Early in the United States' involvement in World War One, the railroad industry faced multiple crises. With the rail network operating as many separate, fragmented, and competitive railroads, critical materials were unable to reach their markets due to poor coordination. Although eastern markets had a surplus of empty cars, the empty cars were not making their way back for reloading in a timely manner. Competition between railroads saw lines trying to protect their market share bog down in a deluge of traffic instead of routing freight through alternate lines with sufficient capacity. With an abundance of traffic, railroads scrambled to keep trains moving with anything they could get their hands on - but this effort took its toll on the equipment. Bad weather in late 1917 saw the entire network nearly grind to a halt. On December 26, 1917, President Wilson put the US rail network under government control through a new agency - the United States Railway Administration (USRA).
Starting in February, the USRA established committees of locomotive designers and railroad operations staff to design standard locomotives to relieve the power shortage and reduce maintenance costs. The committees intentionally avoided experimental equipment (such as feedwater heaters) or exotic wheel arrangements; however, the committes were also forward-looking, avoiding antiquated designs which would soon be obsolete. Ultimately, the committees decided on 12 standard designs: two Mikados, two Pacifics, two Santa Fes, two Mountains, two Mallets and two Switchers. Components were standardized between types as much as possible to reduce manufacturing and maintenance costs. Dimensionally, the engines were comparable to examples of each wheel arrangement built in 1916 and 1917. Initial design work was completed in April 1918, with the designs being finalized in June 1918. The first USRA locomotive, a Light Mikado (2-8-2-A) for the Baltimore & Ohio, rolled out of the Baldwin factory in July 1918.
Under the USRA, 1,830 standard locomotives were produced. The 2-8-2-A (this model) was the most common, with 625 examples produced under the USRA's control. Due to the foresight of the design committees, the USRA designs endured. After the USRA was disbanded, most of the USRA designs were heavily copied, with some 5,107 copies being produced between all 12 designs. Originals and copies of the 2-8-2-A operated until the end of steam on most railroads.
USRA 2-8-2-A (Light Mikado)
Builder: Baldwin, Alco, or Lima
Drivers: 63 inch
Cylinders: 26 by 30 inch
Weight: 292,000 pounds
Tractive Effort: 54,500 pounds
Cost: $53,619 ($940,558 in 2021 dollars)
Тип: traincar