What is a 2-8-4 locomotive and tender?
Under the Whyte notation, a 2-8-4 is a steam locomotive that has two unpowered leading wheels, followed by eight coupled and powered driving wheels, and four trailing wheels. This locomotive type is most often referred to as a Berkshire, though the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway used the name Kanawha for their 2-8-4s.
How many Berkshire locomotives are there?
Twenty of the “Berkshire” type locomotives exist today: 2 from the Pere Marquette, 6 from the Nickel Plate Road and 12 of the C & O’s 2-8-4 locomotives, which they called “Kanawhas”. There are also a number of tenders that were used on “Berkshire” type locomotives that have survived.
What is a Mikado engine?
The wheel arrangement name “Mikado” originated from a group of Japanese type 9700 2-8-2 locomotives that were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge Nippon Railway of Japan in 1897. In the 19th century, the Emperor of Japan was often referred to as “the Mikado” in English.
What is a Mikado steam locomotive?
The Mikado type was the workhorse steam locomotive for the railroad industry during the 20th century and prior to the switch to diesel-electric technology. The design is often regarded as the classic American steam locomotive for this very reason.
Where was the 2-8-4 Berkshire locomotive tested?
This new 2-8-4 locomotive was sent to the Boston & Albany Railroad by Lima in the early spring of 1925 for tests on that railroad. In several test runs over a division of the railroad that crossed the Berkshire Hills, the demonstration locomotive, which carried road number “1” hauled up to 2500 tons.
How did the Berkshire Railroad get its name?
The railroad’s route across the Berkshire mountains was a substantial test for the new locomotives and, as a result, the name Berkshire was adopted for the locomotive type. In Europe, 2-8-4 tender locomotives were designed mainly for passenger express trains, but they also hauled long distance express freights to increase utilisation.
Which is the most beautiful 2-8-4 steam locomotive?
Below are some general specifications for Nickel Plate’s famous Berkshires, which are perhaps the most beautiful of all 2-8-4s ever built. Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 #759 departs Binghamton, New York with an eastbound excursion over the Erie Lackawanna over Memorial Day Weekend, 1970.
When did ALCO make the Berkshire steam locomotive?
Ironically, the reign of the Berkshire was short-lived although the wheel arrangement continued to be manufactured through the early 1940s. Just a few years after the 2-8-4’s initial successful tests, Alco completed its own successful experiment with a 4-8-4 along the Northern Pacific in January of 1927.