Missouri-Kansas-Texas 2-8-2 "Mikado" Locomotives in the USA

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 1/2" x 30" cylinders, a 195 psi boiler pressure and they exerted 57,250 pounds of tractive effort.

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.

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


Roster

ClassQty.Road NumbersYear BuiltBuilderNotes
L-1-a60701-7601913-1914ALCOAll built as coal burners, 45 converted to oil by 1922
L-1-b10761-7701914ALCOAll built as coal burners, 8 converted to oil by 1922
L-2-a35801-8351915ALCOAll built as coal burners, converted to oil by 1922. All scrapped in 1934 due to poor performance.
L-2-b25836-8601918ALCOAll built as coal burners, converted to oil by 1922
L-2-c20861-8801920LimaAll built as oil burners with trailing truck boosters
L-2-d40881-9201923LimaAll built as oil burners with trailing truck boosters, 26 converted to burn coal with mechanical stokers

Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class L-1a/L-1b (Locobase 1366)

Data from MKT 1941 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. See also "Equipment and Supplies--Locomotive Building", Railway Age Gazette, Volume 53, No. 21 (22 November 1912), pp. 1011; and "Typical Examples of 2-8-2 Mikado Locomotives", Railway Age Gazette-Mechanical Engineering, Volume 88, No 7 (July 1914);, p. 350. (Thanks to Chris Hohl for his 2 October 2018 email providing details on the tender and boiler pressure.)Works numbers were 52904-52943 in April 1913; 54709-54733 in May 1914; 54793-54797 lateri n 1914.

Sixty engines in the L-1a class delivered 1913-1914, 10 more in 1914. All fitted with Walschaert valve gear except for the last 10 -- 761-770 -- which had Baker gear. Chris Hohl's email said noted the original boiler pressure was 185 psi (12.75 bar) that the class originally was delivered as coal burners and trailed tenders weighing 169,500 lb (76,884 kg) when full of 8,500 US gallons(32,173 litres) of water and 14 tons (12.7 metric tons) of coal.

The Railway Age's brief description including a list of suppliers of "special equipment", component manufacturers that give a snapshot of the complex of industries that supported US steam locomotive manufacture at its height. A comparison with a typical Baldwin list would suggest which suppliers might have been "captives" of one major builder or another and which served the industry in general. The latter group extractred from this list includes Westinghouse, American brick arch, Janney, Pyle-National, Nathan, and possibly Worth Brothers Steel.

Axles Cambria.

Bell ringer Gollmar

Brakes Westinghouse

Brake beams Waycott

Brake shoes Streeter

Brick arch American

Couplers Janney

Driving boxes Cast steel

Headlight Pyle-National Electric

Injector Nathan

Journal bearings Hewitt

Safety valve CoaIe

Sanding devices Handlan

Sight-feed lubricators Nathan

Springs Railway Steel Spring Co

Staying Tate, Rome Special

Steam gages' American

Superheater Schmidt

Tires Railway Steel Spring Co

Tubes Worth Bros

Valve gear Walschaert


Class L-2a (Locobase 1367)

Data from MKT 1921 locomotive diagrams supplied in August 2022 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection; and "Examplesof Recent Locomotives of the Mallet and Mikado Types" table, Railway Mechanical Engineer (RME), Volume 90, No 5 (May 1916), p 236.

By 1921, at least five L-2a--801, 808, 819, 822, 828--had been refiitted with oil burners

The first MKT Mikados with the 28 x 30 in cylinders, they had four 3" (76 mm) diamerter arch tubes in the firebox

hese engines quickly acquired a reputation for slipperiness and a rough ride. Consequently, they were scrapped early in 1934.


Class L-2b (Locobase 1368)

Data from 1933 MKT locomotive diagram book supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley and MKT 1921 locomotive diagrams supplied in August 2022 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection; and "Examples of Recent Locomotives of the Mallet and Mikado Types" table, Railway Mechanical Engineer (RME), Volume 90, No 5 (May 1916), p 236.Works numbers were 59915-59939 in October 1918.

Although apparently similar to the L-2-a (Locobase 1367), these engines had a larger grate. . A reshuffle of tube and flue counts deleted 18 small tubes in exchange for two more superheater flues and adoption of constant-lead radial valve gear instead the earlier class's Baker gear. Although all L-2-bs would eventually burn oil, MKT's 1921 diagram showed 836, 845-846, 850. 852, 855-858, and 860 had tenders fitted with stokers for coal.

It's likely that Alco heard an earful about the L-2a's bad riding qualities and fixed them because the L-2bs lasted until the 1950s.


Class L-2c/L-2d (Locobase 1369)

Data from MKT 5 - 1939 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were L-2-c--5940-5949 in August 1920, 5950-5959 in September 1920; L-2-d-- 6437-6461 in April 1923; 6462-6478 in May.

This batch of Mikados were follow-ons to the successful L-2-bs (Locobase 1368) that were virtually identical except for a small increase in firebox heating surface area. All of the 4 1/2 ton weight increase fell on the front truck (1,000 lb/454 kg more) and trailing truck (8,000 lb/3269 kg more). Like the earlier locomotives, these had 14" (356 mm) piston valves. These were all delivered as oil burners.

890 went to the ferro-knacker in July 1939. 868 collided on with another locomotive in 1940 and was scrapped in May 1940. All of the others remained in service until the late 1940s-early 1950s.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassL-1a/L-1bL-2aL-2bL-2c/L-2d
Locobase ID1366 1367 1368 1369
RailroadMissouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT)Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT)Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT)Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT)
CountryUSAUSAUSAUSA
Whyte2-8-22-8-22-8-22-8-2
Number in Class70352560
Road Numbers701-770801-835836-860861-920
GaugeStdStdStdStd
Number Built70352560
BuilderAlco-BrooksAlco-SchenectadyAlco-SchenectadyLima
Year1913191519181920
Valve GearBaker or WalschaertBakerWalschaertWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)16.50 / 5.0316.50 / 5.0316.50 / 5.0316.50 / 5.03
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)35.08 / 10.6934.83 / 10.6235.67 / 10.8736.42 / 11.10
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.47 0.47 0.46 0.45
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)70.61 / 21.5269.90 / 21.3172.49 / 22.0972.50 / 22.10
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)214,500 / 97,296233,500 / 105,914234,000 / 106,141234,000 / 106,141
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)287,500 / 130,408314,000 / 142,428315,000 / 142,882324,000 / 146,964
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)168,000 / 76,204165,100 / 74,888174,500 / 79,152192,600 / 87,362
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)455,500 / 206,612479,100 / 217,316489,500 / 222,034516,600 / 234,326
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)8000 / 30.308000 / 30.3010,000 / 37.8810,000 / 37.88
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)2990 / 11,31712.50 / 114000 / 15,1404000 / 15,140
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)89 / 44.5097 / 48.5098 / 4998 / 49
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)61 / 154961 / 154961 / 154961 / 1549
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)195 / 1340185 / 1280195 / 1340195 / 1340
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)26.5" x 30" / 673x76228" x 30" / 711x76228" x 30" / 711x76228" x 30" / 711x762
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)57,245 / 25965.9360,631 / 27501.7963,909 / 28988.6763,909 / 28988.67
Booster (lbs)11,10011,100
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 3.75 3.85 3.66 3.66
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)198 - 2.25" / 57238 - 2.25" / 57220 - 2.25" / 57220 - 2.25" / 57
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)34 - 5.5" / 14042 - 5.5" / 14044 - 5.5" / 14044 - 5.5" / 140
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)20.50 / 6.2520.50 / 6.2520.50 / 6.2520.50 / 6.25
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)250 / 23.23261 / 24.25242 / 22.48251 / 23.32
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)57.50 / 5.3462.70 / 5.8270.40 / 6.5470.40 / 6.54
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)3628 / 337.174354 / 404.504213 / 391.404191 / 389.35
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)887 / 82.431025 / 95.221112 / 103.311055 / 98.01
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)4515 / 419.605379 / 499.725325 / 494.715246 / 487.36
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume189.45203.65197.05196.02
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation11,21311,60013,72813,728
Same as above plus superheater percentage13,45513,80316,61116,474
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area58,50057,45957,10058,734
Power L113,31413,09414,30913,854
Power MT547.36494.51539.25522.10

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