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Under theWhyte notation for the classification ofsteam locomotives,2-6-2 represents thewheel arrangement of twoleading wheels, six coupleddriving wheels and twotrailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called aPrairie.
The majority of American 2-6-2s weretender locomotives, but inEuropetank locomotives, described as2-6-2T, were more common. The first 2-6-2 tender locomotives for aNorth American customer were built byBrooks Locomotive Works in 1900 for theChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, for use on the Midwestern prairies. The type was thus nicknamed the Prairie in North American practice. This name was often also used forBritish locomotives with this wheel arrangement.
As with the2-10-2, 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.[1]
In New South Wales a class of twenty locomotives, theZ26 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 principal 2-6-2T locomotives which were built for the2 ft 6 in (762 mm)narrow gauge system of theVictorian Railways (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 theWangaratta and Walhalla. When the VR decided to close the Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook narrow gauge route in the mid-1950s, enthusiasts mounted a successful campaign to retain the line as a preservation project. Today, thePuffing Billy Railway is one of Victoria's main tourist attractions has a fleet of saved and modified 2-6-2T engines on its active steam roster and.[2]
TheSilverton Tramway operated two2-6-2T locomotives from 1891, both of which are preserved in South Australia.
Queensland Railways operated one 2-6-2 tender engine of the B161⁄2 class. It was built in August 1918 by theNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops 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.
TheBelgian State Railways ordered 91 inside-cylinder 2-6-2tank engines between 1878 and 1881 (Belgian State Railways Type 4) with large drivers and side tanks longer than the boiler.[3] They hauled commuter trains and fast trains on short lines. Some of them survived the war and were used on local trains until 1930.[4]
AfterWorld War I, 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 2-6-2Saddle tank engines from theRailway Operating Division (Belgian State Railways Type 22, laterSNCB Type 57) and used them for switching and light freight trains until the 1960s.[5]
Tank locomotives with this wheel arrangement spread very quickly in Germany after the good Austrian experience with the Series 30. TheWürttembergische T 5, theBadische VI b and theBadische VI c as well as the saxonSächsische XIV HT, all developed before theFirst World War, were successful designs, many locomotives of these series were used well into the 1960s. Only the prussianT6 was a bad design, the few examples were taken out of service shortly after the First World War. From 1928 theDeutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft procured over 500 units of theirclass 64standard steam locomotives. Private railways such as theEutin-Lübeck Railway with locomotives11 to 14 also procured tank locomotives with this wheel arrangement in the interwar period.
In contrast, the first tender locomotives were initially unsuccessful. TheOldenburgische 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. TheBadische IV g fromBaden was a downright faulty construction, neither performing well on flat ground nor on theSchwarzwaldbahn. The Baden State Railways gave away the five copies in 1918 in the course of deliveries after theArmistice of Compiègne 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.
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It was not until 1941 that the Deutsche Reichsbahn received prairie tender locomotives again. Theseries 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 prussianP8, but theSecond World War made these plans obsolete in favor of urgently required freight locomotives. After the war, both theDeutsche Bundesbahn with theDB class 23 and theDeutsche Reichsbahn in the GDR with theDR 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.
The most numerous steam locomotive type used in Hungary was theMÁV class 324 [hu]2-6-2, built from 1909 onwards, which were still at work in the last days of steam.
TheHungarian State Railways (MÁV) also ran three important classes of 2-6-2tank engines. These were the largeMÁV class 342 [hu] class built from 1917, and the smallerMÁV class 375 [hu] andMÁV class 376 [hu].
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With the successful railway line construction between Djocjakarta (Yogyakarta)–Magelang in 1902, Magelang–Setjang (Secang)–Ambarawa in 1903–1905 and branch line between Setjang–Temangoeng (Temanggung)–Parakan in 1907,Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (NIS) as a private railway company ofDutch East Indies (nowIndonesia) felt the need of new locomotives as a complement to their0-6-0T NIS Class 250 which had been operational beforehand. They ordered a new special 2-6-2T from (Werkspoor, N.V.,Amsterdam), Netherlands with specifications has a maximum axle weight of 10 tons with an effectivetractive force of 5000 kg, could pass on the3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gaugeRiggenbachrack line between Jambu–Bedono–Gemawang which has 6.5% incline with 8 carriages or wagons at a speed of 30 km/h (18.6 mph) and could pull 200 wagons on flat line also at a speed of 30 km/h. In addition, it has 3sight glasses with a function to keep the water at the specified level when passing 6.5% grade which prevent any hazardous condition.
The NIS received 15 units of their 2-6-2T, classified as NIS Class 270 (271–285) and came in two batches in 1909–1912. The NIS Class 270 were the most modern locomotives of the time, surpassing the capabilities of many NIS locomotives which were manufactured by Germans. These NIS 2-6-2Ts were the firstsuperheated engine, a split-teak wood burner, usingWalschaert's steam flow systems andBelpaire type firebox. The smokestack is equipped with dumper valve which could be opened using a motor servo connected to the driver's cabin. The temperature measurement in the firebox using a remote sensing pyrometer made bySteinle & Hartug and placed in the superheater box, while the dial could be read from the cabin. The cylinder engine lubrication system using an eight-joint system by Alex Friedmann fromVienna, Austria. The brake systems could be said complicated at the time, using hand brake, steam cylinder brake,Exter type emergency brake andRiggenbach type rear pressure brake. These locomotives dominated the Temanggung–Parakan line along with the NIS Class 250 counterparts, they could also be operated on steep rack line between Jambu–Bedono–Gemawang that could only be passed by rack locomotive just like0-4-2T NIS Class 230 (DKA B25). Apart from operating on those lines, NIS Class 270 also operated on theSemarang–Gundih toSurabaya lines. DuringSecond World War, the NIS Class 270 were renumbered as C24 by the Japanese and one unit of them was damaged during the war.[6][7] After Indonesian Independence, by their railway administrative PJKA orPerusahaan Jawatan Kereta Api still placed them mainly at Jogja/Yogya area and around 1970s they were also dispersed aroundCentral Java such asPurwokerto.[8][9] The closure of the Yogyakarta-Magelang-Parakan and Ambarawa lines put an end to the duties of many C24 locomotives, from 14 of them only C24 07 is preserved atAmbarawa Railway Museum.
Staatsspoorwegen (SS) imported 442-6-2Ts fromHanomag,Hohenzollern,Borsig andWerkspoor came in 1929–1930 and classified as SS Class 1700. These SS 1700s were needed by SS to fulfil congested volume of passenger and freight traffics on mountain lines ofWest Java, especially onBandung–Banjar line. SS forced to postpone the purchase of new locomotives from Europe for South and West Sumatra divisions due toGreat Depression in 1929. As a result, 23 units were allocated toSouth Sumatra and 3 units toWest Sumatra.[6] The SS 1700s were designated as universal locomotive, they could be used to work freight and passenger trains on both branch and main lines. In addition, these modern locomotives have 660 horsepower (hp) output could work on both flat and mountain lines, 10.796 mm long, have 1.350 mm driving wheels diameter and could gain speeds of 75 kilometres per hour (46.6 miles per hour).[10][11] During Japanese occupation in 1942–1945, the SS 1700 were renumbered as C30 class and many of these locomotives were brought by them toMalay Peninsula andIndochina just like Singapore and Cambodia while 3 units of them were moved to Muaro–Pekanbaru death railway line inSumatra. Furthermore, those to which Japanese transferred abroad had been re-gauged to1,000 mm, and most of them had been scrapped after the war ended.[11] Currently, only C3065 and C3082 are on display at Transportation Museum ofTaman Mini Indonesia Indah andLubuklinggau.[7] While a locomotive that is also suspected of being a C30 class was also found as a monument in front of a pagoda inPhnom Penh,Cambodia in a derelict condition.
TheFerrovie dello Stato Italiane (Italian State Railways) built the 151-strong compoundFS Class 680 for express trains from 1907 to 1911. TheFS 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).[12]
A fleet of five tank engines, built byManning Wardle ofLeeds in England, were supplied to New Zealand in 1884–85. The privateWellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) used them for construction, maintenance and local service work. Three were later taken over as theNew Zealand Railways (NZR)WH class in 1908.
The second batch of Prairie locomotives was built to an order for theNew Zealand Railways Department, with the initial order for ten being let toNasmyth, Wilson and Company ofManchester,England. This later became theNZR V class 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.
In 1885,Baldwin Locomotive Works built New Zealand's fourth batch of Prairie locomotives. These were to become theNZR 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 byWalschaerts valve gear. 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'sNA class andNC class, with two units each.
The NZR'sAddington Workshops joined the list of Prairie suppliers in 1889, producing the first of twoNZR W class tank engines. These were followed between 1892 and 1901 with eleven similarNZR WA class tank engines.
Baldwin followed this up with ten similarNZR WB class Prairie tank engines in 1898.
In 1930–31, after nearly thirty years of4-6-2 Pacific and4-6-4 Baltic locomotive production, New Zealand dusted off its Prairie plans with the release into service of twenty-fourNZR C class 2-6-2 locomotives, designed primarily for shunting and branch line work.
The H. Cegielski Metal Works in Poznań produced 122 OKl27 class2-6-2T 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 2-6-2tender locomotives for the PKP.
Romania designed the 131.000 Class to replace the older Hungarian MAV locomotives used onCăile Ferate Române (CFR) secondary lines. A total of 67 locomotives were built atReşiţa Works between 1939 and 1942, numbered 131.001 to 131.067.[13]
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' meansusilenny 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.
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 andboxpok 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 17 feet (5.182 metres) loading gauge, combined to give the locomotives a uniquely Russian appearance.[14][15]
The world's first 2-6-2 Prairie type locomotives were also the first locomotives to enter service on the newCape gauge mainline of theCape Government Railways. 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 theCape 2nd Class.[16]
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In 1901, the Zululand Railway Company, contracted for the construction of the Natal North Coast line fromVerulam to theTugela River, acquired one 2-6-2 side-tank locomotive as construction engine fromBaldwin Locomotive Works. Upon completion of the line in 1903, the locomotive was taken onto the roster of theNatal Government Railways and was designatedClass I.[16]
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The first four Prairie locomotives built for theCape Government Railways (CGR) byNeilson, Reid and Company, later designatedClass 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.[16]
With an improved design of bissel truck, two more CGR locomotives which were ordered fromKitson and Company 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 designatedClass 6Y.[16][17]
Switzerland had four classes of2-6-2 tank locomotives.
In 1997, the MThB no. 3 was used as the prototype for the locomotive in the animated20th Century Fox motion pictureAnastasia, where it was given the appearance of a Soviet Union continental locomotive numbered 2747.
The first United Kingdom 2-6-2 tender locomotive was the unsuccessful prototypeMidland Railway Paget locomotive of 1908.[23] Thereafter, the wheel arrangement was rare ontender locomotives, with the exception of two classes on theLondon and North Eastern Railway. These were theClass V2 andClass V4 mixed traffic locomotives which totalled 186 locomotives between them.[24]
In contrast, 2-6-2T locomotives were very widely used on suburban passenger services, particularly by theGreat Western Railway (GWR), who built four main classes between 1903 and 1947. These include the 'Large Prairies' (5100,3150 and6100 classes), the 'Small Prairies' (4400,4500 and4575 classes) and the non-standard3901 class rebuilt from0-6-0 tender engines.
TheRailway Operating Division received 70 2-6-2saddle tank engines built byBaldwin Locomotive Works in theUnited States. They were shipped toFrance and used near the front line. These engines, nicknamed "tortoises" were probably inspired by the saddle tanks used onforest railways in the USA; they had very small drivers and could run tight curves. After the war, all remaining engines (63) were sold to theBelgian State Railways. The rest was probably destroyed during the war and some of them may have been cannibalised for spares.
SirHenry Fowler of theLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) introduced a successful2-6-2T class in 1930, which became the basis of further similar classes byStanier in 1935 andIvatt in 1946.
SirNigel Gresley of theLondon and North Eastern Railway (LNER) introduced hisV1 and V3 classes in 1930.
The last new 2-6-2T locomotives in Britain were theBR Standard Class 2 2-6-2T, built between 1953 and 1957. The design derived from the earlierLMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T.
The 2-6-2T layout was popular for largenarrow gauge engines, but the design was modified to allow the use of afirebox much wider than thetrack gauge. Astandard gauge 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 theWelsh Highland Railway'sRussell and theVale of Rheidol Railway locomotives.
The2 ft (610 mm) gaugeSandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad in Franklin County, Maine, was a major narrow gauge2-6-2 user.
In the United States, the type evolved from the2-6-0 (Mogul) configuration. TheAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (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 thecompound cylinder plumbing and instability at speed. The former problem was solved by converting them to simplex two-cylinder locomotives; the latter problem required new4-6-2 (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 newer, more efficient steam locomotives 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.
In 1902, the AT&SF had a 2-6-2 with a high, at the time, boiler pressure of 220 pounds per square inch (1,517 kilopascals), mounted on a large 41-square-foot (3.8-square-meter) fire grate.[1]
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 69-inch (1,753-millimeter) drivers. The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern operated locomotives with 80-inch (2,032-millimeter) 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.[1]
