Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville 2-8-2 "Mikado" Locomotives in the USA
A map of the Monon railroad would show it in the form of an "X", laid out over the state of Indiana. One leg ran from Dearborn Station in Chicago, Illinois to Union Station in Indianapolis, Indiana. The second leg ran from Michigan City, Indiana to Louisville, Kentucky. The "X" crosses at its namesake city of Monon, Indiana. The main line, ran from Chicago to Monon to Louisville, while the lines from Monon to Michigan City, and from Monon to Indianapolis, were operated as branch lines.
The first "Mikado" type locomotives on the Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville were twenty five received in 1912 from the American Locomotive Company. These locomotives were designated as Class J-1 and were given road numbers 500 through 524. There were two add-on orders given to ALCO, one for five which were delivered in 1918 and assigned road numbers 525 through 529 and four more delivered in 1923 which were given road numbers 530 through 533. The Class J-1 locomotives had 63" diameter drivers, 28" x 30" cylinders, a 170 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 53,950 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 286,000 pounds. The fire box was 245.5 square feet, the evaporative surface was 3,916 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 4,728 square feet. The piston valve had a 14" diameter.
In 1918, the USRA allocated five ALCO-built "Mikado-Light" to the CI&L. These five locomotives were designated as Class J-2 and assigned road numbers 550 through 554. They had 63" diameter drivers, 26" x 30" cylinders, a 200 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 58,724 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 292,000 pounds. The fire box was 280 square feet, the evaporative surface was 3,777 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 4,659 square feet.
By 1923, most railroads were buying copies of the USRA for their 2-8-2 freight locomotives. The Monon reverted to its own design and ordered six from ALCO. They arrived in 1926 and were designated as class J-3 and given road numbers 560 through 565. The J-3 locomotives had 63" diameter drivers, 27" x 32" cylinders, a 200 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 62,950 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 317,000 pounds. The fire box was 312 square feet, the evaporative surface was 4,302 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 5,292 square feet.
In 1929, ten more "Mikados" were delivered from ALCO. This group was classified as J-4 and road numbers 570 through 579 were assigned. The J-3s had 63" diameter drivers, 27" x 32" cylinders, a 220 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 69,243 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 335,000 pounds. The fire box was 385 square feet, the evaporative surface was 4,319 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 5,485 square feet. The J-4 were rebuilt with a new firebox which had thermic siphons, a new boiler, a feedwater heater was installed and some of the locomotives had roller bearings installed. All ten of the J-4 received a trailing truck booster which increased the tractive effort by 11,500 pounds.
There is one surviving CI&L 2-8-2 "Mikado" type locomotives. It is number 504, which was sold to the Soo Line the early 1940s and became number 1024 on the Soo. This locomotive is on display at the depot in Thief River Falls, MN.
Roster
| Class | Qty. | Road Numbers | Year Built | Builder | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J-1 | 25 | 500-524 | 1912 | ALCO | 1 |
| J-1 | 5 | 525-529 | 1918 | ALCO | 2 |
| J-1 | 4 | 530-533 | 1923 | ALCO | 3 |
| J-2 | 5 | 550-554 | 1918 | ALCO | 4 |
| J-3 | 6 | 560-565 | 1926 | ALCO | 5 |
| J-4 | 10 | 570-579 | 1929 | ALCO | 6 |
- Numbers 500, 502-509, 512-516 & 519 off the roster between 1939 and 1945, four sold to the Soo in 1941, four more sold to the Soo in 1942 and two sold to the Tennessee Railroad in 1946 and the others scrapped. Numbers 511, 517 & 520 scrapped in 1946. Numbers 518, 522 & 523 scrapped in 1947. Numbers 501, 510, 521 & 524 scrapped in 1948.
- Numbers 525-529. Number 526 sold to the Pittsburg & West Virginia in 1947 and became P&WV number 526. All others scrapped between 1946 and 1949.
- Numbers 530-533 scrapped between 1946 and 1949.
- Numbers 550-554 USRA allocated locomotives. All scrapped between 1947 and 1949.
- Numbers 560-565 scrapped between 1947 and 1949.
- Numbers 570, 573, 574, 575 & 577 Sold to the Pittsburgh & Shawmut in 1947. Numbers 576 & 578 sold to the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia in 1949. Numbers 571, 572 & 579 sold to the P&S in 1949.
Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media
Class J-1 (Locobase 8315)
Data from CI&L 8 - 1941 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 50702-50710 in March 1912, 51658-51673 in August, 58631-58633, 59134-59135 in May 1918, and 63823-63826 in January 1923.
Brooks followed its last set of Consolidations for the Monon with this large class of Mikados. Retaining the same grate area as in all of its C I & L 2-8-0s, the builder greatly enlarged the cylinder volume and stood the locomotive on 63" drivers. Brooks also increased the piston valve diameter from 12" (305 mm) to 14" (356 mm). The class was assembled in three batches over a surprisingly long period - 1912, 1918, and 1923. The first was retired in 1939, the last in 1948. The Pittsburgh & West Virginia bought the 526 in July 1942 as did the Tennessee Central. The Soo Line adopted eight--ex-502-506, 508, 510, and 515--in 1941-1942 as their class L-4.Class J-2 (USRA) (Locobase 8316)
Data from CI&L 1 - 1940 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.
The light USRA design (Locobase 40) presents an interesting contrast with the Monon's Brooks engine from 1912 (but repeated in 1918 and 1923 - see Locobase 8315). The government's design had bigger tubes and flues, which resulted in a healthy increase in steaming capability. As most other railroads found, the Monon found the USRAs quite satisfactory, only retiring them when it dieselized the road in 1947-1949.Class J-3 (Locobase 8317)
Data from CI&L 1 - 1940 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.
According to Drury (1993), this is an enlargement of the light USRA design the CI&L procured in 1918 (Locobase 8316). Indeed, everything grew - cylinder volume, tube and flue count, and weight. And the result was a powerful freighter in the classic 2-8-2 mold. Like the Monon's other Mikes, the J-3s lasted to the end of steam on the railroad.Class J-4 (Locobase 26)
Data from 1930 Locomotive Cyclopedia and from CI&L 8 - 1941 Locomotive Diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. (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 .)
[
], a Monon steam roster site visited 17 June 2005, says that this class was built as a single batch with Alco works #68042-68051. The last of the batch had the lowest road number. The class was delivered with a similar boiler to that of the J-3 (Locobase 8317), including a grate area of 70.3 sq ft, firebox heating surface measuring 299 sq ft, 247 2 1/4" tubes and 45 5 1/2" flues for a total evaporative heating surface of 4,277 sq ft and 1,050 sq ft of superheater area.
The 570s were later rebuilt with 11,500-lb TE trailing truck boosters and feedwater heaters. Some also had roller bearings installed. The rebuilt boiler and firebox were considerably different and the dimensions in the specifications reflect the changes . The firebox heating surface now included thermic syphons.
Eight were sold to the Pittsburgh & Shawmut RR in 1947 (6) and 1949 (2). The other two -- 576 and 578 -- went to the Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia (the TAG line) in 1948.
Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class | J-1 | J-2 (USRA) | J-3 | J-4 |
| Locobase ID | 8315 | 8316 | 8317 | 26 |
| Railroad | Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville (Monon) | Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville (Monon) | Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville (Monon) | Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville (Monon) |
| Country | USA | USA | USA | USA |
| Whyte | 2-8-2 | 2-8-2 | 2-8-2 | 2-8-2 |
| Number in Class | 34 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| Road Numbers | 500-533 | 550-554 | 560-565 | 570-579 |
| Gauge | Std | Std | Std | Std |
| Number Built | 34 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| Builder | Alco-Brooks | Alco-Schenectady | Alco-Richmond | Alco-Schenectady |
| Year | 1912 | 1918 | 1926 | 1929 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert | Walschaert | Walschaert | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | ||||
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 17 / 5.18 | 16.75 / 5.11 | 16.75 / 5.11 | 16.75 / 5.11 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 34.75 / 10.59 | 36.08 / 11 | 36.08 / 11 | 36.92 / 11.25 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.49 | 0.46 | 0.46 | 0.45 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 67.73 / 20.64 | 71.37 / 21.75 | 71.71 / 21.86 | 76.48 / 23.31 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | ||||
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 218,000 / 98,883 | 220,000 / 99,790 | 247,500 / 112,264 | 252,500 / 114,532 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 286,000 / 129,728 | 292,000 / 132,449 | 317,000 / 143,789 | 335,000 / 151,954 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 178,000 / 80,740 | 185,400 / 84,096 | 190,000 / 86,183 | 220,000 / 99,790 |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 464,000 / 210,468 | 477,400 / 216,545 | 507,000 / 229,972 | 555,000 / 251,744 |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 8500 / 32.20 | 10,000 / 37.88 | 10,000 / 37.88 | 12,000 / 45.45 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 20 / 18 | 16 / 15 | 16 / 15 | 20 / 18 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 91 / 45.50 | 92 / 46 | 103 / 51.50 | 105 / 52.50 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | ||||
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 63 / 1600 | 63 / 1600 | 63 / 1600 | 63 / 1600 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 170 / 11.70 | 200 / 13.80 | 200 / 13.80 | 220 / 15.20 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 28" x 30" / 711x762 | 26" x 30" / 660x762 | 27" x 32" / 686x813 | 27" x 32" / 686x813 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 53,947 / 24469.98 | 54,724 / 24822.42 | 62,949 / 28553.22 | 69,243 / 31408.13 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 4.04 | 4.02 | 3.93 | 3.65 |
| Heating Ability | ||||
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 258 - 2" / 51 | 216 - 2.25" / 57 | 247 - 2.25" / 57 | 231 - 2.25" / 57 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | 34 - 5.375" / 137 | 40 - 5.5" / 140 | 45 - 5.5" / 140 | 50 - 5.5" / 140 |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 20.17 / 6.15 | 19 / 5.79 | 19 / 5.79 | 19 / 5.79 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 245.50 / 22.82 | 280 / 26.02 | 312 / 29 | 385 / 35.77 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 54.50 / 5.07 | 66.70 / 6.20 | 71 / 6.60 | 80.20 / 7.45 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 3916 / 363.94 | 3777 / 351.02 | 4302 / 399.81 | 4319 / 401.39 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 812 / 75.46 | 882 / 81.97 | 990 / 92.01 | 1166 / 108.36 |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 4728 / 439.40 | 4659 / 432.99 | 5292 / 491.82 | 5485 / 509.75 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 183.16 | 204.83 | 202.83 | 203.63 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | ||||
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 9265 | 13,340 | 14,200 | 17,644 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 10,840 | 15,875 | 16,898 | 21,349 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 48,830 | 66,640 | 74,256 | 102,487 |
| Power L1 | 10,396 | 14,936 | 14,626 | 18,230 |
| Power MT | 420.54 | 598.69 | 521.13 | 636.68 |
- Minneapolis, St Paul & Ste Sault Marie 1024 (Monon 504) (Thief River Falls, MN. Photo courtesy David Hurlburt)
- 514 (Bud Laws photo)
