Pittsburgh & West Virginia 2-8-2 "Mikado" Locomotives in the USA

The Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway operated in the Pittsburgh, PA and Wheeling, WV areas. It was built as the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway, a Pittsburgh extension of the Wabash Railroad. The railway went into receivership in 1908 and the line was cut loose from the Wabash. It did ok on its own and even built an extension in 1931 to connect to the Western Maryland Railway at Connellsville, PA. The P&WV had 112 miles of main line track extending from Pittsburgh Junction, OH, through parts of West Virginia to Connellsville, PA and approximately 20 miles of branch lines.

The Pittsburgh & West Virginia Railway bought only three new "Mikado" type locomotives. They were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works and were delivered in 1918 and given road numbers 1000 through 1002. These locomotives had 63" diameter drivers, 26" x 30" cylinders, a 200 psi boiler pressure, they exerted 54,724 pounds of tractive effort and with its booster 65,124 pounds and each weighed 305,311 pounds. The firebox was 259 square feet, the evaporative heating surface was 3,497 square feet and with the superheater the combined heating surface was 4,379 square feet.

In the late 1940s, five second-hand "Mikados" were put on the roster. One came from the CI&L and the other four came from the CRRNJ.

There are no surviving P&WV 2-8-2 "Mikado" type locomotives.


Roster

ClassQty.Road NumbersFrom Other RRYear AcquiredYear BuiltBuilderNotes
H6 31000-10021918Baldwin1
H7 11110CI&L19471918ALCO2
H7 41150-1053CRRNJ19471918ALCO3
Notes:
  1. Number 1000-1002. Had a booster which added 10,400 pounds of tractive effort. Number 1002 scrapped in 1945, number 1000 scrapped in 1951 and number 1001 scrapped in 1952.
  2. Number 1110 bought from the CI&L in 1947. Ex CI&L number 526. Number 1110 scrapped in 1951.
  3. Numbers 1150-1053. Bought from the CRRNJ in 1947. Ex CRRNJ numbers 855 and 857-859. All four scrapped in 1953.

Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class H-6 (Locobase 16583)

Data from tables in 1930 Locomotive Cyclopedia and from American Locomotive Company, Standardized Locomotives, US Railroad Administration (Alco Pamphlet 10049, 1918), pp. 16-17, reprinted by (Ocean, NJ: Specialty Press , 1973) and DeGolyer, Volume 58, pp. 61+. Works numbers were 49679-49681 in September 1918.

625 engines were built to very successful United State Railroad Administration light Mikado design in 1918-1919. These three were the only 2-8-2s built new for the P&WV. They were joined by four more that came much later in 1945 from the Central Railroad of New Jersey.

Firebox heating surface included 50 sq ft (4.7 sq m) in the combustion chamber and 27 sq ft (2.5 sq m) from four arch tubes. Cylinders were served by piston valves measuring 14" (356 mm) in diameter.

The 1002 went to the scrapyard in 1945. 1000-1001 joined the steam departure parade on the P&WV as the ferro-knacker claimed them in 1951 and 1952, respectively.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

ClassH-6
Locobase ID16583
RailroadPittsburgh & West Virginia (P&WV)
CountryUSA
Whyte2-8-2
Number in Class3
Road Numbers1000-1002
GaugeStd
Number Built3
BuilderBaldwin
Year1918
Valve GearWalschaert
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)16.75 / 5.11
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)36.08 / 11
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.46
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)71.38 / 21.76
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)221,500 / 100,471
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)290,800 / 131,905
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)188,300 / 85,412
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)479,100 / 217,317
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)10,000 / 37.88
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)16 / 15
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)92 / 46
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)63 / 1600
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)200 / 13.80
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)26" x 30" / 660x762
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)54,724 / 24822.42
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.05
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)216 - 2.25" / 57
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)40 - 5.5" / 140
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)19 / 5.79
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)280 / 26.01
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)66.70 / 6.20
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)3783 / 351.45
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)882 / 81.94
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)4665 / 433.39
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume205.15
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation13,340
Same as above plus superheater percentage15,875
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area66,640
Power L114,943
Power MT594.92

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