Seven Mikados: #6630-6634,6635 and 6636 were acquired secondhand from the Erie Railroad by Southern's Alabama Great Southern subsidiary in 1942 principally to help Southern Railway handle the Wartime fuel emergency consisting of long tanker trains headed for the East Coast's and Upper Midwest's war production factories. Nazi submarines had virtually shut down sea-going tanker shipping from the Texas/Louisianna gulf coast and up the eastern seaboard.
AGS Engineers reportedly fretted over their surging trains out of Texas as they learned to handle the liquid cargo. Installation of better tanker baffles and experience soon overcame the problem.
Southern classified the Erie Mikados as Ms-7s Sean. The Ms-6s, as were the Ms-5s, were surplus S-1 Class 2-10-2 "Hogs" rebuilt as 2-8-2s...........TIES Magazine
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