The Soo Line L-1 class was a class of ten

2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wheel ...

(Mikado)

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

s built by the

American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

in 1913 for the

Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (MStP&SSM) was a Class I railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Midwestern United States. Commonly known since its opening in 1884 as the Soo Line after the phonetic s ...

(“Soo Line”).

Background

Having acquired America's first Mikado (2-8-2) type when it merged the Bismarck, Great Falls and Washburn Railway in 1904, it was eight years before the Soo Line ordered a 2-8-2 of its own. Ten locomotives were ordered from the

, and built by their

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

plant in 1913.

Service

The L-1 class were used for powering time freights system wide on both the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie, and Wisconsin Central. They were assisted in that role by the 1920 arrival of the 25 L-2 and L-20 class Mikados in 1920, but were bumped into lesser roles with the arrival of the 21 N-20 class

4-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This type of steam locomotive is commonly known as t ...

Mountains in 1926–1930. The 1938 delivery of four O-20 class

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type w ...

Northern made little difference to the L-1 class since the former were restricted to the Chicago–

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

route. They were a long-lived class, with only one, the 1004, being retired prior to May 1953. By December 1954, however, the Soo Line was effectively dieselized. One locomotive, the

1003 Year 1003 ( MIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * February 9 – Boleslaus III is restored to authority with armed support from Duke Bol ...

, was placed in the strategic reserve, and stored serviceable in the

Gladstone, Michigan Gladstone is a city in Delta County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. First settled in 1877, Gladstone's original name was Minnewasca. The population was 4,973 at the 2010 census. U.S. Highways 2 and 41 run concurrently t ...

roundhouse. The other eight remaining L-1s were sold for scrap. The reserve was never called into action, and the

was donated to the City of Superior, Wisconsin, in December 1959. It was later restored to steam in 1996. No. 1003 has run steam excursions in Duluth, Minnesota, on The Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railroad with cousin Soo Line 2719 and Northern Pacific 328 in 1998, the Wisconsin Central before merging with the Canadian National in 2001, also making an excursions in the early 2000s on the Wisconsin Southern Railroad. On August 11 to 13th, 2017, No. 1003 made a rare, first-time trek to Chicago, Illinois, via the Canadian National, Wisconsin Southern, Metra, and Canadian Pacific lines, making a special appearance at Galewood Metra station to benefit the Shriners Hospital for Children.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Soo Line L-01 class L-01 2-8-2 locomotives ALCO locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1913 Steam locomotives of the United States Freight locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States