All the locomotives listed here actually operated at one time or another on a North American railroad. This includes common carriers, elevated railways,cog railways and logging roads.
Whyte's system of classification is used to describe the wheel arrangementof conventional steam locomotives. In this system, the first number is thenumber of leading wheels, and the last is the number of trailing wheels. The middle number (or numbers) give the number and arrangement of drivers.
A "T"at the end indicates a tank engine. The system normally used to describe diesel-electric locomotives has also been used here for steam turbine electric locomotives. In this system,non-powered axles are given as numbers and powered axles are given as letters.There is no standard system of classification for geared locomotives such as Shays, Heislers and Climaxes. Instead, a brief description is given for each.
Arrangement Name Notes
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0-2-2-0 The locomotives of the Mt. Washington
Cog Railroad are examples of this type.
0-4-0 Four-coupled
0-4-2T
0-4-4T Forney four-coupled
0-4-4-0
0-4-6T Forney four-coupled
0-6-0 Six-coupled
0-6-2
0-6-4T Forney six-coupled
0-6-6T Forney six-coupled
0-6-6-0 First example built 1904 for the
Baltimore & Ohio. It was this first Mallet
articulated built in the U.S.
0-8-0 Eight-coupled
0-8-2 Many examples of this type were 2-8-2's
that had been modified for yard work.
0-8-8-0
0-10-0 Ten-coupled
0-10-2 Union Five examples built in 1936 for the
Union Railroad of Pittsburgh.
0-12-0 One example built in 1863 for the
Philadelpia & Reading.
2-2-0 Planet
2-2-2 Single
2-2-4T
2-4-0
2-4-2 Columbia First examples shown at the 1893 Columbian
exposition in Chicago.
2-4-4T
2-4-4-0
2-4-4-2
2-4-6T
2-6-0 Mogul
2-6-2 Prairie First examples built in 1900 for the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy.
2-6-4 Adriatic
2-6-6T
2-6-6-0
2-6-6-2
2-6-6-4
2-6-6-6 Allegheny First examples built for the Chesapeake &
Ohio in 1941.
Blue Ridge (Virginian)
2-6-8-0 The Southern and the Great Northern
had the sole examples of this type.
2-8-0 Consolidation First example built 1866 for the
Lehigh Valley, which had recently merged
in several smaller roads.
2-8-2 Mikado First examples built 1897 by Baldwin for
export to Mike Japan.
MacArthur (World War II era)
2-8-4 Berkshire First example built 1925 by the Lima
Locomotive works. Early tests were on the
Boston & Albany.
Kanawha (Chesapeake & Ohio)
2-8-8-0
2-8-8-2 Chesapeake (Chesapeake & Ohio)
2-8-8-4 Yellowstone First examples built in 1928 for the
Northern Pacific.
2-8-8-8-2 Triplex First example built in 1913 for the Erie.
Wheel arrangement also supported the tender.
2-8-8-8-4 Triplex One example built in 1919 for the Virginian.
Wheel arrangement also supported the tender.
2-10-0 Decapod First two examples built 1867 for the Lehigh
Valley.
2-10-2 Santa Fe First examples built in 1903 for the
Santa Fe.
Central (Illinois Central)
Decapod (Southern Pacific)
2-10-4 Texas First examples built in 1925 for the
Texas & Pacific.
Colorado (Burlington)
Selkirk (Canadian Pacific)
2-10-10-2
4-2-0 Six wheeler
Jervis John B. Jervis, of the Mohawk & Hudson,
invented this type in 1832.
4-2-2 Bicycle
4-2-4
4-4-0 American
Eight wheeler
4-4-2 Atlantic Aside from two examples built in 1887
and 1888, first examples built in 1895
for the Atlantic Coast Line.
Chautauqua
4-4-4 Reading First examples built in 1915 for the Reading.
Jubilee (Canadian Pacific)
4-4-4-4 Baltimore & Ohio (Baltimore & Ohio)
One example built in 1937 for the
Baltimore & Ohio. 52 examples built in
1942 and 1945 by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
4-4-6 Four-coupled double-ender
4-4-6-2 Two examples built in 1909 for the Santa Fe.
4-4-6-4 26 examples built in 1944 by the Pennsylvania
Railroad.
4-6-0 Ten wheeler
4-6-2 Pacific Early examples built by Baldwin for
New Zealand railways in 1901.
4-6-4 Hudson First examples built 1927 for the
New York Central.
Baltic (Milwaukee Road)
Shore Line (New Haven)
4-6-4-4 One example built in 1942 by the
Pennsylvania Railroad.
4-6-6T
4-6-6-2
4-6-6-4 Challenger
4-8-0 Twelve wheeler
Mastodon An early example, named Mastodon, was built
by the Central Pacific in 1882.
4-8-2 Mountain First examples built in 1911 for the
Chesapeake & Ohio.
Mohawk (New York Central)
4-8-4 Northern Aside from one example built in 1921
for the Santa Fe, the first examples were
built in 1927 for the Northern Pacific.
Confederation (Canadian National)
Dixie (Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis and
other Southern Roads)
Golden State (Southern Pacific)
Greenbriar (Chesapeake & Ohio)
Montana (what railroad?)
Niagara (New York Central)
Niagra (Nacionales de Mexico)
Pocono (Lackawanna)
Potomac (Western Maryland)
Wyoming (Lehigh Valley)
4-8-8-2 X Examples built 19xx for the Southern
Pacific
4-8-8-4 Big Boy 25 examples built in 1941 for the Union
Pacifc.
4-10-0 Mastodon First example, named El Gobernador, built
in 1883 by the Central Pacifc.
4-10-2 Southern Pacific
Overland (Union Pacific)
4-12-2 Union Pacific 88 examples built starting in 1926 for the
Union Pacific.
6-2-0 Crampton Three examples built in 1849 for the Camden
& Amboy.
6-4-4-6 Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania) One example built in 1939 by
the Pennsylvania Railroad.
6-8-6 Steam turbine, direct drive. One example
built in 1944 for the Pennsylvania.
2+C+C+2 Steam turbine electric. Flash boiler.
One example built in 1938 for the
Union Pacific.
2+D+2+D+2 Steam turbine electric. Three examples built
in 1949 for the Chesapeake & Ohio.
C+C+C+C Jawn Henry Steam turbine electric. One example built in
1955 for the Norfolk & Western.
2-truck Shay Geared. 4-wheel trucks.
3-truck Shay Geared. 4-wheel trucks.
4-truck Shay Geared. 4-wheel trucks.
Heisler Geared.
2-truck Climax Geared.
3-truck Climax Geared.
References
___-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Abdill, George B. A Locomotive Engineer's Album. New York:
Bonanza Books, 1965.
Alexander, Edwin P. Iron Horses: American Steam Locomotives,
1829-1900. New York: Bonanza Books, 1941.
Alexander, Edwin P. The Pennsylvania Railroad: A Pictorial History.
New York: Bonanza Books, 1947.
Alexander, Edwin P. American Steam Locomotives: A Pictorial Record of
Steam Power, 1900-1950. New York: Bonanza Books, 1950.
Comstock, Henry B. The Iron Horse. Galahad Press, 1971.Holbrook,
Stewart H. The Story of American Railroads. New York: Crown Publishers,
1947.
Keefe, Kevin P. ABC's of Railroading. Trains Magazine, May 1991.
MacBride, H. A. Trains Rolling. New York: MacMillan, 1953.
Morgan, David P. Steam's Finest Hour. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Books, 1959.
Morgan, David P. The Mohawk that Refused to Abdicate. Milwaukee:
Kalmbach Books, 1975.
Locomotive & Railway Preservation Magazine
Railroad Magazine
Trains Magazine
--
... Been There, Done That, Bought the Shirt
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
