Steam & Excursion > Just doesn't have the company look.

If you remember my steam locomotive posts of the past on T&P engines you saw a lot of elesco feedwater heated engines.   I thought that some might be interested in the "before" example of some that were not purchased  with the heaters.

During WWI  T&P purchased 11 light USRA mikes approved by the war production bureau.  One problem, they came as coal burners.  While T&P still had some 10 wheelers and 2-10-2's that burned coal they were in the midst of converting their engines to oil.  Further negations saw those forwarded to the Rock Island and eleven  new oil burners from Baldwin arrived..  # 803 shown in Mineola, Tx is an example of the mikes  in their USRA form..

Later, before WWII broke out T&P embarked on up-grading the 2-8-2's during the late 1930's with elesco FWH, Baldwin box pok main driver, cross counter balancing and lighter side rods. Steam and signal lines were added so they could be used in passenger service.   In addition they received larger tenders replacing the USRA ones.  When 2-10-2's were retired  their large 15,000 gallons of water and 5000 gallons of oil  tenders were mated to them.    Again we show the same engine 803 sitting in a dead line at the  Marshall Tx shops.

Many of these engines outlived the roads main locomotives, the 2-10-4's which furnished their 14,000 gallon tenders to the 2-8-2's that did not have the larger tenders..  There were still several of the mikes running after the last 2-10-4 was retired.  In fact  a 2-8-2  pulled a passenger train from Alexandria to New Orleans, La in early November 1951,  that being the last steam passenger run on the T&P.

 

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Thanks for sharing. That makes for an interesting USRA Mike after the modifications. USRA Mikes are plenty in the model railroad hobby. Modifying one to resemble a later version T&P would be fun.

Victor A.Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

Some of the NKP USRA copies got much the same treatment at various times.  Here is NKP 639 at Peoria, Illinois, in 1949.   The engine still exists in Miller Park, in Bloomington, IL, although without its Elesco feedwater heater, and in rather poor general condition).

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