O North Pole 2-8-4 Berkshire Steam Loco #1225/3.0

In the 1920s, increased competition meant that railroads had
to come up with new ways of doing business if they hoped to remain
successful. Up to that time, most freight was moved by connecting as
many cars as possible to a locomotive and having the steam engine heave
and drag them along (called “drag freight”). Some railroads decided to
compete more effectively by increasing the speed, not the capacity, of
their freight trains. The Lima Locomotive Works’ 2-8-4 Berkshire
steamer, introduced in 1924 and named for the Massachusetts mountains
where it was demonstrated, helped make this happen. The Berkshire was
dubbed a “Super Power” engine because its larger firebox grate and
other related elements (which necessitated the 4-wheel trailing truck)
greatly increased the engine’s steam-making capacity. And more steam
capacity meant more power and more speed. In all, 611 Berkshires were
built for nearly 20 Class 1 railroads. They were a huge success and
remained in service on U.S. rails until 1958, well into the diesel era.

For 2018, M.T.H. is pleased to offer the RailKing Imperial
Berkshire in six varieties, including restored No. 765, which runs
today in excursion service (learn more at fortwaynerailroad.org).

Did You Know?

The first 2-8-4 was built with 63″ drivers, but railroads
soon discovered that it had so much more steam capacity than previous
freight engines it could power larger – and therefore faster – drivers,
and subsequent models had 69″-70″ drivers. Cruising speeds averaged
about 55 mph.