Southern Railway (U.S.) Class Ms-2


's Class Ms-2 was a type of experimental steam locomotive.

History

Beginning in 1915, the Southern had the unique idea to fit "tractor engines" underneath the tender. These locomotives were used on the mountainous Asheville Division in North Carolina. They were similar to the Erie Railroad's "Triplex" 2-8-8-8-2 pusher locomotives, in that the rear set of driving wheels exhausted through a pipe on the rear of the tender. But there was not just one specific type of wheel arrangement. The Southern added 2-8-0 engines onto the Mikados 4535-4539 and 4576, but they added a 2-6-0 unit to the 4561. They did not produce good enough results, and the tractor units were removed in 1924 and were replaced by standard tenders. An obvious problem with this arrangement is that, similar to the Garratt locomotive and the Triplex, as the tender coal and water ran out, the traction decreased. The locomotives continued service until the early 1950s.