56" (1422 mm) wheels.

Class N-3 (Locobase 5448)

Data from table in May 1916 issue of Railway Mechanical Engineer (RME). See also DeGolyer, Volume 59, pp. 224 and Volume 68, pp. 1+. Works numbers were spread out over six years:

1916

June 43503-43506, 43532-43533, 43544-43547; July 43714-43717, 43787-43792

1921

January 54258, 54344-54345, 54346-54347

1922

August 55552; October 55691-55694

These were described as improved N-2s. Firebox heating surface included 59 sq ft (5.5 sq m) of arch tubes and a 88-sq ft (8.2 sq m) combustion chamber. Note too that the 3 1/2 feet (1,067 mm) of combustion chamber reduced the tube length. Note the high percentage of combined heating surface that was directly heated, a result of the use of the anthracite-burning Wootten firebox. 14" (356 mm) piston valves supplied the cylinders.

Also notice that the boiler's tube & flue count (254 & 45) matched that of the R-1 2-10-2, although those of the the latter design were four feet longer. The 1916 engines used Walschaert radial valve gear. The last ten operated the "Latest Improved" Baker gear.

Class N-4/N-4B (Locobase 7306)

Data from LV 3 -1934 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also DeGolyer Library, Volume 68, pp. 27+. See also "Mikado Locomotives for the Lehigh Valley", Railroad Mechanical Engineer, Volume 97, No 11 (November 1923), pp. 739-742; and "Mikado Locomotives for the Lehigh Valley", Railway Age, Volume 75, No 21 (24 November 1923)--which use the exactly the same descriptions for the weekly RA and the monthly RME, both published by Simmons-Boardman. (Thanks to Steve Low for his 17 May 2020 email pointing out the boosters on the N-4 and N-4Bs.) Works numbers were (N-4) 55894-55896 in December 1922; 56023-56024, 56088-56092, (N-4B) 56093-56097 in January 1923.

Locobase concludes that the Lehigh Valley was happy with the boiler they'd been using on their Mikados as this class had an identical layout of tubes and flues to those of the pre-World War I engines. The firebox, on the other hand, was of conventional width and burned a mixture of bituminous and fine anthracite coal. The shorter firebox allowed a longer combustion chamber contributed 112 sq ft (10.4 sq m) to direct heating surface area along with 40 sq ft (3.7 sq m) of arch tubes. Fourteen inch (356 mm) piston valves supplied steam to the cylinders.

Baldwins used Duplex stokers and Ragonnet power reverse gear. Baldwin's specification includes the note that the locomotives were "to be built with provision for future application of booster" for the last ten locomotives. Steve Low pointed that eventually all of the class were fitted with 11,000 lb (48.93 kN) trailing boosters.

The N-4B (460-464) used an 8,000-US gallon (30,280 litres) tender.

With the likely exception of one or two locomotives with the early retirement date of 1940, this class served the LV until the end of steam.

Class N-5/N-5bJ (Locobase 7307)

Data from LV 3 -1934 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also "Mikado Locomotives for the Lehigh Valley", Railroad Mechanical Engineer, Volume 97, No 11 (November 1923), pp. 739-742; and "Mikado Locomotives for the Lehigh Valley", Railway Age, Volume 75, No 21 (24 November 1923)--which use the exactly the same descriptions for the weekly RA and the monthly RME, both published by Simmons-Boardman. (Thanks to Steve Low for his 17 May 2020 email pointing out the boosters.) Works numbers were 64129-64143 in March 1923, 65108-65147 in February 1924.

As the Lehigh Valley took delivery of the 20 Baldwins (Locobasd 7306) that followed the earlier pattern of boiler and cylinder dimensions, Alco started supplying a juiced-up variant in greater numbers. Piston valve diameter remained the same at 14" (356 mm), but cylinder stroke increased by two inches (50.8 mm) and 20 tubes were traded for 5 flues. This resulted in a slightly smaller amount of heating surface - direct and tube-flue - but more starting tractive effort as well as extending the wheelbase between the lead driver and the front truck by 8" (203 mm).

Schenectady engines used Elvin stokers and Alco Type E power reverse gear. Steve Low pointed that eventually all of the class were fitted with 11,000 lb (48.93 kN) trailing trruck boosters

The design obviously suited the LV as all of these engines stayed in service until the end of steam.