Hello friends, I'm trying to find some information about the C&O's Mountains. I'm trying to find out what types of service the 4-8-2's were usually assinged to or if they were just passenger train only eninges. Also what were the modernized Mountains assinged to after their modernization?
I will certainly defer to an expert, but I believe the 4-8-2's on the C&O were used primarily for passenger (and maybe some freight) service in the early 1900's before the 4-8-4 Greenbrier took over as the preferred passenger engine. After that, the 4-8-2's were used for local freight and even some switching duties, I believe. I hope this helps and someone please correct me if I'm wrong on some of this.
I am no expert either, but will quote from George Drury's Guide to North American Steam: "Alco's Richmond Works built two 4-8-2's for C&O in 1911, and the wheel arrangement was christened the Mountain type. A third came in 1912. They differed from most later 4-8-2's in having drivers only 62 inches in diameter and main rods connected to the third axle. C&O found the drive wheels too small for passenger train speeds and went back to heavy Pacifics. (My comment, means they did use them at first in passenger service). During World War 1, though, the road returned to the Mountain type with five USRA heavy 4-8-2's, three built by Brooks in 1918 and two by Baldwin in 1919. Two more were delivered by Richmond in 1923." Unfortunately he does not comment on whether they were ever tried in passenger service. I guess I'd assume it was all freight. He shows all of them scrapped in 1951-52.
I am not an expert either. Looking at Shuster, Huddleston and Stauffer's C&O Power book it looks like the heavy USRA mountains were predominantly used for passenger power. They do have a picture of one, leased to the R,F &P, handling a reefer block. Mark
For what it's worth, all of the C&O 4-8-2's and 4-8-4's were designated as 'J Class' locomotives. J1 and J-2 were 4-8-2's built by ALCO. The J-3's were 4-8-4's built by LIMA
