Can anyone out there tell me what year Union Pacific retired their 2-8-8-2s.
Thanks
Tracklayer
According to Kalmbach’s GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN STEAM LOCOMOTIVES, 2-8-8-2 classes MC-57 & SA-57 were retired in 1947. Any other classes of 2-8-8-2s they had were retired in 1928.[:D]
Jeff
Thank you Jeff.
My next question is - What type are the 2-8-8-2s that Life Like put out in recent years ?.
Tracklayer
The UP received a few of the USRA 2-8-8-2’s from the N&W during WWII but they were used only a short time. I have pictures of the 3670 and 3672, but they worked places like the Rock Springs mine since they were much too slow for the main line work.
The UP also received some C&O 2-8-8-2’s, not USRA engines during WWII and retired them almost immediatlyin 1946. They were clasified as H7’s on the C&O, but were so slow up Sherman, they did not work well for the UP according to sources like Motive Power of the Union Pacific.
I think the Life Like 2-8-8-2 with the QSI sound is the Y-3 version.
I agree that they were too slow for western mainline railroading. The more modern 2-8-8-2 (Y-6b) is probably the finest engine ever in the mountain railroading.
What would I have to look for in order to tell the various versions apart ?.
Sorry to be a pest about this guys, but these things are totally new to me. I’ve never delt with anything bigger than a 4-8-4 northern class.
Tracklayer
The Proto 2000 LifeLike is a USRA/N&W Y3, the design came from N&W’s delegate to the USRA design board Frank Pilcher who supplied the board with the plans to N&W’s Y2a as the starting point for this version. N&W had been developing the Compound Mallet since about March 1918 with the first 2-8-8-2 Mallet of their own design. N&W bought 50 of the USRA Mallets in 1919 due to a shortage of motive power at the time.This is out of Classic Trains Steam Glory (Feb 2004) article:N&W’s MOUNTAIN MACHINES.
Thanks very much for all the info guys. I really appreciate it.
Tracklayer