GN #3200 in Service after 1947. (Black Coat)
The Great Northern Railway O-3 class was a fleet of USRA Heavy Mikado 2-8-2s built during and after World War I for the Great Northern Railway for use in freight service as assigned by the United States Railroad Administration.
During World War I, the Great Northern Railway found itself, like many other railroads in the country in need of more motive power to carry more freight for the ever-increasing demands of the War Emergency as the US entered in April 1917. During this time, the GN was controlled by the USRA (United States Railroad Administration) and while many O-1s were being built at the time of the GN's design, the GN had to acquire Government-designed locomotives.
The Heavy Mikes arriving on the GN Railway and Design History[]
Beginning in March 1919, the United States Railroad Administration assigned four Heavy 2-8-2 Mikado's for use on the Great Northern Railway as the last of the O-1 Mikado's were delivered a month prior from the Baldwin Locomotive Works. All four locomotives were built by the American Locomotive Company at their Schenectady Works Plant, although they arrived too late to help out with the War, the GN assigned them to regular freight service like all other O Class engines. The four locomotives were originally assigned numbers #3145-#3148 in 1919, however they were immediately renumbered #3200-#3203. The next year in 1920 the GN purchased five more that were previously assigned to the El Paso and Southwestern Railway, the reason for the five locomotives used for a short time there was the El Paso had a lack of coaling facilities and sold them to the GN after two years. These four when arrived that year were assigned numbers #3204-#3208 from former numbers #390-#394 on the EP&SW. All units had 63" drivers along with 27" x 32" cylinders with a maximum boiler diameter of 96" at the rear, boasting 190 Lbs. PSI. they gave 59,800 Lbs. of tractive effort. They all were Coal burners when they arrived on the railroad, later they were changed to an operating pressure of 200 Lbs. giving 62,949 Lbs. of tractive effort.
Service History and Later Years[]
The nine locomotives ran regularly in freight service and for the ease of operating, several were converted to Oil firing. During the 1930s the class of engines were rebuilt with new smokebox doors where the air pump on the side was removed and with another new pump, both were mounted on the face of the smokebox with headlight moved lower under them. The engines also had their tenders rebuilt with larger fuel capacities like oil tanks or coal boards and with the bells moved closer to the engine's front on the smokebox, the air pumps mounted in front gave them a hefty appearance like the road's O-6, O-7 and O-8 classes. With Oil firing becoming a major choice, the Fireboxes had to be worked on with burners. They worked in various locations on the GN system with some maintenance occasions in Superior, WI. During World War II the class was heavily worked along with others of the 2-8-2 types in heavy freight services and served well until the end of Steam in the 1950s. After 1947, several were repainted black with red roofs and with scrapping's beginning in 1948, Diesels took the class's place in the Summer of 1955, GN #3203 was believed to be the last of the O-3s to be used in the class, with the final scrapping's done by September 1955. None were preserved.
Stock List[]
| Numbers | Builder and Year | Notes | Retired and Scrapped |
|---|---|---|---|
| #3200 (Orig. #3145) | ALCO-Schenectady, 3/1919. | Renumbered 4/1919 | Retired and scrapped 8/1955. |
| #3201 (Orig. #3146) | ALCO-Schenectady, 3/1919. | Renumbered 4/1919 | Retired and scrapped 4/1955. |
| #3202 (Orig. #3147) | ALCO-Schenectady, 3/1919. | Renumbered 4/1919 | Retired and scrapped 10/1951. |
| #3203 (Orig. #3148) | ALCO-Schenectady, 3/1919. | Renumbered 4/1919 | Retired and scrapped 8/1955. |
| #3204 (Orig. EP&SW #390) | ALCO-Brooks, 11/1918. | Renumbered 1920 | Retired and scrapped 4/1955. |
| #3205 (Orig. EP&SW #391) | ALCO-Brooks, 11/1918. | Renumbered 1920 | Retired and scrapped 12/1949. |
| #3206 (Orig. EP&SW #392) | ALCO-Brooks, 11/1918. | Renumbered 1920, first unit disposed. | Retired and scrapped 5/1948. |
| #3207 (Orig. EP&SW #393) | ALCO-Brooks, 11/1918. | Renumbered 1920 | Retired and scrapped 5/1953. |
| #3208 (Orig. EP&SW #394) | ALCO-Brooks, 11/1918. | Renumbered 1920 | Retired and scrapped 4/1955. |