USRA standard

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The Light Mikado was the standard light freight locomotive and the most widely built type of the USRA standard designs. USRA Light Mikado.jpg
The Light Mikado was the standard light freight locomotive and the most widely built type of the USRA standard designs.

The USRA standard locomotives and railroad cars were designed by the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized rail system of the United States during World War I. 1,870 steam locomotives and over 100,000 railroad cars were built to these designs during the USRA's tenure. The locomotive designs in particular were the nearest the American railroads and locomotive builders ever got to standard locomotive types, and after the USRA was dissolved in 1920 many of the designs were duplicated in number, 3,251 copies being constructed overall. The last steam locomotive built for a Class I railroad in the United States, an 0-8-0 built by the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1953, was a USRA design. A total of 97 railroads used USRA or USRA-derived locomotives.

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Steam locomotive types

The USRA developed designs for 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 switcher locomotives, 2-6-6-2 and 2-8-8-2 Mallet locomotives, and both light and heavy versions of the 2-8-2, 2-10-2, 4-6-2, and 4-8-2 types. The light versions were designed with an axle load of 54,000 lb (24,500 kg) permitting usage on the vast majority of railroads, while the heavy versions were designed to a maximum axle load of 60,000 lb (27,200 kg) for lines with more heavily constructed track.

The U.S.R.A. also distributed 2-10-0 Decapods of Russian design to railroads under its control.

USRA 0-6-0

255 of the USRA 0-6-0 design were built, as well as a great many copies.

USRA 0-8-0

175 of the USRA 0-8-0 design were built, and it was copied extensively thereafter.

USRA Light 2-8-2 "Mikado"

614 of the USRA Light Mikado type were constructed, making it the most populous USRA type.

USRA Heavy 2-8-2 "Mikado"

233 of the USRA Heavy Mikados were built.

USRA Light 2-10-2 "Santa Fe"

94 USRA Light Santa Fe locomotives were constructed.

USRA Heavy 2-10-2 "Santa Fe"

175 USRA Heavy Santa Fe locomotives were built.

USRA Light 4-6-2 "Pacific"

106 USRA Light Pacifics were constructed.

USRA Heavy 4-6-2 "Pacific"

20 USRA Heavy Pacifics were built.

USRA Light 4-8-2 "Mountain"

47 of the USRA Light Mountain type were built.

USRA Heavy 4-8-2 "Mountain"

15 USRA Heavy Mountains were constructed.

2-6-6-2

30 of the USRA 2-6-6-2 type were built.

2-8-8-2

106 of the USRA 2-8-8-2 locomotives were constructed. The Norfolk and Western Railway, in particular, continued building this type after the USRA period, developing and modernising it over time, as its Class Y. A N&W Y6B was the last conventional freight-hauling steam locomotive built in the United States.

Freight cars

As part of the USRA, two common boxcar designs were developed: a single sheathed car and a double sheathed car. When the USRA boxcars were being designed there wasn't an industry consensus on which was better, so both were built. Freight car design was still in flux in the early part of the 20th century. As John White points out in The American Freight Car, most cars were really composites, not completely wood or steel, and even after steel cars had become the norm, wood had its uses and advantages. Still, steel underframes had come to replace wood underframes, but as metallurgy improved, there were new designs developed that took advantage of the improved technology. USRA double sheathed boxcars had a fishbelly underframe while the USRA single sheathed cars did not. In general, double sheathed boxcars are like girder bridges, so all the support needs to come from the frame. Those cars need a stronger frame, hence the fishbelly underframe. Single sheathed cars are like truss bridges, with the metal side bracing acting as the main structural support for the "bridge." While some engineers did not trust the steel bracing to support a single sheathed car and ordered fishbelly frames for strength, others valued the savings in weight and ordered cars with simpler frames like the USRA SS design.

Type of cars built by the USRA [1]
TypeUSRA SpecificationNumber of cars produced
50-ton Single-Sheathed Box Car1001-B25,000
50-ton Drop-Bottom Gondola 1002-B20,000
40-ton Double-Sheathed Box Car1003-B25,000
55-ton Steel Twin Hopper 1005-B5,000
70-ton Steel Drop-End Mill Gondola1006-B5,000

Related Research Articles

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-10-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, ten powered and coupled driving wheels on five axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement was often named Decapod, especially in the United States, although this name was sometimes applied to locomotives of 0-10-0 "Ten-Coupled" arrangement, particularly in the United Kingdom. Notable German locomotives of this type include the war locomotives of Class 52.

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-10-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, ten powered and coupled driving wheels, and two trailing wheels. In the United States and elsewhere the 2-10-2 is known as the Santa Fe type, after the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway that first used the type in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2-8-2</span> Locomotive wheel arrangement

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wheels on one axle, usually in a trailing truck. This configuration of steam locomotive is most often referred to as a Mikado, frequently shortened to Mike.

Locomotive classification on the Pennsylvania Railroad took several forms. Early on, steam locomotives were given single-letter classes. As the 26 letters were quickly assigned, that scheme was abandoned for a more complex system. This was used for all of the PRR's steam locomotives, and — with the exception of the final type bought — all electric locomotives also used this scheme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B&O Railroad Museum</span> United States historic place

The B&O Railroad Museum is a museum and historic railway station exhibiting historic railroad equipment in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) company originally opened the museum on July 4, 1953, with the name of the Baltimore & Ohio Transportation Museum. It has been called one of the most significant collections of railroad treasures in the world and has the largest collection of 19th-century locomotives in the U.S. The museum is located in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's old Mount Clare Station and adjacent roundhouse, and retains 40 acres of the B&O's sprawling Mount Clare Shops site, which is where, in 1829, the B&O began America's first railroad and is the oldest railroad manufacturing complex in the United States.

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no trailing wheels. Locomotives of this type are also referred to as eight coupled.

The USRA 0-8-0 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 heavy switcher locomotive of the USRA types, and was of 0-8-0 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or "D" in UIC classification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USRA Light Mikado</span> Class of American two-cylinder 2-8-2 locomotives

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USRA Heavy Mikado</span>

The USRA Heavy Mikado was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration (USRA), the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I. These locomotives were of 2-8-2 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or 1′D1′ in UIC classification. A total of 233 locomotives were built to this plan for the USRA; postwar, it became a de facto standard design, which was built to the total of 957 locomotives including the USRA originals and all subsequent copies.

On the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, locomotives were always considered of great importance, and the railroad was involved in many experiments and innovations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Pacific 745</span> Preserved SP MK-5 class 2-8-2 locomotive

Southern Pacific 745 is a preserved Mikado-type steam locomotive that was fabricated at the Southern Pacific Railroad's Algiers Shops at Algiers Point directly across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. With a 2-8-2 wheel configuration, 745 was built as a freight engine for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. The locomotive returned to service in 2004 after a restoration period and is now housed on a short spur line in suburban Jefferson Parish. It is currently the only operating steam locomotive in Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Railroad L1 class</span> Class of 574 American 2-8-2 locomotives

Pennsylvania Railroad Class L1s were 2-8-2 "Mikado"-type steam locomotives that were used on the Pennsylvania Railroad during the early twentieth century. These 574 locomotives were manufactured between 1914 and 1919 by the railroad's own Juniata Shops as well as the Baldwin Locomotive Works (205) and the Lima Locomotive Works (25).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis–San Francisco 4018</span> Preserved American 2-8-2 locomotive

St. Louis–San Francisco 4018 is a class USRA Light 2-8-2 "Mikado" steam locomotive which operated for three decades hauling freight between Bessemer and Birmingham, Alabama, on the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. It went on display at the Alabama State Fairgrounds in 1952 and is one of only a few locomotives of its type that survive.

The Pennsylvania Railroad's class L2s was a class of USRA Light Mikados originally purchased (1919) for the subsidiary Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad. Similar in size to the home-designed and built L1s, the L2s was easily distinguishable by their radial-stay fireboxes and Hodges fabricated trailing trucks. They were built by ALCO. All were retired in 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis–San Francisco 4003</span> Preserved American 2-8-2 locomotive

St. Louis–San Francisco 4003 is a 2-8-2, Mikado type, standard gauge steam railway locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company in 1919 as a standard USRA Light Mikado for the Pennsylvania Railroad. The PRR, for unknown reasons, rejected 33 of 38 locomotives in the order. The United States Railroad Administration reassigned 23 of them to the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (SLSF), also known as the "Frisco". The Frisco also received 10 sisters from the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, making 33 in all. The locomotive is now on display at the Fort Smith Trolley Museum in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maine Central class S 2-8-2</span>

Maine Central Railroad Class S locomotives were intended for heavy freight service. They were of 2-8-2 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or " 1'D1' " in UIC classification. They replaced earlier class W 2-8-0 locomotives beginning in 1914. They were the largest and most modern steam freight locomotives built for Maine Central; although former Boston and Maine Railroad 2-10-2s were later purchased to handle World War II freight traffic. Class S locomotives pulled freight trains over the main line between Portland and Bangor, Maine; and are best remembered for service on the Mountain Division from 1929, when the class X Mallet locomotives were scrapped, until replacement by diesel locomotives in the early 1950s.

The USRA Heavy Mountain 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 4-8-2 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or 2′D1′ in UIC classification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore and Ohio 4500</span> Preserved B&O O-3 class 2-8-2 locomotive

Baltimore and Ohio 4500 is a 2-8-2 "USRA Light Mikado" steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in July 1918 for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) as a member of the Q-3 class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manila Railroad 200 class</span>

The Manila Railroad 200 class were 2-10-2 Santa Fe steam locomotives operated by the Manila Railroad Company (MRR), predecessor of the Philippine National Railways. They were built alongside the 4-8-2 Mountain-type 170 class by the American Locomotive Company at its Brooks facility between 1921 and 1922. During its service at the MRR, it carried heavy freight trains on the South Main Line between Manila and the Bicol Region.

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy 4963 is a preserved class "O-1a" 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotive originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1923 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. It was used by the CB&Q to haul mainline freight trains before it was leased to the Bevier and Southern Railroad to haul short-distance freight trains in the early 1960s. It was subsequently retained by the CB&Q and used as a source of spare parts before being acquired by Richard Jensen.

References

  1. "USRA Freight Car Assignments". Notes on Designing, Building, and Operating Model Railroads. 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2020-08-11.