USRA Light Mikado


The USRA Light Mikado was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I. This was the standard light freight locomotive of the USRA types, and was of 2-8-2 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or 1′D1′ in UIC classification.
A total of 614 locomotives were built under the auspices of the USRA, with a further 641 copies built after the end of the USRA's control. The first, for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, was completed in July 1918 and given #4500. The locomotives were considered well designed and modern, and were popular and successful. Large numbers remained in service until replaced by diesel locomotives. It was also called the McAdoo Mikado after William Gibbs McAdoo, head of the USRA.

Built

With later copies, over 50 railroads used the type, including the following:
RailroadQuantityClassRoad numbersNotes
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad100Q-34500–4599Built 1918 by Baldwin.
Scrapped 1959.
4500 preserved.
Chicago and Alton Railroad10L-4875–884Built 1918 by ALCO. To Alton Railroad 4385–4394, class Q-8. Scrapped 1941-1952
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad15N-21925–1939Built 1918 by ALCO-Schenectady.
Scrapped 1942-1955.
Chicago Great Western Railway10L-3750–759Built 1918 by Baldwin. Scrapped 1944-1951.
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad 5J-2550–554Built 1918 by ALCO-Schenectady.
Scrapped 1947-1949
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad9 K-552300–2308, 2309–2319Built 1919 by Baldwin And ALCO. Scrapped 1942-1945 and scrapped 1947-1951
Grand Trunk Railway15M-3440–454Built 1918 by ALCO to Canadian National Railway 3700–3714, S 2-8-2|class S-3-a]. Scrapped 1958-1959.
Grand Trunk Western Railroad25M-3455–479Built 1918 by ALCO to Canadian National Railway 3715–3739, class S-3-a. Scrapped 1959-1960.
4070/3734 preserved
Lehigh and Hudson River Railway48080–83Built 1918 by Baldwin.
Scrapped 1942-1948.
Louisville and Nashville Railroad18J-31500–1517Built 1919 by Lima.
Scrapped 1951-1954.
Maine Central Railroad6S621–626Built 1919 by ALCO. Scrapped 1953.
Missouri Pacific Railroad15 MK-631301–1315, 1316–1325Built 1926 by ALCO-Brooks.
Scrapped 1947-1950
Monongahela Railway10L1 170-179 Built 1919 by ALCO-Schenectady.
Scrapped 1941-1949
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway10L2-55650–659Built 1918 by ALCO-Schenectady.
All scrapped in 1951.
New York Central Railroad95H-6a5100–5194Built 1918-1919 by ALCO and Lima.
Renumbered 1800–1894, less 11 to PM.
Scrapped 1944-1955.
New York Central subsidiary Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway25H-6a6089–6113Built 1918 by Baldwin. Renumbered 1700–1724. Scrapped 1944-1952.
New York Central subsidiary Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad24H-6a400–423Built 1918 by ALCO. 10 to SLSF, others to PM.
Scrapped 1949-1950
New York Central subsidiary Lake Erie and Western Railroad15H-6o5540–5554Built 1918 by Baldwin.
To Nickel Plate Road 586–600. Scrapped 1947-1957.
587 preserved.
New York Central subsidiary Michigan Central Railroad20H-6a7970–7989Built 1918 by ALCO. Renumbered 1770–1789. Scrapped 1947-1956
New York Central subsidiary Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad15H-6a9732–9746Built 1918 by ALCO. Renumbered 1732–1736. Scrapped 1945-1955
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway 10H-6a601–610Built 1918 by ALCO.
Scrapped 1940-1950
Pennsylvania Railroad20006-20038Built 1919 by ALCO. Refused; 10 to MP, 23 to SLSF.
Scrapped 1948-1949
Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad5L2s108-112Built 1919 renumbered PRR 9627-9631. Scrapped 1949-1953
Pere Marquette RailwayK-81011–1040Built 1919-1920 by ALCO and Lima.
Acquired secondhand from IHB, NYC and WAB. To C&O 2350–2379 Scrapped 1952
Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway31000-1002Built 1918 by Baldwin. Scrapped 1949-1951
Rutland Railway6H-6a32–37Built 1918 by ALCO-Schenectady.
Scrapped 1951-1952
Seaboard Air Line Railroad10Q-1390–399Built 1918 by ALCO. Renumbered 490-499 in 1925. Scrapped 1954-1957.
St. Louis – San Francisco Railway40004000–4032Built 1919 by ALCO. Scrapped 1950-1951.
4003 and 4018 preserved.
Southern Railway25Ms-14750–47744765–4775.
To subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway.
Renumbered 6285–6294 in 1920
Texas and Pacific RailwayH-1550–560Refused; to Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific.
Texas and Pacific Railway11H-2800–810Built by Baldwin in 1919
Union Pacific Railroad20MK-Spl2295–2314Renumbered 2480–2499 in 1920.
Union Pacific subsidiary Oregon Short Line Railroad20?2535-2554Built 1918 by Baldwin. Scrapped 1945-1953
Wabash Railroad20K-22201–2220Built 1918 by ALCO. 5 to PM, replaced by 5 from WP Scrapped 1950-1955: Wabash
Western Pacific Railroad5MK-55321–325Built 1919 by Baldwin. Sold to Wabash in 1920. Scrapped 1949-1956
Totals625

Copies

RailroadQuantityClassRoad numbersNotes
Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Canadian National Railway 18S-33740-3757
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chicago and Alton Railroad5L-4a885–889to Alton Railroad 4395–4399, class Q-8a
Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway
Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad
Florida East Coast Railway15701701–715
Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway
Louisville and Nashville Railroad75J-31518–1592
Midland Valley Railroad
Missouri Pacific subsidiary International-Great Northern Railroad10MK-631101–1110
Mobile and Ohio Railroad37450450–486
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway12L2A-55660–671
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway 61H-6b–H-6f611–671
Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway
Pere Marquette Railway10K-51041–1050to C&O 1060–1069
Seaboard Air Line Railroad118Q-3334–451
Southern Railway subsidiary Alabama Great Southern Railroad10Ms-16612–6621
West Point Route 3F425–427
West Point Route 7F320–326
West Point Route 4F375–378
Total641

Preservation

Nine USRA Light Mikados both originals and copies are preserved.
No.BuilderYear builtPost-USRA ownerLocationImageDisposition
4003American Locomotive Company1919St. Louis-San Francisco RailroadFort Smith Trolley MuseumOn Static Display
4018Lima Locomotive Works1919St. Louis-San Francisco RailroadSloss Furnaces National Historic LandmarkOn Static Display
587Baldwin Locomotive Works1918New York, Chicago, and St. Louis RailroadRavenna, KentuckyStored, awaiting restoration
624Lima Locomotive Works1922New York, Chicago, and St. Louis RailroadHammond, IndianaOn Static Display
639Lima Locomotive Works1923New York, Chicago, and St. Louis RailroadMiller Park (Bloomington, Illinois)On Static Display
4500Baldwin Locomotive Works1918Baltimore and Ohio RailroadB&O Railroad MuseumOn Static Display
4070American Locomotive Company1918Grand Trunk RailwayCleveland, OhioUndergoing Restoration
2537American Locomotive Company1918Union Pacific RailroadWalla Walla, WashingtonOn Static Display
551Lima Locomotive Works1928Chicago & Illinois Midland RailroadSt. Louis Transportation MuseumOn Static Display