Lionel 6-38032: VIRGINIAN USRA 2-8-8-2 #741 (TMCC)

In 1919, the American Locomotive Company built forty-five 2-8-8-2 steam locomotives to the specifications of the United States Railway Administration. These locomotives were the biggest that the USRA had ever designed and were destined for the Norfolk & Western Railway. Built for slow, steady drag freight service up steep mountain grades, the 2-8-8-2 locomotives were a perfect choice for Appalachian coal hauling service. Among these articulated giants, known as the N&W Y-3 class, was ALCO construction number 61097, a locomotive that would have a long career on both Eastern and Western railroads. Lionel is proud to introduce c/n 61097 in both of her later liveries, as Santa Fe #1795 and as Virginian #741. ----Many railroads adopted the USRA-designed 2-8-8-2 locomotives, but the master mechanics of N&W's Roanoke Shops made further refinements that gave their Y-3 class a distinctive N&W "look" throughout their long lives. The modifications included: mounting Worthington feedwater heaters on the fireman's side, moving the air pumps from the smokebox front to the fireman's side, replacing the restrictive oval smokebox door with a large, maintenance-friendly, round door and exchanging the small eight-wheel USRA tender with a distinctive twelve-wheeler of N&W design. ----Unlike most railroads, the ever-frugal N&W was able to maintain a surplus of steam locomotives during the Depression years of the 1930s. After almost a quarter century on the N&W, nineteen Y-3 locomotives were sold to other railroads at the behest of the federal government. World War II had begun and the rail traffic of fighting men and material had reached a fever pitch. Especially hard hit by the motive power shortage were Western railroads such as the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe.----The Santa Fe was not particularly fond of articulated mallet locomotives like the 2-8-8-2, but had little choice as the war heated up in the Pacific and their overwhelmed mainline threatened to come to a standstill. Our prototype became #1795 of the Santa Fe 1790-class. As the accurate repaint stencil on the rear of the tender shows, she began her new life in 1943. The 2-8-8-2 locomotives were used in helper service and on both passenger and freight runs. They shared trains with big steam engines such as 4-8-4 Northerns and with new passenger diesels such as early EMD passenger F-units. The toughest grades, including the 4% Raton Pass, were no problem for the 1790-class, but the 2-8-8-2 locomotives were deemed too slow by Santa Fe's operating department. The 1790-class did do their part for the war effort, freeing up other locomotives from helper and mountain service. However, by war's end, Santa Fe was anxious to be rid of their "boomer" 2-8-8-2s.----In 1947, the Santa Fe found a buyer for its 1790-class when the Virginian Railway purchased seven of the locomotives. Our prototype, formerSanta Fe #1795, became #741 of the Virginian US-E class. Wanting to wring every ounce of power from their investment, the Virginian spent almost a year giving the 28-year-old locomotives a complete overhaul. We have faithfully reproduced many of these modifications on our model of #741. These include: a lowered headlight, vertically slotted pilot and lighted, boiler-top mounted number boards. For almost a decade, the Virginian ran its US-E class in revenue service. Back in the South, the locomotives were back to doing what they did best—slowly and steadily hauling a hundred or so loaded coal hoppers up and down a sawtooth mainline. These incredible locomotives, including our prototype, were finally retired in the mid-1950s after close to four decades of railroading.