McCloud River Railroad 2-6-2 Prairie type steam locomotive in California in 2008.
Jim Wrinn
2-6-2
•YEARS BUILT: 1900-1909
•MANUFACTURERS: Rogers, Alco, Baldwin, Burlington Route shop forces
•OPERATED ON: Burlington Route, Santa Fe, Milwaukee Road, and Northern Pacific
•NAME: Prairie
•QUANTITY: 1,250 for common carriers; more for loggers and mining roads; Burlington Route had the most with 429
•BOILER PRESSURE: 200 psi
•KNOWN FOR: Fast freight locomotive with drawbacks, such as being rear-heavy, and the two-wheel lead truck being less than satisfactory for high speed running.
•STATUS: Approximately 15 of these locomotives remain in service on tourist lines, and 95 are displayed at museums.
ALCO built 2 prototypes for the PRR before they built the K29 which led to the K4.