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USRA Light Mikado Pack - GM&O and Predecessors

Hello again kiddies, it's 611 Hype Man, bringing you...another Mikado pack! That's right, all of you hoping for yet more fictional skins are about to be sorely disappointed! And for today's offerings, we're going to the Midwest to encounter the Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio! That's right, although the railroad with the great reporting mark of GMO was the first major US line to completely exterminate steam, the GM&O operated steam for nearly its first decade of existence! Now, what is a Gulf, Mobile or an Ohio, you may ask? Well just keep reading and you may find out...


The GM&O was one of the youngest of the American railroads from the postwar transition from steam to diesel power, as it formed in 1940 out of a merger of the Gulf, Mobile & Northern and Mobile & Ohio railroads. Both lines were built on a north-south axis, but the GM&N was the stronger of the two financially and their management largely led the combined railroad in the early years. Running from the ports of the Gulf of Mexico to inland destinations like St. Louis and Memphis, the new GM&O was ideally positioned to compete with the older Illinois Central in transporting goods and people from the Gulf to the Great Lakes through its connections with other midwestern railroads. One of these roads, the Alton RR, would be acquired by the GM&O in 1947, giving the network a direct connection to Chicago. At the same time, GM&O leadership wholeheartedly embraced technological progress in the form of diesel locomotives. When they formed in 1940, the GM&O inherited an eclectic collection of steam engines, some of which dated back to the late 1800s. As soon as WWII was over, the GM&O sought to replace as many of these now worn-out locos with new diesel power from the likes of ALCO and EMD. Dozens of diesels of various makes and models arrived starting in 1947, and by 1949 the line was 100% dieselized, the first major American railroad to do so. Through embraces of new technology and dependable freight service, the GM&O thrived while other railroads started to slump into disrepair and financial ruin as the 1950s became the 60s. Ultimately though, history would catch up to the GM&O as well. In 1972, it signed a merger agreement with former rival Illinois Central, forming Illinois Central Gulf. ICG would begin cutting lines ruthlessly after the 1980 Staggers Act and deregulation, including most of the former GM&O mainlines. While the GM&O may be long gone, their colorful diesel paint schemes still decorate many a model train.


At formation, the GM&O inherited a series of 37 copies of the USRA Light Mikado from the M&O. These copies, built between 1922 and 1928, were some of the largest locos owned by the road, and hauled the longest, heaviest freight trains on the M&O. Within the GM&O, they worked alongside former GM&N Decapods hauling freight trains throughout the Second World War. Like all of the other GM&O steam locomotives, all of the former M&O Mikes were replaced with diesels starting in 1947, and all went to the scrapyards.
The Alton RR, originally the Chicago & Alton, received its 10 USRA Light Mikados directly from the Government in 1918. The Alton classified these locomotives as L-4s, and ordered another set of 5 copies in 1921. Much like the M&O, these Mikados represented the largest, most powerful freight steamers on the Alton. Chicago & Alton was bought by the B&O in 1931, changing its name to just the Alton RR and reclassifying its locomotives into B&O nomenclature. The L-4s became Q-8s, and got new numbers in the 4300 series. B&O was forced to sell in 1942, but Alton kept its new branding until the GM&O merger in 1947. With the merger, the steam power was quickly sent to the scrapyards, with no survivors.

Now that all of that is out of the way, time for some...

5 Variants:
Chicago & Alton (1918-1932)
Chicago & Alton with tender logo (1918-1932)
Alton RR (1931-1948)
Mobile & Ohio (1922-1941)
Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio (1940-50)
Appropriate random numbers for each
Asset versions for each!

Neighbor Kid for the main USRA Mikado mod
theMeatballHero for the random numbers
MC Couplers
Excellent sounds by Mrcheesecake
and Pete Willard of http://RailSimStuff.com for the fonts used in this pack

Neighbor Kid's USRA Light Mikados

"Everyone's worried about GMOs in their food, but no one seems concerned about GMOs on the rails." - Me

Another big mod release, another USRA mikado project on the rebound. These things are great, they practically make themselves. I don't know if anyone even knows these locos existed, and surely no one ever asked for them (unlike GO Transit E60s or whatever fantasy projects people want). At least I can now claim to have the first M&O loco mod on the workshop, and the second Alton RR mod. Yippee! Until next time, remember...

Well, they gave him his orders, in Monroe Virginia...