Under the
Whyte notation
Whyte notation is a classification method for steam locomotives, and some internal combustion locomotives and electric locomotives, by wheel arrangement. It was devised by Frederick Methvan Whyte, and came into use in the early twentieth ce ...
for the classification of
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s, represents the
wheel arrangement
In rail transport, a wheel arrangement or wheel configuration is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed under a locomotive. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and c ...
of two
leading wheel
The leading wheel or leading axle or pilot wheel of a steam locomotive is an unpowered wheel or axle located in front of the driving wheels. The axle or axles of the leading wheels are normally located on a leading truck. Leading wheels are used ...
s, six coupled
driving wheel
On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotive's pistons (or turbine, in the case of a steam turbine locomotive). On a conventional, non-articulated locomotive, the driving wheels are all coupled ...
s and two
trailing wheel
On a steam locomotive, a trailing wheel or trailing axle is generally an unpowered wheel or axle ( wheelset) located behind the driving wheels. The axle of the trailing wheels is usually located in a trailing truck. On some large locomotives, ...
s. This arrangement is commonly called a Prairie.
Overview
The majority of American 2-6-2s were
tender locomotive
A tender or coal-car (US only) is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing its fuel (wood, coal, oil or torrefied biomass) and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, s ...
s, but in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locom ...
s, described as , were more common. The first 2-6-2 tender locomotives for a
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
n customer were built by
Brooks Locomotive Works
The Brooks Locomotive Works manufactured railroad steam locomotives and freight cars from 1869 through its merger into the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1901.
History
When the New York and Erie Railroad (NY&E) relocated its shops facili ...
in 1900 for the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...
, for use on the Midwestern prairies. The type was thus nicknamed the Prairie in North American practice. This name was often also used for
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
locomotives with this wheel arrangement.
As with the
2-10-2, the major problem with the 2-6-2 is that these engines have a symmetrical wheel layout, with the centre of gravity almost over the centre driving wheel. The reciprocation rods, when working near the centre of gravity, induce severe side-to-side nosing which results in intense instability if unrestrained either by a long wheelbase or by the leading and trailing trucks. Though some engines, like the Chicago and Great Western of 1903, had the connecting rod aligned onto the third driver, most examples were powered via the second driver and were prone to the nosing problem.
[Swengel, F.M. ''The American Steam Locomotive, Vol. 1, The Evolution of the Steam Locomotive'', MidWest Rail Publications, Davenport, 1967. pp. 78-80.]
Usage
Australia
![PuffingBilly8A](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/PuffingBilly8A.jpg)
Queensland Railways operated one 2-6-2 tender engine of the B16 1/2 class. It was built in August 1918 by the
North Ipswich Railway Workshops
North Ipswich Railway Workshops is a heritage-listed former Australian railway workshop at North Street, North Ipswich, Queensland. It was built from 1878 to 1980s. It is also known as the Workshops Rail Museum. It was added to the Queensland He ...
as an experimental engine burning coke instead of coal. After nearly 9 years burning coke, it was converted to coal in 1927. The engine spent its working life on the Brisbane to Ipswich line working coal trains. It was withdrawn in February 1950.
In New South Wales a class of twenty engines, the
Z26 class, formerly the (I)17 class, entered service in 1892 and operated until the end of steam. Two are preserved, no. 2606 at the Rail Transport Museum at Thirlmere and no. 2605 at the State Mine Museum in Lithgow.
The
Silverton Tramway
The Silverton Tramway was a 58-kilometre-long railway line running from Cockburn on the South Australian state border to Broken Hill in New South Wales. Operating between 1888 and 1970, it served the mines in Broken Hill, and formed the lin ...
operated two locomotives from 1891, both of which are preserved in South Australia.
The principal 2-6-2T locomotives which were built for the
narrow gauge system of the
Victorian Railways
The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...
(VR), are the now famous "
Puffing Billy" engines. Two of these little locomotives arrived from Baldwin Locomotive works in 1898 and a total of seventeen saw service throughout the state on the various narrow gauge timber and gold lines, including the
Wangaratta and Walhalla. When the VR determined to close the Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook narrow gauge route in the mid-1950s, the Victorian community refused to let the train die. Today, the
Puffing Billy Railway
The Puffing Billy Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway in the southern foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne, Australia. The railway was one of the five narrow gauge lines of the Victorian Railways which opened around the beg ...
has a fleet of saved and modified 2-6-2T engines on active steam roster and is one of Victoria's main tourist attractions.
[Oberg, Leon. ''Railways of Australia'', Reed, Sydney, 1975. (plus subsequent editions)]
Belgium
The
Belgian State Railways
The Belgian State Railways ( nl, Belgische Staatsspoorwegen; french: Chemins de fer de l'État Belge) was the original state-owned railway of Belgium. Established by an organic law of 1 May 1834, it began construction of its first line, between Bru ...
ordered 91 inside-cylinder 2-6-2
tank engine
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locomo ...
s between 1878 and 1881 (
Belgian State Railways Type 4) with large drivers and side tanks longer than the boiler. They hauled commuter trains and fast trains on short lines. Some of them survived the war and were used on local trains until 1930.
After
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Belgian State Railways were desperately needing new engines in order to replace the ones that were lost or damaged during the war. They purchased 63 2-6-2
Saddle tank engines from the
Railway Operating Division
The Railway Operating Division (ROD) was a division of the Royal Engineers formed in 1915 to operate railways in the many theatres of the First World War. It was largely composed of railway employees and operated both standard gauge and narrow g ...
(Belgian State Railways Type 22, later
SNCB Type 57
french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen
, type = Statutory corporation
, industry = Rail Transport
, foundation = 1926
, founder = Government o ...
) and used them for switching and light freight trains until the 1960s.
Germany
Tank locomotives with this wheel arrangement spread very quickly in Germany after the good Austrian experience with the Series 30. The
Württembergische T 5, the
Badische VI b and the
Badische VI c as well as the saxon
Sächsische XIV HT, all developed before the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, were successful designs, many locomotives of these series were used well into the 1960s. Only the prussian
T6 was a bad design, the few examples were taken out of service shortly after the First World War. From 1928 the
Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft
The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'', also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the German national railway system created after the end of World War I from the regiona ...
procured over 500 units of their
class 64 standard steam locomotives. Private railways such as the
Eutin-Lübeck Railway with locomotives
11 to 14 also procured tank locomotives with this wheel arrangement in the interwar period.
In contrast, the first tender locomotives were initially unsuccessful. The
Oldenburgische S 10, which was delivered in three copies in 1916, was extremely uneconomical due to the boiler, which was badly matched to the steam engine, and was taken out of service after less than ten years. The
Badische IV g from
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
was a downright faulty construction, neither performing well on flat ground nor on the
Schwarzwaldbahn. The Baden State Railways gave away the five copies in 1918 in the course of deliveries after the
Armistice of Compiègne
The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...
to France. The French side also wanted to get rid of the locomotives soon and agreed to return them to Germany, which was again refused in Baden. They were finally retired in France in the early 1930s.
It was not until 1941 that the Deutsche Reichsbahn received prairie tender locomotives again. The
series 23, which was procured in two prototypes, was to be procured as a passenger locomotive in up to 800 copies from 1941 as a replacement for the prussian
P8, but the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
made these plans obsolete in favor of urgently required freight locomotives. After the war, both the
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB (German Federal Railway) was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remained ...
with the
DB class 23
The steam locomotives of Class 23 were German passenger train locomotives developed in the 1950s for the Deutsche Bundesbahn. They had a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement and were equipped with Class 2'2' T 31 tenders. They were designed to replace the on ...
and the
Deutsche Reichsbahn
The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'', also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the German national railway system created after the end of World War I from the regiona ...
in the GDR with the
DR class 23.10 each procured a good 100 new prairie locomotives. However, due to structural change, the last units remained in operation for an average of less than 20 years and were taken out of service until around the mid-1970s.
Hungary
![Hungarian Railways 324 Class 2-6-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Hungarian_Railways_324_Class_2-6-2.jpg)
The most numerous steam locomotive type used in Hungary was the , built from 1909 onwards, which were still at work in the last days of steam.
The
Hungarian State Railways
Hungarian State Railways ( hu, Magyar Államvasutak, MÁV) is the Hungarian national railway company, with divisions "MÁV START Zrt." (passenger transport), "MÁV-Gépészet Zrt." (maintenance), "MÁV-Trakció Zrt." and "MÁV Cargo Zrt" (freig ...
(MÁV) also ran three important classes of 2-6-2
tank engine
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of a more traditional tender. Most tank engines also have bunkers (or fuel tanks) to hold fuel; in a tender-tank locomo ...
s. These were the large class built from 1917, and the smaller and .
Italy
The
Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane
Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. ( "Italian Railways of the State"; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the abbreviation FS) is Italy's national state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estate ...
(Italian State Railways) built the 151-strong compound
FS Class 680
The Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS; Italian State Railways) Class 680 (Italian: ''Gruppo 680'') is a 2-6-2 express steam locomotive; it was the direct ancestor of the very successful and appreciated Class 685.
Design and construction
The Clas ...
for express trains from 1907 to 1911. The
FS Class 685, built in 271 units from 1912 to 1928, was its non-compound and superheated version, and proved very successful, to the point that all but 31 of the earlier Class 680 were rebuilt as 685 (bringing the size of the class to 391 locomotives). The Class 685 was also the most numerous standard gauge 2-6-2 class in the world.
New Zealand
A fleet of five tank engines, built by
Manning Wardle
Manning Wardle was a steam locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
Precursor companies
The city of Leeds was one of the earliest centres of locomotive building; Matthew Murray built the first commercially s ...
of
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
in England, were supplied to New Zealand in 1884-85. The private
Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) used them for construction, maintenance and local service work. Three were later taken over as the
New Zealand Railways (NZR)
WH class in 1908.
The second batch of Prairie locomotives was built to an order for the
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR (New Zealand Government Railways) and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway ...
, with the initial order for ten being let to
Nasmyth, Wilson and Company
Nasmyth, Gaskell and Company, originally called The Bridgewater Foundry, specialised in the production of Machine tool, heavy machine tools and locomotives. It was located in Patricroft, in Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford England, close to ...
of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. This later became the
NZR V class
The New Zealand V class steam locomotive was used on New Zealand's railway network from 1885 onwards. They were operated by New Zealand Government Railways and the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company.
Introduction
The heavy increase in traff ...
which, due to political interference and their being overweight, did not go into traffic until 1890.
New Zealand's third batch of Prairie locomotives was ordered by the WMR in 1884. Their design was almost identical to that of the NZR V class, though they were slightly heavier. They could burn any light fuel, coal or wood as available, and entered service in 1886, soon after the WMR started operating. In 1908, with the purchase of the company by the NZR, they were also awarded the V classification.
![NZR N class No](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/NZR_N_class_No.9.jpg)
In 1885,
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...
built New Zealand's fourth batch of Prairie locomotives. These were to become the
NZR N class. Six were delivered in 1885 and were of an almost identical design to the previous, but altered to utilise off-the-shelf components supplied by Baldwin. In 1901, four more were built for the NZR, but these were fitted with piston valves actuated by
Walschaerts valve gear
The Walschaerts valve gear is a type of valve gear used to regulate the flow of steam to the pistons in steam locomotives, invented by Belgium, Belgian railway mechanical engineering, engineer Egide Walschaerts in 1844.
The gear is sometimes name ...
. In 1891, two of these locomotives had also been built to the same design for the WMR. In 1908, with the purchase of the WMR by NZR, all of these engines were classified as N class.
Between 1894 and 1904, four similar engines were built by Baldwin for the WMR. In 1908, these became the NZR's
NA class and
NC class, with two units each.
The NZR's
Addington Workshops
The Addington Railway Workshops was a major railway workshops established in the Christchurch suburb of Addington in 1877 by the Public Works Department, and transferred in 1880 to the newly-formed New Zealand Railways Department (NZR). The wor ...
joined the list of Prairie suppliers in 1889, producing the first of two
NZR W class
New Zealand Railways may refer to KiwiRail which is the current rail services owner/operator and infrastructure owner/maintainer.
New Zealand Railways may also refer to the following companies:
* New Zealand Railways Department (also known as New ...
tank engines. These were followed between 1892 and 1901 with eleven similar
NZR WA class
The NZR WA class locomotives were a class of Tank locomotive built by New Zealand Railways (NZR). Eleven were built at NZR's own Addington Workshops in Christchurch and Hillside Workshops in Dunedin. Four more were converted from old J class 2- ...
tank engines.
Baldwin followed this up with ten similar
NZR WB class
The NZR WB class was a class of tank locomotives that operated in New Zealand. Built in 1898 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the twelve members of the class entered service during the first five months of 1899. Eight were withdrawn by the en ...
Prairie tank engines in 1898.
In 1930-31, after nearly thirty years of
4-6-2 Pacific and
4-6-4 Baltic locomotive production, New Zealand dusted off its Prairie plans with the release into service of twenty-four
NZR C class 2-6-2 locomotives, designed primarily for shunting and branch line work.
Poland
![Ol49 PKP 2-6-2 August 1976](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Ol49_PKP_2-6-2_August_1976.jpg)
The H. Cegielski Metal Works in Poznań produced 122 OKl27 class locomotives for the Polish State Railways (PKP) during the period between 1928 and 1933.
Between 1951 and 1954, Fablok built a series of 116 Ol49 class 2-6-2
tender locomotives for the PKP.
Romania
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
designed the 131.000 Class to replace the older Hungarian MAV locomotives used on
Căile Ferate Române
Căile Ferate Române (; abbreviated as the CFR) is the state railway carrier of Romania. As of 2014, the railway network of Romania consists of , of which (37.4%) are electrified. The total track length is , of which (38.5%) are electrifie ...
(CFR) secondary lines. A total of 67 locomotives were built at
Reşiţa Works between 1939 and 1942, numbered 131.001 to 131.067.
Russia & Soviet Union
![Steam locomotive S overview](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Steam_locomotive_S_overview.jpg)
In Russia, the 2-6-2 was the standard passenger locomotive. They were represented by the pre-revolutionary S (С) (Sormovskij) series and the post-revolutionary Su (Су) series locomotives, the latter of which appeared in 1928. The pre-revolutionary S-series locomotives had the characteristic pointed nose, absent on the Su locomotive. The suffix 'u' means which translates as "strengthened" or "uprated". Several Su-series locomotives are preserved in working order. However, only one pre-revolutionary S-series locomotive is still around, number S.68. It is preserved at the Saint Petersburg railway museum.
![Su 206-56](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Su_206-56.JPG)
The Su was the standard passenger engine on most mainline routes and it was only on the key trunk lines that the IS class 2-8-4, or later the P36 4-8-4, would be used. Therefore, the majority of passenger miles were hauled by an Su (Су).
Visually, the Su was the last true Russian-look design before the American influence of high running boards, bar frames and
boxpok
A Boxpok is a steam locomotive wheel that gains its strength through being made of a number of box sections rather than having traditional solid spokes (the name is a variation on "box-spoke"). Being hollow, they allow better counterbalancing ...
wheels became the norm. The Su retained such features as a clerestory skylight in the cab roof and handrails on the outside of the running board. These handrails were a result of the harsh Russian winters, when ice would build up on the running boards, making them highly dangerous. Enginemen had fallen to their death from moving trains and the fitting of promenade deck style handrails was a safety measure ordered by the Tsar in pre-revolutionary times. These features, combined with the high loading gauge, combined to give the locomotives a uniquely Russian appearance.
South Africa
The world's first 2-6-2 Prairie type locomotives were also the first locomotives to enter service on the new
Cape gauge mainline of the
Cape Government Railways
The Cape Government Railways (CGR) was the government-owned railway operator in the Cape Colony from 1874 until the creation of the South African Railways (SAR) in 1910.
History Private railways
The first railways at the Cape were privately own ...
. They were 2-6-2 side-tank engines that were delivered between 1875 and 1879. Four-wheeled tenders were also acquired on a subsequent order and the locomotives could be operated in either a tank or tank-and-tender configuration, as circumstances demanded. These locomotives were later designated the
Cape 2nd Class.
![NGR 512 (2-6-2) ex Zululand Ry 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/NGR_512_%282-6-2%29_ex_Zululand_Ry_1.jpg)
In 1901, the Zululand Railway Company, contracted for the construction of the Natal North Coast line from
Verulam to the
Tugela River
The Tugela River ( zu, Thukela; af, Tugelarivier) is the largest river in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. With a total length of , it is one of the most important rivers of the country.
The river originates in Mont-aux-Sources of the Dra ...
, acquired one 2-6-2 side-tank locomotive as construction engine from
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...
. Upon completion of the line in 1903, the locomotive was taken onto the roster of the
Natal Government Railways
The Natal Government Railways (NGR) was formed in January 1877 in the Colony of Natal.
In 1877, the Natal Government Railways acquired the Natal Railway Company for the sum of £40,000, gaining the line from the Point to Durban and from Durban ...
and was designated
Class I.
![SAR Class 6Y (2-6-2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/SAR_Class_6Y_%282-6-2%29.jpg)
The first four Prairie locomotives built for the
Cape Government Railways
The Cape Government Railways (CGR) was the government-owned railway operator in the Cape Colony from 1874 until the creation of the South African Railways (SAR) in 1910.
History Private railways
The first railways at the Cape were privately own ...
(CGR) by
Neilson, Reid and Company
Neilson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland.
The company was started in 1836 at McAlpine Street by Walter Neilson and James Mitchell to manufacture marine and stationary engines. In 1837 the firm moved to Hyde Par ...
, later designated
Class 6Z on the South African Railways (SAR), were placed in service in 1901, but they displayed the Prairie's tendency to be unsteady at speed. They were therefore soon modified to a 2-6-4 Adriatic wheel arrangement.
With an improved design of bissel truck, two more CGR locomotives which were ordered from
Kitson and Company
Kitson and Company was a locomotive manufacturer based in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
Early history
The company was started in 1835 by James Kitson (businessman), James Kitson at the Airedale Foundry, off Pearson Street, Hunslet, ...
in 1903 were once again built with a 2-6-2 Prairie wheel arrangement. These two locomotives did not display the tendency to sway at speed and therefore retained their 2-6-2 wheel arrangement. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the SAR, they were renumbered and designated
Class 6Y.
Switzerland
![20130927Y591 Eb35 90850005889-0 CH-DLC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/20130927Y591_Eb35_90850005889-0_CH-DLC.jpg)
Switzerland had four classes of tank locomotives.
* The first was the
Bodensee–Toggenburg-Bahn (BT) class Eb 3/5 (speed limit 75 km/h), of which nine were built in 1910 by
Maffei, numbered 1 to 9. Seven were scrapped, no. 6 has been plinthed as a monument in
Degersheim
Degersheim is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
History
Degersheim is first mentioned in 837 as ''Tegarascai''. It was known as ''Tegerschen'' until 1803, when Degersheim becam ...
and no. 9, the only one with red trim, was preserved by the ''Dampf-Loki-Club Herisau'' in
Bauma
The bauma (International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Mining Machines, Construction Vehicles and Construction Equipment) is the world's largest trade fair in the construction industry. The trade fair, which ...
. By 2015, the ''Club del San Gottardo'' in
Mendrisio
Mendrisio (; lmo, label= Ticinese, Mendris ) is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.
Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura of the university of Italian-speaking Switzerland (U ...
began to restore them to working order.
* The second was the
Swiss Federal Railways
Swiss Federal Railways (german: link=no, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, ''SBB''; french: link=no, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses, ''CFF''; it, Ferrovie federali svizzere, ''FFS'') is the national railway company of Switzerland. It is usuall ...
(SBB) class Eb 3/5 (speed limit 75 km/h), of which 34 were built from 1911 to 1916 by
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
(SLM), numbered 5801 to 5834. Of these, 31 were scrapped, no. 5810 was preserved by the ''Verein Dampfbahn Bern'' in
Konolfingen
Konolfingen is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
History
Konolfingen village is first mentioned in 1148 as ''Chonolfingen''. It is a relatively new municipality, having been f ...
, no. 5811 stands as a monument in
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
. By 2015, the ''Dampfgruppe Zürich'' in
Brugg
, neighboring_municipalities = Gebenstorf, Habsburg, Hausen, Holderbank, Lupfig, Riniken, Rüfenach, Schinznach, Untersiggenthal, Villigen, Villnachern, Veltheim, Windisch
, twintowns = Rottweil (Germany)
, website ...
began to restore them to working order. No. 5819 was preserved by the ''SBB Historic'' in Brugg.
![MOIE-150221](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/MOIE-150221.jpeg)
* The third was the class Ec 3/5 (speed limit 65 km/h) of the
Lake Thun railway
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
(TSB) and other railways of the
Bern–Lötschberg–Simplon railway group (BLS). Six engines were built by SLM from 1905 to 1907, numbered 41 to 46. After electrification of the tracks in 1921/22, all six were sold to the
Austrian Federal Railways
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
and renumbered as class 130.
* The fourth was the
Mittelthurgau-Bahn (MThB) class Ec 3/5 (speed limit 60 km/h), of which four were built in 1912 by SLM, numbered 1 to 4. Three were scrapped and no. 3 was preserved by the ''Verein Historische Mittel-Thurgau-Bahn'' in
Romanshorn
Romanshorn is a municipality in the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.
History
Romanshorn was probably settled in the 7th century, and is first mentioned in 779 as ''Rumanishorn'' in a land grant from Waldrata to the Abb ...
. It occasionally pulls the so-called ''Mostindien-Express''.
In 1997, the MThB no. 3 was used as the prototype for the locomotive in the animated
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
motion picture
''Anastasia'', where it was given the appearance of a Soviet Union continental locomotive numbered 2747.
United Kingdom
Standard gauge
![LNER V2 60800 'Green Arrow' at Crewe Works](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/LNER_V2_60800_%27Green_Arrow%27_at_Crewe_Works.jpg)
The first United Kingdom 2-6-2 tender locomotive was the unsuccessful prototype
Midland Railway Paget locomotive of 1908. Thereafter, the wheel arrangement was rare on
tender locomotives
A tender or coal-car (US only) is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing its fuel (wood, coal, oil or torrefied biomass) and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, s ...
, with the exception of two classes on the
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...
. These were the
Class V2 and
Class V4 mixed traffic locomotives which totalled 186 locomotives between them.
In contrast, 2-6-2T locomotives were very widely used on suburban passenger services, particularly by the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
(GWR), who built four main classes between 1903 and 1947. These include the 'Large Prairies' (
5100,
3150 and
6100 classes), the 'Small Prairies' (
4400,
4500 and
4575 classes) and the non-standard
3901 class rebuilt from
0-6-0 tender engines.
The
Railway Operating Division
The Railway Operating Division (ROD) was a division of the Royal Engineers formed in 1915 to operate railways in the many theatres of the First World War. It was largely composed of railway employees and operated both standard gauge and narrow g ...
received 70 2-6-2
Saddle tank engines built by
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. They were shipped to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and used near the front line. These engines, nicknamed "
tortoise
Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...
s" were probably inspired by the Saddle tanks used on
forest railway
A forest railway, forest tram, timber line, logging railway or logging railroad is a mode of railway transport which is used for forestry tasks, primarily the transportation of felling, felled logs to sawmills or railway stations.
In most cases th ...
s in the USA ; they had very small drivers and could run tight curves. After the war, all remaining engines (63) were sold to the
Belgian State Railways
The Belgian State Railways ( nl, Belgische Staatsspoorwegen; french: Chemins de fer de l'État Belge) was the original state-owned railway of Belgium. Established by an organic law of 1 May 1834, it began construction of its first line, between Bru ...
. The rest was probably destroyed during the war and some of them may have been cannibalised for spares.
Sir Henry Fowler
Sir Henry Fowler, (29 July 1870 – 16 October 1938) was an English railway engineer, and was chief mechanical engineer of the Midland Railway and subsequently the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.
Biography
Fowler was born in Evesham ...
of the
London Midland and Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...
(LMS) introduced a successful
class in 1930, which became the basis of further similar classes by
Stanier in 1935 and
Ivatt in 1946.
Sir Nigel Gresley
Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley (19 June 1876 – 5 April 1941) was a British railway engineer. He was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Rail ...
of the
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...
(LNER) introduced his
V1 and V3 classes in 1930.
The last new 2-6-2T locomotives in Britain were the
British Railways standard class 2, built between 1953 and 1957. The design derived from the earlier
LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T is a class of light 'mixed-traffic' steam locomotive introduced in 1946.
Background
The LMS had various elderly tank engines and the operating department required a new smal ...
.
Narrow gauge
![VOR7 Abery1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/VOR7_Abery1.jpg)
The 2-6-2T layout was popular for large
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
engines, but the design was modified to allow the use of a
firebox
Firebox may refer to:
*Firebox (steam engine), the area where the fuel is burned in a steam engine
*Firebox (architecture), the part of a fireplace where fuel is combusted
*Firebox Records
Firebox Records was a Finnish record label based in S ...
much wider than the
track gauge
In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many d ...
. A
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
2-6-2T normally has inside frames and the firebox is placed between the second and third coupled axles. A narrow gauge one, on the other hand, has outside frames and the firebox is placed behind the third coupled axle and clear of the wheels. To minimise the rear overhang, the fuel is therefore carried in side-bunkers alongside the firebox, instead of in a rear bunker.
Preserved examples include the
Welsh Highland Railway's ''Russell'' and the
Vale of Rheidol Railway locomotives
This is a list of past and present rolling stock used on the Vale of Rheidol Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Cwm Rheidol), a Narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge heritage railway, opened in 1902, that runs for between Aberystwyth and Devil's Bridge, Ce ...
.
United States
Narrow gauge
![BHC RR in 2001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/BHC_RR_in_2001.jpg)
The gauge
Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad
The Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad (SR&RL) was a narrow gauge common carrier railroad that operated approximately of track in Franklin County, Maine. Former equipment from the SR&RL continues to operate in the present day on a revived, s ...
in Franklin County, Maine, was a major narrow gauge user.
Standard gauge
In the United States, the type evolved from the
2-6-0 (Mogul) configuration. The
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...
(AT&SF) became a pioneer of the type in the United States in 1901 and one of the largest fleet users of the type. Problems the road encountered with the type included steam leakage in the
compound cylinder plumbing and instability at speed. The former problem was solved by converting them to simplex two-cylinder locomotives; the latter problem required new
4-6-2 (Pacific) types with four-wheeled guide trucks. The Prairie types were rebuilt with smaller drivers for slightly slower fast freight service. These engines tended to enjoy very long service lives, and outlasted many a newer, more efficient steam locomotive on the Santa Fe and elsewhere. This was due to their modest weight, good speed and ability to operate well in reverse, which made them valuable for branch line operations.
![Prairie locomotive](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Prairie_locomotive.jpg)
In 1902, the AT&SF had a 2-6-2 with a high, at the time, boiler pressure of , mounted on a large fire grate.
[
More than a thousand examples of the 2-6-2 wheel arrangement existed in the United States. Of these, one hundred were high-wheeled engines with larger than drivers. The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern operated locomotives with drivers, but this did not overcome their inherent instability. They were never as successful in passenger service in the U.S. as they were in other nations.][
]
References
{{Authority control
Whyte notation