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USRA Light Mikado Pack - L&N J-3 Class

Heeeeeeeeeello kiddies, it's 611 Hype Man again! On the menu for today is a USRA Mikado reskin for Neighbor Kid's excellent models, representing the Louisville & Nashville Railroad's USRA Light Mikados. Sorry again to all those of you waiting for CSX Heritage Units or more BBN stuff, but's that not what I do. So, what is the Louisville & Nashville, you may ask? Well, keep reading and you'll find out!


The L&N was a major railroad in the South, mainly serving destinations in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. It was founded in 1850 by the government of Kentucky, spent much of the Civil War transporting Union troops and supplies, and grew quickly after the war to dominate the markets of its home state and Tennessee. As it grew, the L&N became a major coal hauler of the black diamonds of the Appalachian Mountains, while also transporting large amounts of agricultural and forestry products and serving southern steel industries. With a varied traffic base and fiscally responsible management, the L&N prospered both on its own and under Atlantic Coast Line control after 1902. The L&N's independence would come to an end in 1982, when the Seaboard Coast Line (formerly ACL) merged with its subsidiary to form the Family Lines, which would go on to be a founding member of CSX. Still, the L&N's legacy lives on through preserved equipment, a CSX heritage locomotive, and through many cultural references in bluegrass and country music and some film appearances.


The standardized steam locomotive designs of the WWI era US Railroad Administration (USRA) were one of its most enduring legacies, with the Light Mikado being one of the most numerous. Many USRA built locos were assigned to southern railroads, and the L&N was no exception. The 92 Light Mikados assigned to L&N were labeled as the J-3 Class, joining dozens of other L&N built locos of the same wheelbase. The J-3s were generally popular with crews due to their superior mechanical reliability to other similar locos, but were kept to flatter regions of the line since they were less powerful than other classes. Many also wound up sporting auxiliary tenders and/or pushing cars in local and yard service by the 1950s and final retirement. The J-3s lasted long enough to be replaced by diesel power, with the last example being retired in 1954. Unfortunately, no L&N mikado survives today, although other examples of USRA Light Mikados do.


Introduction Date: 1918
Retirement Date: 1954
Road Numbers: Randomized between 1500-1599
Short Tender & Extended Short Tender variants
Asset versions with fixed numbers for each!


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


Neighbor Kid's USRA Light Mikados


" Lots of respectable people have been hit by trains. " - O Brother, Where Out Thou? (2000)

Here's my (much delayed) February mod release. Some people have been asking for this for a while, so I'm happy to oblige. Expect something else Appalachian soon, probably something Norfolk & Western. Until then, keep on running trains, and vote for Pappy O'Daniel!