"Mikado"

The Class Q “Mikado” is a specific type of steam locomotive defined by its 2-8-2 wheel arrangement, extra-large firebox for increased horsepower, and trailing truck. The first of these engines were produced by Balwin Locomotive Works and sold to the Nippon Railways of Japan in 1897. The name “Mikado” is a Japanese term for the title once held by Japanese Emperors. It is also a reference to Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1885 comic opera entitled The Mikado. The B&O purchased its first 150 Class Q engines in 1910.

In 1917, the United States declared war on Germany and entered World War I. In December of that year, Congress nationalized the American railroad network, bringing all railroad operations under the control of the United Stated Railroad Administration, or USRA. By eliminating competition between railroad companies and suspending standard regulations, the USRA could quickly send troops and supplies to ports along the East Coast.

In the early months of 1918, the USRA Locomotive Committee was founded to design locomotives in service of the war effort. The group ultimately approved 12 different locomotive designs for mass-production. On July 3, 1918, the USRA unveiled the No. 4500, the first “government issue” steam locomotive in American history. The locomotive, a lightweight Class Q-3 Mikado, was built in just 20 days – a record time for an engine of such capacity. The next morning, the No. 4500 was sent to the B&O Railroad to work as a freight locomotive for the USRA. Within a year, the B&O received 99 more Q-3 Mikados from the Locomotive Committee.

On March 1, 1920, the USRA was disbanded. American railroad companies regained control of their operations, and they got to keep the 1,800+ locomotives produced by the federal government. With business returning to normal, the Class Q-3 Mikados of the B&O Railroad were assigned to standard freight trains. From 1920 to 1956, the No. 4500 was used to pull trains along the Ohio and St. Louis divisions. It was during this period that the Mikado received several cosmetic changes, as well as a new number: B&O No. 300.

The No. 300 was retired in 1956, donated to the B&O Railroad Museum in 1959, and cosmetically restored in 1981. In 1990, the No. 4500 was declared a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.