Great Northern class O-1
class of 145 American 2-8-2 locomotives
The Great Northern O-1 was a class of 145 American 2-8-2 "Mikado"-type steam locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works between 1911 and 1919 and used by the Great Northern Railway until the late 1950s.
The O-1s, along with other O Class Mikados of the Great Northern, were used system-wide to pull freight trains. As of today, only one O-1 has been preserved, No. 3059, from the second batch of O-1s. It was retired in December 1957 and is on display near the Williston depot in Williston, North Dakota.
Design of the locomotives
The class featured a Belpaire firebox 117 inches (2.97 m) deep by 96 inches (2.44 m) wide; giving a grade area of 78 square feet (7.2 m2). This was attached to a tapered boiler that was pressed to 180 pounds per square inch (1.24 MPa) – even though it had been designed for 210 pounds per square inch (1.45 MPa) – feeding steam to two 28-by-32-inch (711 mm × 813 mm) cylinders, which were connected to 63 inches (1.600 m) diameter driving wheels by Walschaerts valve gear. The last five locomotives were delivered with Southern valve gear; however, these were later replaced with Walschaerts.
Construction of the locomotives
All 145 locomotives were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in four batches between August 1911 and February 1919. Baldwin class 12-50-1⁄4-E was assigned.
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