Between 1937 and 1943 the Illinois Central erected 76 4-8-2 or Mountain type locomotives in its Paducah shops. The 56 engines in the 2500 series were built using boilers from retired 2-10-2s. They had cylinder dimensions of 30x30 inches and 70-inch disc drivers. Some apparently sustained a boiler pressure of 225 pounds per square inch, and produced 73,768 pounds of tractive effort. Others had a 240-pound boiler pressure and developed a tractive effort of 78,685 pounds. The Paducah Shops rebuilt No. 2502 in 1937 from 2-10-2 No. 3006; she was scrapped late in 1959. This photo of No. 2502 appears in this archive courtesy of Tom Rock of T.D.R. Productions, and appears to have been taken before the 2500s were equipped with the auxiliary water tank (cistern), suggesting a date in the 1940s. The photographer is unknown, but the location is the Paducah Shops area.