Louisville and Nashville Class J-1 and J-2

The J-1 and J-2 class 2-8-2s were a fleet of 106 locomotives that worked on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad from 1914 until 1954.
== History ==
As the Louisville & Nashville Railroad's older freight locomotives started to show their age, the railroad needed a new type of locomotive to cover heavy freight. In 1914, the L&N's South Louisville Shops built the first batch of the railroad's first 2-8-2 mikados. These mikes were classified as J-1.
Each locomotive had 27"x30" inch cylinders, a boiler pressure of 185 psi, 60" inch driving wheels, a tractive effort of 57,000 lbs., and weighed in at 151 tons each (235.75 tons with tender). Their tenders held up to 8,500 gallons of water and 18 tons of coal.
Between 1914 and 1917, the South Louisville Shops built 50 locomotives and numbered them in the 2400 - 2415 and 1416 - 1449 series. They were designed at low speeds and therefore well adapted for service in the coal fields of the eastern part of Kentucky and for hump and transfer work in the Decoursey-Cincinnati area.
In 1918, the Shop built another batch of 12, classifying them the J-1A, numbering them in the 1450 - 1461 series. They were similar to the J-1s, but the difference was that they had 27 1/2" inch cylinders, 190 psi boilers (engine #1461 was given a 200 psi boiler), a tractive effort of 61,000 lbs. (#1461 was rated at 64,300 lbs.) and weighed in at 153 tons each (238.1 tons with tender). Their tenders held the same amount of fuel and water as the J-1s. Engine #1461 was also given a Bethlehem Auxiliary Bogie on its tender.
Between 1918 and 1919, the South Louisville Shops built another batch of 18 locomotives, this time designating them as the J-2s. Each locomotive had 28" x 30" inch cylinders, a boiler pressure of 195 psi, a tractive effort of 65,000 lbs., and weighed in at 163 tons each (250.6 tons with tender). Their tenders held up to 9,000 gallons of water and 16 tons of coal. These were the first engines on the L&N to have mechanical stokers, the J-1s and J-1As were later given these. They were numbered in the 1462 - 1479 series and were assigned to haul coal trains in the Western Kentucky coal fields between Owensboro and Russellville.
In 1921, the South Louisville Shops built the last batch of 16 locomotives and designated them as the J-2As. They were similar to the J-2s but the only difference was that they weighed in at 164 tons each (251.6 tons with tender). Again with the J-1As, the tenders of the J-2As were the same as the J-2s. They were numbered in the 1480 - 1495 series. According to "Louisville & Nashville Steam Locomotives" by Richard E. Prince, these were the biggest engines built by the L&N in their own shops.
Retirement of the locomotives began on October 28, 1950 when 26 locomotives were written off the roster. By the end of 1953, only 5 were left on the roster. On April 23, 1954, engine #1428 became the last locomotive to retire from service. Sadly, none were spared from the scrappers blowtorch.
== Gallery ==
Category:2-8-2 locomotives
Category:2-8-2 steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Louisville and Nashville locomotives
Category:Built in 1914
Category:Eight-coupled locomotives
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Category:American locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Standard gauge locomotives