Name: Soo Line locomotive 1003
Builder: American Locomotive Company (Alco)
Wheel arrangement: 2-8-2 Mikado
Build date: March 1913
Why it’s important: Built for the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, commonly known as the Soo Line, the 1003 is both large (250 tons) and powerful (53,947 pounds starting tractive effort). A highly versatile locomotive design, it’s capable of both freight and passenger service. Class L-1 locomotives like 1003 could operate across nearly all the Soo Line’s network of track, much of which was laid with lightweight rail. Built in 1913 it was retired after 46 years of service in 1959 and placed on display in Superior, Wisconsin. After a failed attempt at restoring the locomotive to steam in the 1970s, the partially disassembled locomotive was acquired by Wisconsin Railway Preservation Trust in 1993. It moved under steam in 1996 and operated its first excursion the following year. The big Mikado was thoroughly overhauled and its boiler recertified for a further 15 years in 2012. The century-old locomotive powers occasional excursions in the Upper Midwest. It’s displayed at the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford, Wisconsin between runs.
Fun fact: During World War I, the United States Railroad Administration (USRA) developed standardized designs for light Mikados and heavy Mikados. Soo Line 1003 was built five years before the USRA designations and weighs more than a USRA heavy Mikado.
Location: Wisconsin Automotive Museum, Hartford, Wis.
Website: steamlocomotiveheritage.org
Video: Watch Soo Line 1003 in an episode of Trains Trackside… exclusively on Trains.com Video!
