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Under theWhyte notation for the classification ofsteam locomotives,2-6-0 represents thewheel arrangement of twoleading wheels on one axle, usually in aleading truck, six powered and coupleddriving wheels on three axles and notrailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called aMogul.[1]
In the United States and Europe, the 2-6-0 wheel arrangement was principally used ontender locomotives. This type of locomotive was widely built in the United States from the early 1860s to the 1920s.
Although examples were built as early as 1852–53 by twoPhiladelphia manufacturers,Baldwin Locomotive Works andNorris Locomotive Works, these first examples had their leading axles mounted directly and rigidly on the frame of the locomotive rather than on a separate truck orbogie.[2] On these early 2-6-0 locomotives, the leading axle was merely used to distribute the weight of the locomotive over a larger number of wheels. It was therefore essentially an0-8-0 with an unpowered leading axle and the leading wheels did not serve the same purpose as, for example, the leading trucks of the4-4-0 American or4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler types which, at the time, had been in use for at least a decade.
The first American 2-6-0 with a rigidly mounted leading axle was thePawnee, built for heavy freight service on thePhiladelphia & Reading Rail Road. In total, about thirty locomotives of this type were built for various American railroads. While they were generally successful in slow, heavy freight service, the railroads that used these first 2-6-0 locomotives didn't see any great advantages in them over the0-6-0 or 0-8-0 designs of the time. The railroads noted their increased pulling power, but also found that their rather rigid suspension made them more prone to derailments than the 4-4-0 locomotives of the day. Many railroad mechanics attributed these derailments to having too little weight on the leading truck.
The first true 2-6-0s were built in the early 1860s, the first few being built in 1860 for theLouisville and Nashville Railroad. The new design required the use of a single-axle swiveling truck. Such a truck was first patented in the United Kingdom byLevi Bissell in May 1857.[2]
In 1864, William S. Hudson, then the superintendent ofRogers Locomotive and Machine Works, patented an equalized leading truck that was able to move independently of the driving axles. This equalized suspension worked much better over the uneven tracks of the day.[clarification needed] The first locomotive built with such a leading truck was likely completed in 1865 for theNew Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company as their number 39.
The locomotive class name likely derives from a locomotive namedMogul, built byTaunton Locomotive Manufacturing Company in 1866 for theCentral Railroad of New Jersey.[citation needed] However, it has also been suggested that it derived fromthe British 2-6-0 engine of that name, the prototype of its class, built byNeilson and Company for theGreat Eastern Railway in 1879.[3][4]
Beyer, Peacock & Company provided large numbers of standard design3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge Mogul locomotives to several Australian Railways. Users of the Mogul type include theSouth Australian Railways with itsY class, theTasmanian Government Railways with itsC class, theWestern Australian Government Railways with itsG class (in a4-6-0 configuration as well) and numerous private users. The SAR also purchased 8 examples of the type built by Baldwin which became theX class. TheNew South Wales Government Railways had a number of mogul types starting from the 1880s, forming theZ21,Z22,Z24,Z25 andZ27 classes.
Twenty2-6-0 locomotives were built byLes Ateliers de Tubize locomotive works in Belgium for the1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gaugeCF du Congo Superieur aux Grands Lacs Africains (CFL) between 1913 and 1924. The first eight, numbered 27 to 34, were built in 1913, followed by six more in 1921, numbered 35 to 40. Six more of a slightly larger version followed in 1924, numbered 41 to 46. They had 360 by 460 millimetres (14 by 18 inches) cylinders and 1,050 millimetres (41 inches) diameter driving wheels, with the smaller versions having a working order mass of 28.8 tonnes (28.3 long tons; 31.7 short tons) and the larger versions 33.4 tonnes (32.9 long tons; 36.8 short tons). Most of the CFL was regauged to3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge in 1955, as were all of the serving Moguls. Most of them still survived in 1973.[5][6]
A large number of 2-6-0 locomotives were used in Canada, where they were considered more usable in restricted spaces, being shorter than the more common4-6-0 Ten-Wheelers.Canadian National (CN) had several.[7] One of them, the CN no. 89, an E-10-a class locomotive built byCanadian Locomotive Company in 1910, has been owned and operated since 1972 by theStrasburg Rail Road inPennsylvania in the US, in conjunction with theRailroad Museum of Pennsylvania.[8] Another no. 81 has since its retirement been on public display outdoors in " Palmerston Lions Heritage Park " just south of Main Street in Palmerston, Ontario, Canada.
A well-preserved version, theWhite Pass and Yukon Route No. 51, can be found at the MacBride Museum of Yukon History inWhitehorse, Yukon.
Finland's 2-6-0 locomotives were the Classes Sk1, Sk2, Sk3, Sk4, Sk5 and Sk6.
Finnish Steam Locomotive Class Sk1s were built from 1885 bySwiss Locomotive & Machine Works. They carried numbers 117 to 131, 134 to 149, 152 to 172 and 183 to 190. These locomotives were nicknamedLittle Brown.
Class Sk2 locomotives were numbered 196 to 213, 314 to 321 and 360 to 372. They were built byTampella. No. 315 is preserved atTampere inTampella.
Finnish Steam Locomotive Class Sk3s were built from 1903 byTammerfors Linne & Jern Manufakt. A.B. They were numbered 173 to 177, 191 to 195, 214 to 221, 334 to 359, 373 to 406 and 427 to 436. These locomotives were nicknamedGrandmothers.
The State Railway Company of the Dutch East Indies (Staatsspoorwegen, SS) inIndonesia operated 83 units of2-6-0tank locomotives of the C12 series, built bySächsische Maschinenfabrik ofChemnitz,Germany in 1896. They were wood-burning locomotives which consumed two cubic metres of wood and 3,500 litres (770 imperial gallons; 920 US gallons) of water for 4½ hours of steam production.
Of these locomotives, 43 survived the invasion byJapan during the Second World War and were still being operated following independence from theNetherlands. They were based inCepu in Indonesia and were used on theCepu-Blora-Purwodadi-Semarang-Bojonegoro-Jatirogo route, now closed.
By the early 1980s, the survivors of the class were in poor condition. One example, C1218 no. 457, was revived in 2002 after twenty-five years, inAmbarawa motive power depot. By mid-2006 it was operational, and since 2009 it was moved to Surakarta, Central Java to haul a chartered steam train across the main street of the heart of Surakarta, namedJaladara.
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Several2-6-0 locomotive classes found usage on Ireland's railways, mainly with freight trains. The first of these would be theGreat Southern and Western RailwayClass 355, which were originally built by theNorth British Locomotive Company as an0-6-0 type in 1903, but later rebuilt into 2-6-0s after problems occurred; they were soon supplemented with the similarClass 368. Some of these locomotives were converted tooil firing and one even for peat-burning.[9]
Later classes of 2-6-0 include theDublin and South Eastern Railwaynos. 15 and 16 (with no. 15 being preserved), and theGreat Southern RailwaysClasses 372 and 393, the latter of which were based on the BritishSECR N Class.
TheFerrovie dello Stato Italiane came to operate more than 5002-6-0 locomotives of theClass 625 for mixed traffic and theClass 640 for light passenger trains. These locomotives, nicknamedLittle Ladies (Signorine), were very successful and several were preserved after the end of regular steam services, with some still operational for heritage trains.
The Class J of theNew Zealand Railways Department (NZR) was its pioneering tender freight locomotive, introduced in 1877 for use in the re-gauged Canterbury region of the South Island. Built by theAvonside Engine Company and other locomotive works in England, they were shipped to New Zealand in kit form. They eventually served all over New Zealand's fledgling rail network on both islands. In time, they were replaced on mainline running as larger power arrived. Many survived into the 1920s as yard shunters and some were converted to tank locomotives.[10]
In 1876 and 1877, the Cape Government Railways (CGR) placed eighteen Mogul locomotives in freight service on the Cape Western system, built byBeyer, Peacock & Company and theAvonside Engine Company. They were designated1st Class when a classification system was adopted. By 1912, three of them survived to be considered obsolete by theSouth African Railways (SAR), designated Class 01 and renumbered by having the numeral 0 prefixed to their existing numbers. All were withdrawn from service by 1916.[11][12][13][14]
Also in 1876, the CGR placed a pair ofStephenson's Patent back-to-back Mogul type side-tank locomotives in service on the Cape Midland system, built byKitson & Company. They were later separated and rebuilt to saddle-tank locomotives for use as shunting engines. When a classification system was introduced, they were designated 1st Class.[14][15]
In 1876 and 1877, the CGR placed eightMogul tender locomotives in service on the Cape Midland system, also built by Kitson & Company. They were all eventually rebuilt to saddle-tank locomotives for use as shunting engines. When a classification system was adopted, they were also designated1st Class.[11][14][15]
In 1877, Whythes & Jackson Limited, contracted by the Natal government for the construction of the line fromDurban toPietermaritzburg, took delivery of two 2-6-0 tank locomotives from Kitson & Company for use during construction. The locomotives were not numbered, but were appropriately namedDurban andPietermaritzburg after the two towns which were to be connected by the new railway. Upon completion of the construction contract at the end of 1880, the locomotives were taken over by theNatal Government Railways (NGR) and in 1893 they were sold to the Selati Railway.[11]
In 1877 and 1878, seven Mogul tank locomotives were also delivered to the NGR by BP, built to the same design as the two contractor's locomotives. Later classified asNGR Class K, they were the first locomotives to be ordered for use on the then newly laid Cape gauge Natal mainline into the interior. One was sold to the East Rand Proprietary Mines and two came into SAR stock in 1912, but remained unclassified as "NGR 2-6-0T Beyer Peacock Sidetank". Although they were considered obsolete, they remained in service as late as 1931.[13][16]
In 1879 and 1880, the CGR placed ten Moguls, built by Beyer, Peacock and Company, in freight service on the Cape Western system. While similar to the locomotives of 1876, their cylinders were mounted at a downward inclination towards the driving wheelset. They were also designated1st Class when a classification system was adopted on the CGR.[11][14]
In 1879, the NGR placed seven2-6-0T locomotives in service. They were subsequently modified to a4-6-0T wheel arrangement and were designated NGR Class G. In 1912, when fifteen of them were assimilated into theSouth African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified toClass C.[17]
In 1891, the CGR placed two Baldwin-built 2-6-0 Mogul locomotives in freight service, the first American locomotives to enter service in South Africa. They were originally designated 5th Class, but the classification was later changed to1st Class. One of them still survived in 1912 and was also designated Class 01 by the SAR. It was withdrawn from service in 1920.[11][13]
In 1900, while theSecond Boer War was still in progress, four 2-6-0T locomotives arrived in the Cape Colony, built by theDickson Manufacturing Company in 1899. Since they bore cab side-plates inscribed "SS-ZAR" and were namedJ.S. Smit,J.J. Spier,L.S. Meyer andC. Birkenstock, they were intended for theNetherlands-South African Railway Company (NZASM) in theZuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR). They were diverted to Indwe Collieries in the Cape Colony and when the CGR later took control of the colliery line, these locomotives were classified as part of the CGR3rd Class. All four survived to come into SAR stock in 1912, when they were classified as Class O3. They were withdrawn by 1915.[13]
Also in 1900, two Mogul saddle-tank locomotives entered shunting service at the Port Elizabeth Harbour,followed by one more in 1903.[13][15]
In 1902, the Zululand Railway Company, contractors for the construction of the North Coast line fromVerulam to theTugela River, acquired two 2-6-0 tender locomotives as construction engines. Upon completion of the line in 1903, the locomotives were taken onto the roster of theNatal Government Railways and designatedClass I.[11]
Between 1902 and 1904,eleven Mogul saddle tank locomotives, built byHunslet Engine Company, were delivered to the Table Bay Harbour Board. All were taken onto the Cape Government Railways roster in 1908 and came into SAR stock in 1912, but were considered obsolete and remained unclassified.[13][15][16]
In 1902, the CGR placed three locomotives with a Mogul wheel arrangement in service on theHopefield2 ft (610 mm)narrow gauge branch line that was being constructed fromKalbaskraal. They were built by Baldwin and were of a standard type that was being used on thenarrow gauge railroads of Maine in the US. A fourth locomotive, identical to the first three, was ordered from the same manufacturer in 1911. In 1912, when these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered with an "NG" prefix to their running numbers. When a system of grouping narrow gauge locomotives into classes was eventually introduced somewhere between 1928 and 1930, they were to be classified asClass NG7 but had already been withdrawn from service.[13][16]
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The Royal State Railway of Siam (RSR(S)), predecessor to theState Railway of Thailand (SRT), had four classes of 2-6-0 type locomotives in its motive power fleet:
The standard gauge Krauss locomotives would receive no gauge conversion with the standardisation of the Thai railways to metre gauge in 1930, and were all scrapped by late March in the same year.[29]
The metre gauge Krauss locomotives had 4 remaining members left around 1938.[30][full citation needed]
The standard gauge Hanomag locomotives, on the other hand, received gauge conversions upon metre gauge standardisation from 1924-28 whenMakkasan works received necessary equipment to conduct rolling stock gauge conversion. These locomotives would run until the 1950s.[31]
The C56s brought to Thailand would later be inherited by the State Railway of Thailand, and several of these would be preserved.[32] Two Thai C56 locomotives have been repatriated to Japan: they are nos.C56 31—still with its Thai ABC[a] coupler intact, and C56 44, respectively nos. 725 and 735 of the Thai railways.[33]
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Nos. 713 and 715 have been retained in working order for the annualson et lumière show at theRiver Kwai bridge.[33]
In the United Kingdom, where locomotives are generally smaller than in the US, the2-6-0 was found to be a good wheel arrangement formixed-traffic locomotives.
Circa 1870, one 2-6-0T engine was built for theGarstang and Knot-End Railway.[34] The first unsuccessfulexamples were fifteen locomotives built to a design ofWilliam Adams for theGreat Eastern Railway in 1878–79.[35]
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TheMidland and South Western Junction Railway acquired two examples built to an Australian design byBeyer, Peacock and Company in 1895 and 1897.
A long strike by workers throughout the British engineering industry in 1898/1899 led to a backlog of locomotive orders. This led leading British companies to place orders with American builders for standard light general-purpose locomotives adapted to British requirements. In 1899, theMidland Railway (MR), theGreat Northern Railway (GNR) and theGreat Central Railway (GCR) all purchased examples from theBaldwin Locomotive Works in the US.[35] The MR also bought ten fromSchenectady Locomotive Works at the same time.[2] In the United States, the 2-6-0 was already the common design for this sort of engine, and these imports were to be very influential in introducing the wheel arrangement to the United Kingdom.
At the time of theGrouping in 1923, 2-6-0 locomotives were already operated by theGreat Western Railway (2600 and4300 classes of 1900 and 1911 respectively), theCaledonian Railway (34 class, 1912), theLondon, Brighton and South Coast Railway (K class, 1913), theGlasgow and South Western Railway (403 class, 1915), the GNR (H2, H3 andH4 classes, 1920), and theSouth Eastern and Chatham Railway (N class, 1922).
Several of these designs continued to be built by theBig Four after 1923, and several new and successful designs were introduced so that the 2-6-0 became the principal type for medium-loaded mixed-traffic duties. Notable new designs included theLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway’sHughes Crab (1926), theSouthern Railway'sU class (1928), theStanier Mogul (1934), theIvatt Class 2 (1946), theIvatt Class 4 (1947), theLondon and North Eastern Railway’sClass K4 (1937) and theThompson/Peppercorn K1 class which were built in 1949–50 after the nationalisation ofBritish Railways.
British Railways continued to build the Ivatt and Thompson/Peppercorn designs and then introduced three standard designs, based on the Ivatt classes. These were theStandard Class 2 in 1952, theStandard Class 4 in 1952 and theStandard Class 3 in 1954. 2-6-0 locomotives continued to be built until 1957 and the last ones were withdrawn from service in 1968.[36]
The first true2-6-0s with single-axle swivelling leading trucks were built in the United States in 1860 for theLouisville and Nashville Railroad. TheNew Jersey Locomotive and Machine Company built their first 2-6-0 in 1861, as thePassaic for theCentral Railroad of New Jersey. TheErie Railroad followed in 1862 with the first large order of this locomotive type. In 1863,Rogers Locomotive & Machine Works built more for theNew Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company.
TheBaltimore & Ohio (B&O) no. 600, a2-6-0 Mogul built at the B&O'sMount Clare Shops in 1875, won first prize the following year at the1876 Centennial Exposition inPhiladelphia.[37] It is preserved at theB&O Railroad Museum, housed in the former Mount Clare shops inBaltimore.[38]
Well over 11,000 Moguls were constructed in the United States by the time production had ended in 1910.[39] Very few of these classic steam locomotives still exist, most of them having been scrapped as newer, faster and more powerful steam engines were developed in the twentieth century. TheUSRA standard designs of 1918 did not include a2-6-0.
Five notable 2-6-0 locomotives are still in operation in the United States.
Preserved non-operating examples include:
