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USRA 2-8-8-2

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USRA 2-8-8-2
Virginian No. 900, prior to its refusal by the Virginian Railway. It (and VGN Nos. 901–904) became Norfolk and Western Y3 class locomotives Nos. 2000–2004.
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderALCO, Baldwin
Total produced80 originals, (plus 81 copies)
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-8-8-2
 • UIC(1′D)D1′ h4v
Gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Driver dia.57 in (1,448 mm)
Adhesive weight474,000 lb (215.0 t)
Loco weight531,000 lb (240.9 t)
Fuel typeCoal
Boiler pressure240 lbf/in (1.65 MPa)
CylindersFour, two LP (front), two HP (rear)
High-pressure cylinder23 in × 32 in (584 mm × 813 mm)
Low-pressure cylinder39 in × 32 in (991 mm × 813 mm)
Valve gearBaker
Loco brakeAir
Train brakesAir
Performance figures
Tractive effort101,300 lbf (450.6 kN)
Career
DispositionOne copy (N&W 2050) preserved, remainder scrapped

The USRA 2-8-8-2 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. These locomotives were of 2-8-8-2 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or (1'D)'D1' in UIC classification. A total of 106 locomotives were built to this plan for the USRA; postwar, it became a de facto standard design.

History

While the 2-8-8-2 had been built in the United States since 1909, most development work had gone into making subsequent locomotives larger and heavier. The Norfolk and Western Railway however, had taken development in a different direction. By using smaller cylinders and higher boiler pressure, the result was a locomotive capable of powerful performance, and a turn of speed higher than the 20 mph (32 km/h) maximum of the ‘traditional’ designs.

The USRA 2-8-8-2 drew heavily on the Norfolk and Western Railway’s Y2 class locomotive design, as their delegate to the 2-8-8-2 design committee had brought a full set of blueprints.

Original owners

USRA originals

Railroad Quantity Class Road numbers Notes
Clinchfield Railroad 10 L-2 725–734
Norfolk and Western Railway 45 Y3 2005–2049
Virginian Railway 5 — 900–904 Refused, to Norfolk and Western 2000–2004
Virginian Railway 20 USA 701–720
Total 80

Copies

Railroad Quantity Class Road numbers Notes
Clinchfield Railroad 10 L-3 735–744
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad 10 L-107 3500–3509
Interstate Railway 2 Class 20 20-21
Norfolk and Western Railway 30 Y3a 2050–2079
Norfolk and Western Railway 10 Y3b 2080–2089 Later reclassified as Y-4’s
Northern Pacific Railway 4 Z-4 4500–4503
Virginian Railway 15 USB 721–735
Total 81

Preservation

Main article: Norfolk and Western 2050

While none of the original USRA 2-8-8-2’s are preserved, one of the copies is. Norfolk and Western 2050, a 1923 ALCO product of N&W's Y3a class, is on static display at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.

References

Notes

  1. ^ E. W. King, Jr. in Drury pp.298–299
  2. E. W. King, Jr. in Drury p.299
  3. ^ Drury pp.131, 133
  4. ^ E. W. King, Jr. in Drury pp.299, 308
  5. ^ E. W. King, Jr in Drury pp.417, 419
  6. Drury pp.157, 161
  7. Drury pp.310, 317

Bibliography

  • Drury, George H. (1993), Guide to North American Steam Locomotives, Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Company, ISBN 0-89024-206-2, LCCN 93041472
  • Westcott, Linn H. (1960). Model Railroader Cyclopedia, volume 1, Steam Locomotives. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Company. ISBN 0-89024-001-9.
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