ARISTO-CRAFT TRAINS LIVE STEAM MIKADO 2-8-2, Инструкция по эксплуатации

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Locomotive History
The Mikado 2-8-2 steam locomotive was one of the most common of the steam
locomotives built and used in the United States and Canada. It was a workhorse, a
locomotive that could do it all. Primarily used in freight operations, it was occasionally
employed in passenger service, right up to the end of steam operations. Large and small
railroads operated Mikados due to their extreme versatility. Some seemed to be light and
delicate, treading on small rail, others were plodding behemouths. It depended on the
job that needed to be accomplished.
During the age of the Iron Horse, the era of steam, almost 10,000 Mikados were built.
The Pennsylvania Railroad alone possessed over 550 of these locomotives.
When the U.S.A. became involved in World War I, the United States Railroad Administration
decided to standardize the design and manufacture of locomotives in order to save time
and materials. This gave birth to what is known as the USRA Mikado. Over 800 light and
heavy USRA Mikados were erected by the 3 major locomotive builders: The American
Locomotive Company, Baldwin and Lima.
Some railroads used the boiler, cab and other components from existing Pacific
locomotives in order to save time and money in the construction of new Mikados.
Prototype Photo: Michael Hauptmann