Milwaukee Road Heavy Mikado

Looks good!!!  Feel free to post some video of it running. 

I guess that means I should be alert for a package and a charge to my credit card. Thanks for posting. 

If not a video, could you at least post a pic of the Mikado with a bit larger image size?

Here's a quick video.  It easily pulls seven Olympian Hiawatha passenger cars. It works great on my tighter radius loops. My outer loop is 0-72. Middle loop is about 0-60 and inner loop is mostly 0-54.

Here's another picture. The engineer announcements are also Doug Melvin's voice.

More close ups of the engine itself.

Eric:  Thank you for your report of this long awaited engine.  It looks every bit the quality and accuracy that I expected Lionel to come out with.  Looks like it smokes like crazy!

For those of you that might appreciate a couple of details of the engine and it's prototype, the engine is a model of a USRA Heavy Mikado, built about 1918.  It was very similar to the light Mikado, which was actually made in greater numbers, but it has a boiler diameter 10" greater than the light Mike, giving it more weight, better steaming and a more hefty appearance.  Same wheelbase, driver size, cab, tender, etc.   The Milwaukee Road ordered 100 of these engines, more than any other railroad, and they were the heaviest power on the "road" until 1938 when the first of their S-2 Northern class were delivered.  ( There were two S-1, 4-8-4's that were shop built but they really were not a class and they resembled extended 4-6-4's)  On the Milwaukee, these husky engines were classified L-3 and were considerably heavier than the other L-1 and L-2 2-8-2 Mikados on the RR.  And, apparently they were used, at various times, over most of the Milwaukee's 11,000 mile system.

Over the years they were modified, some had booster trailing trucks, many got boiler front red Mars lights, larger, twelve wheel tenders, appliance location alterations plus many other changes that the shop foremen and managers deemed proper and which did change their appearance over the years.  But they did last, not all 100 of them, but as a class, right to the end of steam in about 1956.  So, therefore, one of these models would be proper for your layout, any time between WWI and the mid-fifties.  The cab number on Lionel's model in the 3600 series, is the second numbers that these engines had.  The third and final numbering series was applied in 1938 and was in the 300 series.  I'm planning on changing the cab number on my engine plus adding a minor change or two and then weathering the whole engine and tender. It'll fit right in with the fleet.

I'm really looking forward to receiving my engine, which will pretty much complete my roster of Milwaukee Road steam power.  This one should be a winner!

Paul Fischer

Looking good, Mr. Kotter!!!

Thanks for posting your handsome locomotive. 

Might suggest re-shooting your video in the horizontal position as a cell phone clip viewed on a wide screen monitor appears quite small!

I have the P&WV Heavy Mikado and love it.  Runs on my O36 track just fine.  These Mikados are real winners.

We have the L&N Heavy Mikados doing light duty on our railroads here in Tennessee, just Pretend??? Great Models, Great runners, Great Post...

Eric, thanks for the video and the additional detail shots of the engine. Who makes those Olympian Hiawatha cars?

The Olympia Hiawatha Heavyweights were made by Lionel around 2008. There was a 4 car pack (6-25515), a two car pack (6-25516), and a separate diner car with stationsounds (6-25517).  I recently saw a 4 car pack on a certain online auction site.  I have also seen the complete set recently at Sommerfelds Trains in Butler, WI. I grew up near Milwaukee but live in Michigan now. When I am back in the Milwaukee area I always try to visit Sommerfelds. It is also near a Union Pacific Diesel station.  Glad you like the picks.  It is a great little engine, and will probably see a lot of use. It really smokes too. I'll try to post a better video sometime today.

Eric, thanks to your pics/video and Sinclair's comment regarding 036 curve operation I decided to treat myself to a late Christmas gift and ordered one of the Milwaukee Mikes from Mr. Muffin. I'm always reluctant to order something so pricey from a catalog illustration months in advance, but when I see the real item up-close with positive comments I'm more inclined to cough up the bucks and get one. Kinda risky with the BTO stuff but what the heck.

I got my Southern heavy Mikado on Wednesday. It runs and smokes better than any other steam engine that I have. I do have a problem with the Ir unit.  It does not seem to work.  It will be heading to Lionel for repairs next week.

Eric E great engine. That's also a great looking boxcar on your display shelf.

Thanks for the video and pics. Quick question, what is that sticking out the top of the smoke box between the stack and bell?

Thanks

Milwrd:  Not sure about what that represents but my guess is that it is the turbo generator.  Usually that device is mounted towards the rear of the boiler just ahead of the cab, but it could be virtually anywhere.  On some photos that I have seen of the prototype engine, the exhaust for the booster engine is located there, but then there would be a steam pipe leading to it.  I don't have my engine as yet but is there a turbo-generator located anywhere else on the boiler?  Couldn't see one on the photos that were sent.

Good question.

Paul Fischer

Fisch, thanks for the reply. I am also a big Milwaukee fan and have been on the fence about this engine. All of the info/pics that I have indicate no hardware in this area of the smoke box on a Milwaukee Mikado. I don't consider myself a rivet counter but one has to draw their line somewhere. I suppose it could be moved but think that's crazy to have to preform surgery on a new engine. I bet it will have a great sound though.  

Looks like the turbo generator, all right. The Model Railroader Cyclopedia diagram of the USRA Heavy Mikado shows this item in front of the stack, as on the Lionel model. That's almost certainly where Lionel got it. However, the Cyclopedia does not state which railroad's version of the Heavy is depicted in the scale drawing, and none of the photos in the book show it in that location. I have one photo of a Milwaukee Road USRA engine in as-delivered condition, with the USRA markings still on it, showing what appears to be the turbo generator on the right side of the firebox a couple of feet ahead of the cab window. All my other pictures of Milwaukee Road L3 Mikados show it in a similar position on the left, suggesting that the railroad moved the turbo generator from its original position. 

I've already pre-ordered the Lionel engine, so I will get what Lionel made. When I get the time I will paint the smokebox and the area under the cab black, as it was on Milwaukee Road engines. The Milwaukee Road extended the boiler lagging around the smokebox, allowing it to use paint rather than graphite. At the same time I will most likely move the bell to the upper left of the boiler front, as the Milwaukee did in the thirties, and I guess I need to add moving the turbo generator to my list. Thanks milord for pointing this out. 

I haven't heard anything about my pre-order, but I assume it will go out pretty soon. 

We shipped one today and we have one left.... Thanks