USRA 2-8-8-2

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.

USRA 2-8-8-2
Virginian 900, prior to its refusal by the Virginian Railway. It (and VGN 901–904) became Norfolk and Western Railway 2000–2004, class Y-3.
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder ALCO, Baldwin Total produced 80 originals, plus copies
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-8-2  • UIC (1′D)D1′ h4v Gauge 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Driver dia. 57 in (1,448 mm) Adhesive weight 474,000 lb (215.0 t) Loco weight 531,000 lb (240.9 t) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 240 lbf/in^2 (1.65 MPa) Cylinders Four, two LP (front), two HP (rear) High-pressure cylinder 23 in × 32 in (584 mm × 813 mm) Low-pressure cylinder 39 in × 32 in (991 mm × 813 mm) Loco brake Air Train brakes Air
Performance figures Tractive effort 101,300 lbf (450.6 kN)
Career Disposition One copy (N&W 2050) preserved, remainder scrapped

History

While the 2-8-8-2 had been built in the United States since 1909,[1] 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.[1]

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

Original owners

USRA originals

Railroad	Quantity	Class	Road numbers	Notes
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad	26		7145–7170	rebuilt to EL-5 class 2-8-8-0[3]
Clinchfield Railroad	10	L-2	725–734	[4]
Norfolk and Western Railway	45	Y-3	2005–2049	[5]
Virginian Railway	5	—	900–904	Refused, to Norfolk & Western 2000–2004[6]
Virginian Railway	20	USA	701–720	[6]
Total	80

Copies

Railroad	Quantity	Class	Road numbers	Notes
Clinchfield Railroad	10	L-3	725–735	[4]
Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad	10	L-107	3500–3509	[7]
Interstate Railway				[1]
Norfolk and Western Railway	30	Y-3a	2050–2079	[5]
Norfolk and Western Railway	45	Y-3b	2080–2089	Later re-classed as Y-4[5]
Northern Pacific Railway	4	Z-4	4500–4503	[8]
Virginian Railway	15	USB	721–735	[6]
Total

Survivor

Although no original USRA 2-8-8-2 survives, one of the copies does. Norfolk & Western 2050, a 1923 ALCO product of N&W's Y-3a class, is on display at the Illinois Railway Museum.

References

Notes

1. E. W. King, Jr. in Drury pp.298–299
2. E. W. King, Jr. in Drury p.299
3. Drury p.47
4. Drury pp.131, 133
5. E. W. King, Jr. in Drury pp.299, 308
6. E. W. King, Jr in Drury pp.417, 419
7. Drury pp.157, 161
8. 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.

• https://archive.org/stream/railwayage64newy#page/1038/mode/2up
• https://archive.org/stream/railwayage66newy#page/576/mode/2up