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2-8-2In the Whyte notation, a 2-8-2 is a railroad steam locomotive that has one unpowered leading axle followed by four powered driving axles and one unpowered trailing axle. This configuration of steam locomotive is most often referred to as a Mikado (frequently shortened to Mike), but it is also referred to as a MacArthur. The 2-8-2 was particularly popular in North America, but was also used in continental Europe and elsewhere. The 2-8-2 arrangement allows the locomotive's firebox to be placed behind, instead of above, the driving wheels, allowing a large firebox that could be both wide and deep. This supported a greater rate of combustion and thus a greater capacity for steam generation, allowing for more power at higher speeds. Allied with the larger driving wheel diameter possible when they did not impinge on the firebox, this meant that the 2-8-2 was capable of higher speeds with a heavy train than a 2-8-0. History The class name Mikado originates from a group of 2-8-2 locomotives that were constructed in 1897 for the Nippon Railway of Japan. In 1885, the Gilbert & Sullivan opera The Mikado premiered, so the name was on the minds of many in America. The 2-8-2 was one of the more common configurations in the first half of the 20th century before dieselization. Nearly 2,200 of this type were constructed by ALCO, Lima and Baldwin based on designs of the USRA between 1917 and 1944. Of all of the USRA designs, the Mikado proved to be the most popular. Mikado remained the class name until the Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Seeking a more "American" name, MacArthur came into use to describe the locomotive type; this name is based on General Douglas MacArthur. Since the war, the class name Mikado has again become the most common name for this locomotive type. Geographical distribution United States The 2-8-2 saw great success in the United States, mostly as a freight locomotive. It largely replaced the 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type as the heavy freight locomotive type in the second decade of the 20th century. Tractive effort was similar to the best 2-8-0s, but a developing requirement for higher speed freight trains drove the shift to the 2-8-2. The type was in turn pushed from the top-flight trains by larger freight locomotive arrangements such as 2-10-2, 2-8-4, 2-10-4 and articulated locomotives, but no successor type became ubiquitous and the "Mike" remained the most common road freight locomotive with most railroads until the end of steam. In excess of 11,000 of this type were built for North American service, which comprised approximately one-fifth of all locomotives in service at the time. Almost all North American railroads rostered the type; notable exceptions included the Boston & Maine, the Delaware and Hudson, and the Norfolk & Western. The largest users included the New York Central (715 examples), B&O (610), Pennsylvania Railroad (579), Illinois Central (565), Milwaukee Road (500), and the Southern Railway (435). United Kingdom The 2-8-2 type saw little success on British rails, probably because of short, antiquated British freight trains which did not require such power. Sir Nigel Gresley of the London and North Eastern Railway designed two Mikado types of note; the P1 was a freight derivative of his famed A1 4-6-2s, inspired by the Pennsylvania Railroad's twin K4s 4-6-2s and L1s 2-8-2s. Two were built, but there was never really much call for their ability and they remained underutilised throughout their short existence. Gresley's other class of Mikados was his P2 class. These were express passenger locomotives rather more inspired by European influences than American. They were built to haul heavy expresses north of Edinburgh in hilly terrain, where Gresley thought the extra tractive effort possible with a 2-8-2 might serve well. Unfortunately, poor self-centering on the leading truck meant that the lead driving wheels wore against the rails on tighter curves, being hard on both track and wheels. Gresley's successor Edward Thompson converted the P2s into (rather unattractive, by most opinions) Pacifics. Germany German 2-8-2s were built in both passenger and freight types. The passenger locomotives were used mainly in mountainous terrain. Although eclipsed by the success of German 2-10-0 designs, many successful 2-8-2 freight locomotives were also built. The third type of German 2-8-2 locomotive was the tank locomotive. France France built a fairly large number of 2-8-2s, both tender-hauling and tank locomotives. External links
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