Georgia Railroad / West Point Route 2-8-2 "Mikado" Locomotives in the USA

Class F (Locobase 7320)

Data from A & WP-WRA 11 - 1949 locomotive diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 5691-5694 in July 1918.

According to Drury (1993), this batch of four locomotives were a continuation of the Harriman Common Standard Mikado. The lower-numbered pair went to the Atlanta & West Point, the higher-numbered duo to the Western Railway of Alabama. 350 received Nicholson thermic syphons, which increased its firebox heating surface to 285 sq ft (26.5 sq m).

Retirements came in 1951 (401), 1952 (351, 400) and 1954 (350).

Class F (Locobase 7321)

Data from A & WP-WRA 11 - 1949 locomotive diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange.

These USRA Light-Pacific (Locobase 172) clones came into the WPR ins three batches for the three constituent railroads - the Atlanta & West Point (425-427), Western Railway of Alabama (375-378) and the Georgia Railroad (320-326); see Locobase 9469 for the Georgia RR locomotives.

By builders' numbers, the assignments were:

Builder Railway Road Number

6730 A & WP 425

6731-6732 WRA 375-376

6929 A & WP 426

6930 WRA 377

7004 A & WP 427

7005 WRA 378

Given the typical long life of WPR steam engines, it's not surprising to see that these all ran until 1952-1954.

Class F (Locobase 7322)

Data from A & WP-WRA 10 - 1945 locomotive diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange; and "Negative 12877-Class 2-8-2-27 S 1620", The Baldwin Locomotive Works. (Thanks to Phillip Meade for his 26 December 2020 email reporting the number of thermic syphons and supplying the Baldwin card..) Works numbers were 70887-70888 in July 1944

Among the very last Mikados to be built new by an American manufacturer were this pair, which were distributed to the Atlanta & West Point (road #430) and Western Railway of Alabama (road #380) , respectively. As Drury (1993) notes, these were "...essentially updated USRA heavy 2-8-2s [Locobase 41], a testimonial to the soundness of the 1918 USRA design."

They were near the top of the list in terms of weight, but about average for heating surface area. Phillip Meade confirmed that Baldwin's builder's card showed two thermic syphons, which comprised 80 sq ft (7.43 sq m) of firebox heating surface. In addition, the combustion chamber contributed 57 sq ft (5.30 sq m), and firebrick tubes another 14 sq ft. (1.30 sq m). Drury's photo and caption details the Boxpok drivers, cast trailing truck, Elesco coil-type feedwater heater, and immense tender.

Because they arrived so late, these two Mikes only ran for a decade before being scrapped.

Class F (Locobase 7323)

Data from A & WP-WRA 11 - 1949 locomotive diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 5002-5004 in January 1915, 5695 in July 1918.

These were Harriman Common Standard Mikados like those supplied to the other constituents of the West Point Route (Locobase 7320). Three of the four in this class preceded the other WPR engines; the fourth was delivered with the rest.

Sometime later in their careers, the class saw an update in its firebox. Two received thermic syphons that together with the arch tubes contributed 87 sq ft (8.08 sq m) to 301 & 303's firebox heating surface. 300 & 302 received 60.3 sq ft (5.60 sq m) of security circulators, which resulted in a commensurately lower amount of total heating surface.

In both forms, Georgia RR ran them until 1953-1954.

Class F (Locobase 9469)

Data from GA Steam Loco diagrams supplied in May 2005 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange. Works numbers were 6575-6579 in 1924 and 7006-7007 in 1925.

Although built in 1923, this Ohio-built quintet were virtually identical to the USRA's Light Mikado design (Locobase 40); two more followed in 1925. Even though the count of superheater flues was identical, the Georgia Railroad gave the superheater area as 1,180 sq ft (109.6 sq m) . Delivered with 31 sq ft (2.9 sq m) of arch tubes, some were later refitted with 60 sq ft (50.75 sq m) of security circulators for a total firebox heating surface of 309 sq ft (28.7 sq m).