The only "Mikado" type locomotives on the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad were the twenty it was allocated by the USRA. Ten of the USRA "Mikado-Heavy" locomotives were revived in August 1918. They were designated as Class M-1 and assigned road numbers 6001 through 6010. In October 1918, the USRA assigned ten more of the "Heavies" to the W&LE. These ten locomotives were also designated as Class M-1 and they were assigned road numbers 6011 through 6020. The twenty Class M-1s had 63" diameter drivers, 27" x 32" cylinders, a 190 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 59,850 pounds of tractive effort and each weighed 321,678 pounds. The firebox was 375 square feet, the evaporative heating surface was 4,353 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 5,346 square feet.
There are no surviving W&LE 2-8-2 "Mikado" type locomotives.
| Class | Qty. | Road Numbers | Year Built | Builder | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-1 | 20 | 6001-6020 | 1918 | ALCO | 1 |
Data from W&LE10 - 1948 Locomotive Diagram books supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.
These Heavy Mikados (Locobase 41) were supplied "off the shelf" by the United States Railroad Administration during the two-year period of nationalization that began in December 1917. They came in two batches: works numbers 59720-59729 and 60375-60384. The two sets differed only in the type of rear engine frame. 6001-6010 had a slab type, 6011-6020 the more considerate sounding "Commonwealth cradle".
At first the M-1s had the standard USRA firebox, but over time the railroad modified it along lines adopted by many others. Most important was the deletion of a few square feet of arch tubes in favor of much more heating surface (77 sq ft/7.15) in the form of thermic syphons.
Otherwise, a very sound design saw no other significant changes during a career that ended with the last steam runs on the W & LE in 1958.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | M-1 (USRA) |
| Locobase ID | 7897 |
| Railroad | Wheeling & Lake Erie |
| Country | USA |
| Whyte | 2-8-2 |
| Number in Class | 20 |
| Road Numbers | 6001-6020 |
| Gauge | Std |
| Number Built | 20 |
| Builder | Alco-Brooks |
| Year | 1918 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 16.75 / 5.11 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 36.08 / 11 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.46 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 79.21 / 24.14 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | 61,399 / 27,850 |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 239,839 / 108,789 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 321,678 / 145,911 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 250,800 / 113,761 |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 572,478 / 259,672 |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 16,000 / 60.61 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 17.70 / 16 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 100 / 50 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 63 / 1600 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 200 / 1380 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 27" x 32" / 686x813 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 62,949 / 28553.22 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 3.81 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 247 - 2.25" / 57 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | 45 - 5.5" / 140 |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 19 / 5.79 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 375 / 34.85 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 70.80 / 6.58 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 4353 / 404.55 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 993 / 92.29 |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 5346 / 496.84 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 205.23 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 14,160 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 16,850 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 89,250 |
| Power L1 | 15,015 |
| Power MT | 552.08 |
