The Nickel Plate Road Class H-6o was a class of 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives that were built for the Lake Erie and Western Railroad and were given to the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (Or better known as the "Nickel Plate Road") when New York Central had sold the Lake Erie and Western Railroad to them, they were built as original examples of the USRA Light Mikados.
History[]
During the days of steam, the Lake Erie and Western Railroad needed a new class of steam locomotive that could haul freight trains at fast speeds, in response to this, the Baldwin Locomotive Works, who was insisting on designing a locomotive class for the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) had went back to the drawing board to refine the design. Enter the H-6o. A total of 15 of these locomotives were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works and were numbered 5540–5554. When the Lake Erie and Western Railroad was sold by New York Central to the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (Nickel Plate Road), the locomotives were renumbered to 586–600.
Withdrawal of the Class occurred and the last engine was out of service in favor of diesels, but one of them, Nickel Plate Road No. 587 (formerly LE&W No. 5541) had survived into the preservation era.
