Great Northern Class L-2

The Great Northern Railway L-2s were an early fleet of small 2-6-6-2 Mallet Compound Steam Locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for freight services and helpers on the System's Glacier Mountain Divisions.

GN #1810 in it's As-built appearance when arrival on the GN, April 1907.

Great Northern Class L-2
Railway(s)	Great Northern Railway.
Status	All Rebuilt to O-5 Class Mikado's before 1930, later all Scrapped.
Technical specifications
Type	2-6-6-2 "Mogul-Mallet"
Manufacturer(s)	Baldwin Locomotive Works (Burnham, Williams & Co.)
Build date	1907-1908
Rebuilder	Great Northern Railway.
Rebuilt	1922 to 1925
Total produced	Forty-Five
Classification	L-2
Model	Baldwin Light Mogul-Mallet
Wheel arrangement	2-6-6-2
Dia. of Drivers	55"
Weight	432,700 Lbs. (Both Engine and Tender) 451,000 Lbs. (Superheated Engine and Tender together)
Rail gauge	4 Feet 8 1/2 Inches (Standard gauge)
Valve gear	Walschaerts
Cylinders	Two 31" x 30" Low-Press. Cylinders and Two 20" x 30"High-Press. Cylinders.
Boiler type	Belpaire
Boiler pressure	210 Lbs. PSI. (As-built) 200 Lbs. (Superheated rebuilds)
Superheater	None, Eight rebuilt with Schmidt Heaters.
Firegrate area	53.40 Sq ft.
Fuel type	Coal, some later Converted to Oil.
Fuel capacity	13 Tons of Coal and 8,000 Gallons of Water.
Braking	Westinghouse
Performance figures
Tractive effort	54,999 Lbs. TE. (As-built) 52,380 Lbs. (Superheated units)
Factor of adhesion	4.55
Service information
Operator(s)	Great Northern Railway.
Running numbers	GN Ry. #1800 to #1844.
Nickname(s)	"Pocket Mallets"
Disposition details
Withdrawn	1921 to 1925 (As Mallets)
Retired	1938 to 1950 (As Rebuilt O-5s)
Number scrapped	All Scrapped before 1951.

Early History and Design Stats

After the great success unveiling of America's first articulated steam locomotive, "Old Maude" of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad after 1904, the Great Northern Railway became interested in Mallet Compound Locomotives. During 1905, the GN Ry. used older F class 2-8-0s and G class 4-8-0s for their heavy freight services on the mountains, sometimes as pushers. But even with these large of engines, the GN was looking for something more powerful for their Glacier Divisions to eliminate the need of more than one locomotive on a single Heavy train. In early 1906 the Railway turned to its most trusted builder, the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia for a much larger locomotive that would be twice the power. The GN asked for a locomotive that matched up to the performance of Old Maude, but with a two-wheel lead and trailing trucks on both sides between the two sets of drivers for more flexible operation around the mountain's curves. So, with designing a locomotive based on the GN's Belpaire Firebox with larger pistons and slightly heavier than the B&O locomotive, the 2-6-6-2 was born. The first five locomotives #1800-#1804 were delivered from the Philadelphia plant by September 1906 as L-1s, they were the first Mallets on the Great Northern Railway. The GN used these five as helpers on the Cascade Mountains pushing heavy freights up the steep grades and were found to be very successful, even with the help of their leading and trailing wheels around the curves as what the GN Ry. expected. Beginning in March 1907 the Great Northern had a Second order of the L series Mallets built, but a lighter version of the L-1 with these new Locomotives designated as the Class L-2, they had the same drive wheels of 55" diameter, but with a Belpaire boiler about the size of the H-2 Pacific Type. These smaller Mallets were designed with two Low-Pressure cylinders of 31" x 30", and two High-Pressure cylinders of 20" x 30" driven by a pressure of 210 Lbs. PSI. delivering 54,999 Lbs. of tractive effort. All engines were hand-fired with 13 Tons of Coal along with 8,000 Gallons of Water stored in their small eight-wheel tenders as delivered by Baldwin. Unusually for a small locomotive order for articulated, the GN bought forty of them between March 1907 to February 1908, numbering them #1800-1844. The Locomotive itself weighed 280,000 Lbs. which weighed 82,150 Lbs. less than the second Order of L-1 Mallets of 362,150 Lbs. respectively. Notably, the first five were numbered #1800 to #1804 which took the first numbers from the early batch of L-1 Class Mallets.

Later Years and Fate

Used extensively for their services as intended, these smaller mallets didn't impress the GN as they were undersized and after 1908, the GN just stuck with Larger articulated locomotives like the M-1 class 2-6-8-0s and N-1 Class 2-8-8-0s in the early 1910s, as no more Mogul-Mallet locomotives were being built. The GN nicknamed the L-2 class "Pocket Mallets" for their size and used them in freight service as the GN Ry. crews liked the L-1s better. However, the GN converted at least twelve of the class into Oil burners for ease of firing as twenty others were fit with Franklin grate shakers in their fireboxes for easier ash dumping. But some engines #1821-1829 had coal pusher devices installed in their tenders, although twenty-eight of the units were hand-fired. The GN also superheated a few designating them as L-2s. Despite the class of Forty-Five locomotives present on the roster by the late 1910s, they were barely a decade old but fell obsolete to the M-1 and N-1 Class Locomotives and other faster steam engines such as the O class 2-8-2s which were already the main backbone of the engine roster. With the GN more impressed with the Mikado's and larger Articulated engines, there was no more use for them, but instead of scrapping the class the Railway decided to rebuild all the L-2s into a new class of O-5 type 2-8-2 Steam Locomotives using the boilers and other parts. Between 1921-1924 the Great Northern crews in various shops took they're time rebuilding the small mallets into forty-five O-5 Mikado's numbered #3300-3345. All O-5s were used in freight services and also some seen service clearing snow from tracks with plows added. Retirements began in 1938 with the last scrapped in 1950 as none of these Units were preserved.

Stock List

(Newly Updated)

Locomotive Number and Build Date	Baldwin Serial	Additional Notes	Dismantle Dates	O-5 Builds	Retired and Scrapped
#1800 built February 1908, BLW.	32688	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	January 1925, Dale St. Shops.	Completed October 3rd, 1925 as #3344.	March 1948.
#1801 built February 1908, BLW.	32689		January to April 1922, Hillyard Shops.	Completed February 8th, 1923 as #3304.	September 1941.
#1802 built February 1908, BLW.	32690	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	November 1921 to January 1922, Dale St. Shops.	Completed May 11th, 1922 as #3300.	July 1948.
#1803 built February 1908, BLW.	32691	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	July 1924, Delta Shops.	Completed December 3rd, 1924 as #3337.	February 1941.
#1804 built February 1908, BLW.	32696	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	September 1923 to January 1924, Hillyard Shops.	Completed January 4th, 1924, as #3318.	June 1947.
#1805 built March 1907, BLW.	30400		November 1924, Hillyard Shops.	Completed April 30th, 1925 as #3342.	September 1941.
#1806 built March 1907, BLW.	30422	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	December 1921 to February 1922, Dale St. Shops.	Completed December 21st, 1922 as #3302.	May 1948.
#1807 built March 1907, BLW.	30445	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	March 1924, Dale St. Shops.	Completed October 20th, 1924 as #3330.	September 1941.
#1808 built March 1907, BLW.	30446	Converted to Oil Firing by 1915.	January to March 1923, Delta Shops.	Completed April 18th, 1923 as #3307.	September 1941.
#1809 built April 1907, BLW.	30563	Converted to Oil Firing by 1915.	June 1922 to January 1923, Delta Shops.	Completed March 8th, 1923 as #3308.	May 1948.
#1810 built April 1907, BLW.	30564	Converted to Oil Firing by 1915.	April to May 1923, Delta Shops.	Completed August 18th, 1923 as #3309.	April 1947.
#1811 built April 1907, BLW.	30565	Converted to Oil Firing by 1915.	July 1924, Hillyard Shops.	Completed December 11th, 1924 as #3335.	January 1950.
#1812 built May 1907, BLW.	30588		October 1923 to March 1924, Hillyard Shops.	Completed March 12th, 1924 as #3319.	May 1948.
#1813 built May 1907, BLW.	30800		October 1924, Delta Shops.	Completed March 18th, 1925 as #3334.	May 1948.
#1814 built May 1907, BLW.	30801	Superheated as L-2s Class around 1915.	October 1924, Hillyard Shops.	Completed February 26th, 1925 as #3338.	January 1947.
#1815 built May 1907, BLW.	30802	Superheated as L-2s Class around 1915.	August 1924, Hillyard Shops.	Completed December 16th, 1924 as #3336.	February 1941.
#1816 built May 1907, BLW.	30803	Converted to Oil Firing by 1915, Superheated as L-2s Class.	November 1923 to March 1924, Delta Shops.	Completed March 29th, 1924 as #3324.	September 1949.
#1817 built May 1907, BLW.	30846	Converted to Oil Firing by 1915.	March 1924, Hillyard Shops.	Completed July 25th, 1924 as #3328.	Sold to Otter Tail Power Co. April 1947, Scrapping unknown.
#1818 built May 1907, BLW.	30847	Converted to Oil Firing by 1915.	May 1924, Hillyard Shops.	Completed September 3rd, 1924 as #3329.	April 1948.
#1819 built May 1907, BLW.	30848	Converted to Oil Firing by 1915.	January to May 1922, Delta Shops.	Completed November 24th, 1922 as #3306.	Sometime during 1941.
#1820 built May 1907, BLW.	30918	Converted to Oil Firing by 1915, was fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1915.	May 1924, Delta Shops.	Completed May 29th, 1925 as #3339.	February 1941.
#1821 built June 1907, BLW.	30919	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916, tender fit with coal pusher.	April 1924, Dale St. Shops.	Completed November 26th, 1924 as #3333.	September 1941.
#1822 built June 1907, BLW.	30943	Superheated as L-2s Class around 1915, tender fit with coal pusher.	March to October 1923, Delta Shops.	Completed October 13th, 1923 as #3314.	March 1949.
#1823 built June 1907, BLW.	31002	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916, tender fit with coal pusher.	January to November 1923, Hillyard Shops.	Completed November 14th, 1923 as #3317.	Sometime during 1938.
#1824 built June 1907, BLW.	31003	Superheated as L-2s Class around 1915, tender fit with coal pusher.	January to May 1924, Hillyard Shops.	Completed May 20th, 1924 as #3320.	June 1947.
#1825 built June 1907, BLW.	31004	Superheated as L-2s Class around 1915, fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916, tender fit with coal pusher.	November 1923, Dale St. Shops.	Completed August 6th, 1924 as #3325.	February 1947.
#1826 built June 1907, BLW.	31065	Superheated as L-2s, fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916, tender fit with coal pusher.	April to July 1924, Delta Shops.	Completed July 17th, 1924 as #3327.	September 1941.
#1827 built June 1907, BLW.	31105	Converted to Oil Firing by 1916.	September 1924, Dale St. Shops.	Completed May 16th, 1925 as #3340.	September 1941.
#1828 built July 1907, BLW.	31183	Tender fit with coal pusher.	May to December 1922, Dale St. Shops.	Completed April 30th, 1923 as #3312.	April 1947.
#1829 built July 1907, BLW.	31184	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916, tender fit with coal pusher.	March to August 1923, Dale St. Shops.	Completed August 31st, 1923 as #3315.	Jaunuary 1947,
#1830 built February 1908, BLW.	32697	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	December 1924, Hillyard Shops.	Completed May 20th, 1925 as #3343.	December 1941.
#1831 built February 1908, BLW.	32698		January to February 1923, Hillyard Shops.	Completed May 28th, 1923 as #3311.	Sometime 1941.
#1832 built February 1908, BLW.	32699	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	June 1923 to March 1924, Dale St. Shops.	Completed March 27th, 1924 as #3322.	December 1941.
#1833 built February 1908, BLW.	32700	Converted to Oil Firing by 1915.	August 1923 to January 1924, Delta Shops.	Completed January 30th, 1924 as #3321.	September 1941.
#1834 built February 1908, BLW.	32701		January to February 1923, Delta Shops.	Completed May 31st, 1923 as #3313.	January 1947.
#1835 built February 1908, BLW.	32702		December 1921 to February 1922, Dale St. Shops.	Completed February 18th, 1923 as #3303.	Sometime during 1941.
#1836 built 2/1908, BLW.	32703	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	April to June 1923, Hillyard Shops.	Completed September 8th, 1923 as #3310.	May 1947.
#1837 built February 1908, BLW.	32704		September 1923 to May 1924, Dale St. Shops.	Completed May 28th, 1924 as #3323.	May 1947.
#1838 built February 1908, BLW.	32705		January to April 1922, Hillyard Shops.	Completed February 27th, 1923 as #3305.	September 1941.
#1839 built February 1908, BLW.	32706	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	May 1924, Delta Shops.	Completed September 11th, 1924 as #3322.	December 1941.
#1840 built February 1908, BLW.	32707	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	April to November 1923, Dale St. Shops.	Completed September 9th, 1923 as #3316.	Sometime during 1938.
#1841 built February 1908, BLW.	32708	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	June 1924, Dale St. Shops.	Completed February 2nd, 1925 as #3331.	February 1947.
#1842 built February 1908, BLW.	32709	Superheated as L-2s Class around 1915.	February to May 1924, Delta Shops.	Completed May 14th, 1924 as #3326.	September 1949.
#1843 built February 1908, BLW.	37210	Fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1916.	September 1924, Delta Shops.	Completed January 22nd, 1925 as #3341.	February 1947.
#1844 built February 1908, BLW.	32711	Converted to Oil firing, 1915, before was fit with Franklin grate shakers before 1915.	November to December 1921, Dale St. Shops.	Completed June 19th, 1922 as #3301.	April 1947.