USRA Heavy Mountain

The USRA Heavy Mountain 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. This was the standard light freight locomotive of the USRA types, and was of 4-8-2 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or 2′D1′ in UIC classification.

USRA Heavy Mountain
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder American Locomotive Company (13+25) Baldwin Locomotive Works (2+12) Build date 1918-1926 Total produced 15 (plus 37 copies)
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-2  • UIC 2′D1′ h2 Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Wheelbase Coupled: 18 ft 3 in (5.56 m) Locomotive: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m) Loco & tender: 75 ft 8+1⁄2 in (23.08 m) Axle load 60,000 lb (27,000 kg) Adhesive weight 240,000 lb (110,000 kg) Loco weight 350,000 lb (160,000 kg) Tender weight 172,000 lb (78,000 kg) Total weight 522,000 lb (237,000 kg) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 32,000 lb (15,000 kg) Water cap. 10,000 US gal (38,000 L; 8,300 imp gal) Firebox: ​  • Grate area 76.3 sq ft (7.09 m2) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 346 sq ft (32.1 m2)  • Tubes 2,790 sq ft (259 m2)  • Flues 1,323 sq ft (122.9 m2)  • Total surface 4,666 sq ft (433.5 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 10,780 sq ft (1,001 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 28 in × 30 in (711 mm × 762 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type 14-inch (360 mm) piston valves
Performance figures Tractive effort 58,200 lbf (258.89 kN) Factor of adh. 4.1
Career Preserved 0 Scrapped 1940-1959 Disposition All scrapped

A total of 15 locomotives were built under the auspices of the USRA.

Table of original USRA allocation

Railroad	Quantity	Class	Road numbers	Notes
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway	5	J-2	543-547	Built 1918 by Baldwin. Renumbered from 133-137. Scrapped 1940-1947.
Norfolk and Western Railway	10	K2	116–125	Built 1919 by ALCO. Scrapped 1951-1952.
Total	15

Table of copies acquired

Railroad	Quantity	Class	Road numbers	Notes
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway	2	J-2a	548–549	Built 1923 by ALCO. Renumbered from 138-139. Scrapped in 1948.
Florida East Coast Railway	23	801	801–823	Built 1926 by ALCO Schenectady. Scrapped 1950-1952.
Norfolk and Western Railway	12	K2a	126–137	Built 1923 by Baldwin. Scrapped 1947-1959.
Total	37

Neither the originals built by the USRA or any of the subsequent copies were preserved, being scrapped between 1940 and 1959.

References

• Drury, George H. (1993), Guide to North American Steam Locomotives, Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing Company, ISBN 0-89024-206-2, LCCN 93041472
• Edson, William D.; Corley, Raymond F. (Autumn 1982). "Locomotives of the Grand Trunk Railway". Railroad History. 147 (147). Boston, Mass.: Railway and Locomotive Historical Society: 42–183. JSTOR 43520915.
• Huddleston, Eugene L. (2002). Uncle Sam's Locomotives: The USRA and the Nation's Railroads. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34086-1.
• Westcott, Linn H. (1960). Model Railroader Cyclopedia, Volume 1: Steam Locomotives. Milwaukee, Wis.: Kalmbach Publishing Co. ISBN 0-89024-001-9.
• "Standard Heavy 4-8-2 and Light 2-10-2 Locomotives". Railway Age. 65 (24): 1067–1073. December 13, 1918 – via Archive.org.
• "Tentative Specifications for Standard Locomotives". Railway Age. 64 (16): 1039–1041. April 19, 1918 – via Archive.org.