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 625 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.

With later copies, over 50 railroads used the type, including the following:

Table of original USRA allocation
Railroad Quantity Class Road numbers Notes
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
100
Q-3
4500–4599
Chicago and Alton Railroad
10
L-4
875–884
 to Alton Railroad 4385–4394, class Q-8
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
15
N-2
1925–1939
Chicago Great Western Railway
10
L-3
750–759
Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad (“Monon”)
5
J-2
550–554
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
9 (+11 from T&P)
K-55
2300–2308, 2309–2319
Grand Trunk Railway
15
M-3
440–454
 to Canadian National Railway 3700–3714, class S-3-a
Grand Trunk Western Railroad
25
M-3
455–479
 to Canadian National Railway 3715–3739, class S-3-a
Lehigh and Hudson River Railway
4
80
80–83
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
18
J-3
1500–1517
Maine Central Railroad
6
S
621–626
Missouri Pacific Railroad
15 (+10 from PRR)
MK-63
1301–1315, 1316–1325
Monongahela Railway
10
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway
10
L2-55
650–659
New York Central Railroad
95
H-6a
5100–5194
 Renumberd 1800–1894, less 11 to PM
New York Central subsidiary Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
25
H-6a
6089–6113
 Renumbered 1700–1724
New York Central subsidiary Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
24
H-6a
400–423
 10 to SLSF, others to PM
New York Central subsidiary Lake Erie and Western Railroad
15
H-6a
5540–5554
 to Nickel Plate Road 586–600
New York Central subsidiary Michigan Central Railroad
20
H-6a
7970–7989
 Renumbered 1770–1789
New York Central subsidiary Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad
15
H-6a
9732–9746
 Renumbered 1732–1736
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (“Nickel Plate Road”)
10
H-6a
601–610
Pennsylvania Railroad
33
 Refused; 10 to MP, 23 to SLSF
Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
5
L2s
9627–9631
Pere Marquette Railway
(30)
K-8
1011–1040
 Acquired secondhand from IHB (14), NYC (11) and WAB (5). To C&O 2350–2379
Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway
3
Rutland Railway
6
H-6a
32–37
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
10
Q-1
490–499
St. Louis – San Francisco Railway
(23 from PRR, 10 from IHB)
4000
4000–4032
Southern Railway
25
Ms-1
4750–4774
 4765–4775 to subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway 6285–6294 in 1920
Texas and Pacific Railway
11
H-1
550–560
 Refused; to Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad
20
MK-Spl
2295–2314
 Renumbered 2480–2499 in 1920
Union Pacific subsidiary Oregon Short Line Railroad
20
Wabash Railroad
20
K-2
2201–2220
 5 to PM, replaced by 5 from WP
Western Pacific Railroad
5
MK-55
321–325
 to Wabash in 1920
Totals 625

Copies:

Table of USRA copies
Railroad Quantity Class Road numbers Notes
Akron, Canton and Youngstown Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Canadian National Railway (Grand Trunk)
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chicago and Alton Railroad
5
L-4a
885–889
 to Alton Railroad 4395–4399, class Q-8a
Chicago and Illinois Midland Railway
Detroit and Toledo Shore Line Railroad
Florida East Coast Railway
15
701
701–715
Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
75
J-3
1518–1592
Midland Valley Railroad
Missouri Pacific subsidiary International-Great Northern Railroad
10
MK-63
1101–1110
Mobile and Ohio Railroad
37
450
450–486
Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway
12
L2A-55
660–671
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (“Nickel Plate Road”)
61
H-6b–H-6f
611–671
Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway
Pere Marquette Railway
10
K-5
1041–1050
 to C&O 1060–1069
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
118
Q-3
334–451
Southern Railway subsidiary Alabama Great Southern Railroad
10
Ms-1
6612–6621
Texas and Pacific Railway
11
H-2
800–810
West Point Route (Atlanta and West Point Rail Road)
3
F
425–427
West Point Route (Georgia Railroad)
7
F
320–326
West Point Route (Western Railway of Alabama)
4
F
375–378
Total 641

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