The Chesapeake and Ohio No. 1189 was a Class K-2 2-8-2 "Mikado" built in 1924 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Richmond for the C&O. It was built for heavy freight work. The K2s were a development of the C&O's earlier K1 Mikados, which by the 1920s were felt by the management to be found wanting. It was stored in 1951, but was quickly pressed back to service until withdrawal in 1956 for preservation. Unfortunately, it was scrapped in the late 1960s-early 1970s after being left to rot in the elements, and no example of a C&O Mikado ever made it to preservation.
History[]
The details of 1189's early years are unknown, apart from being built with a large Vanderbilt tender which it had carried before 1948. 1189 was apparently based on the Mountain Division its whole life, and allocated to Charlottesville, Virginia, then to Clifton Forge later on. By 1948 it was given a rectangular tender - the same used behind the K4 "Kanawhas/Big Mikes" and T1 "Texas" types, which superceded them on the heaviest freight duties. After an overhaul in mid-to-late 1949, its Elesco feed water heater was replaced with a Worthington feed water heater.
1189 was sent to the scrap line in Clifton Forge by 1951 but was apparently stored in serviceable condition as it was later re-instated. By then the diesel invasion was gathering speed, and steam was facing a bleak future. Not for 1189, though, as during 1954-55, it was transferred to Russell, Kentucky to help out with a power shortage there. But by 1956, the big Mikado's fire was dropped for good, and it was sent back to the bone yard behind the sheds, never to turn a wheel again.
The C&O, meanwhile, noticing it was the last of its type left in existence, had earmarked the 1189 for its historical collection or for donation to a city served by the line and eventual display in a park. On the same track it was waiting, K4 "Kanawhas" 2705, 2756, 2770 and 2781 were awaiting preservation, too, along with thoroughly modern J3a number 614 (611 at the time), H6 Mallet number 1309, and H8 "Allegheny" number 1604. Time and nature were increasingly hard on them, and by the late 1960s, when they were still waiting, their condition became so deteriorated that only a few could be spared.
Herewith a breakdown on those that survived. In 1963, number 2756 was donated to the city of Newport News, Virginia, and placed on display at Huntingdon Park. H8 "Allegheny" number 1604 was donated to the Virginia Museum of Transport in Roanoke, and moved to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, in the 80s. J3a "Greenbrier" number 611, H6 "Mallet" 1309, and fellow Kanawha 2705 also moved to Baltimore with L1 Hudson number 490 in 1975.
The same could not be said with 2770 and 2781, for they were cut up, along with 1189 itself. The reason for the engine's scrapping was not only because of its degradated condition but that the B&O museum already had a 2-8-2 in their collection, and that the Kanawhas were far more popular with C&O management due to their refinements over the Mikes they replaced. As a testament to the K-2 Mikes' usefulness, as well as their great historical and technical significance, it is such a pity that no examples have been saved for posterity.
Trivia[]
The K2s spawned the development of the identical, more modern K3s. The main visual differences between the two classes were the boiler and driving wheel diameters, firebox size and the different tenders used.
1189, along with the rest of the class, was built to replace ageing 2-8-0s and the technically outdated K1s.
One would have thought that the K1, K2 and K3 Mikes bore a distinct resemblance to the USRA Heavy Mikado of 1918. Indeed, it was the PRR L1s and SP subsidiary El Paso and Southwestern's Mikes, along with Santa Fe's 3100 and 4000-series engines, which spawned the conception of the latter.
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