2-6-6-2
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Under the
Whyte notation The 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 twenti ...
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, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...
s by
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 ...
, a is a locomotive with one pair of unpowered
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, followed by two sets of three pairs of powered
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 t ...
s and one pair of
trailing wheel On a steam locomotive, a trailing wheel or trailing axle is generally an unpowered wheel or axle (Wheelset (rail transport), wheelset) located behind the driving wheels. The axle of the trailing wheels is usually located in a trailing Bogie, t ...
s. The wheel arrangement was principally used on Mallet-type
articulated locomotive An articulated locomotive is a steam locomotive (rarely, an electric locomotive) with one or more engine units that can move independently of the main frame. Articulation allows the operation of locomotives that would otherwise be too large to ...
s, although some tank locomotive examples were also built. A
Garratt locomotive A Garratt locomotive is a type of articulated steam locomotive invented by the engineer Herbert William Garratt that is articulated into three parts. Its boiler, firebox, and cab are mounted on a centre frame or "bridge". The two other p ...
or Golwé locomotive with the same wheel arrangement is designated since both engine units are pivoting. Under the
UIC classification The UIC classification of locomotive axle arrangements, sometimes known as the German classification''The Railway Data File''. Leicester: Silverdale, 2000. p. 52. . or German system,Kalla-Bishop P.M. & Greggio, Luciano, ''Steam Locomotives'', Cr ...
the wheel arrangement is referred to as (1'C)C1' for Mallet locomotives.


Overview

The first locomotives of the 2-6-6-2 wheel arrangement were built in 1906 by the Great Northern Railway to permit longer trains on their heavily graded line over the Cascade Mountains.Drury, p. 181. They were a refinement of the first North American Mallets,
0-6-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a wheel arrangement refers to a locomotive with two engine units mounted under a rigid locomotive frame, with the front engine unit pivoting and each engine unit with six coup ...
engines built for the
Baltimore & Ohio The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 until 1987, when it was merged into the Chessie ...
in 1904, with leading and trailing trucks to allow higher speeds in road service or as a "light engine" returning from helper duty. In North America the 2-6-6-2 wheel arrangement was most often used for articulated compound steam
Mallet locomotive A Mallet locomotive is a type of compound locomotive, compound articulated locomotive, articulated steam locomotive, invented by the Swiss engineer Anatole Mallet (1837–1919). The front of the locomotive is articulated on a bogie. The Compou ...
s. In a compound Mallet, the rear set of coupled wheels are driven by the smaller high pressure cylinders, from which spent steam is then fed to the larger low pressure cylinders that drive the front set of coupled wheels. Compounding Steam Engines Compound engines of this type continued to be built until 1923, with a repeat order for 10 engines by the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Rich ...
in 1949. Two non-compound engines were built for the Baltimore & Ohio in 1930, and both standard and narrow gauge engines for the
National Railways of Mexico National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
in the 1930s.
Chesapeake and Ohio 1309 Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 1309 (officially nicknamed Maryland Thunder) is a preserved compound Articulated locomotive, articulated H-6 class 2-6-6-2 "Mallet locomotive, Mallet" steam locomotive. It was the very last steam locomotive for do ...
is now operating on
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR) is a heritage railway, heritage railroad based in Cumberland, Maryland, that operates passenger excursion trains and occasional freight trains using both Steam locomotive, steam and diesel locomotive, ...
after a restoration completed in December 2020. It operated on its first excursion in December 2021. North American builders also produced such engines for service on logging railroads, and for export to
Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...
, Serbia, India, and South Africa. Additional examples were built by
North British Locomotive Works The North British Locomotive Company (NBL, NB Loco or North British) was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp, Stewart and Company (Atlas Works), Neilson, Reid and Company (Hyde Park ...
for South Africa, and a single experimental engine by the Soviet Union.


Usage


United States: standard gauge except as noted

The Locomotive Dictionary edition of 1916 illustrates engines built by Baldwin for the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Railroad classes, Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight tra ...
and by the
American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...
for the
Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced financi ...
. In the 1922 edition the type is shown only in the category "Foreign and Industrial Locomotives". "Super Power" steam locomotives with feedwater heaters and four wheel trailing trucks were introduced in 1925, allowing greater firebox area and higher horsepower. The 2-6-6-2 wheel arrangement was essentially outmoded for mainline engines built after that time.


Early engines by Burnham, Williams & Co. / Baldwin

The first American locomotives of this wheel arrangement were five engines built in 1906 for the
Great Northern Railway (U.S.) The Great Northern Railway was an American Class I railroad. Running from Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, it was the creation of 19th-century Canadian-American railroad entrepreneur James Jerome Hill, James ...
by Burnham, Williams & Co., a predecessor of
Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...
, as class L-1. Baldwin 2-6-6-2's of the 1906-1910 period fall into three basic design groups, with a handful of single orders in the 1910-1912 period. The Baldwin engines built in this period used saturated steam, as the
superheater A superheater is a device used to convert saturated steam or wet steam into superheated steam or dry steam. Superheated steam is used in steam turbines for electricity generation, in some steam engines, and in processes such as steam reforming. ...
had not come into general use. With two exceptions noted below, driving wheels were 55" to 57" in diameter. The trailing wheels were for guidance rather than to permit use of a larger firebox as was the case in later engines.


=Hill Road "large" engines, 21-1/2" by 32" HP cylinders, 33" x 32" LP cylinders, 78 sq. ft. grate area

= The initial group of five GN class L-1 engines were initially assigned to helper service in the
Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as many of those in the ...
. Twenty more class L-1s were built in 1907–08, three of which were diverted to the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwest, Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, CB&Q, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of ...
. These engines conformed to Great Northern preference for boilers with
Belpaire firebox The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium in 1864. Today it generally refers to the shape of the outer shell of the firebox which is approximately flat at the top and s ...
es. Five more were built for the CB&Q in 1908. The CB&Q converted both groups to
0-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and no trailing wheels. Locomotives of this type are also referre ...
switch engines in 1926–27. The
Northern Pacific Railroad The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...
acquired 16 similar engines in 1907.


=Hill Road "small" engines, 20" by 30" HP cylinders, 31" x 30" LP cylinders, 53.4 sq. ft. grate area

= In addition to the class L-1s, Great Northern purchased 45 lighter engines, class L-2, in 1907–08. The
Northern Pacific Railroad The Northern Pacific Railway was an important American transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the Western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest between 1864 and 1970. It was approved and chartered b ...
acquired 6 engines, again similar to the Great Northern engines, in 1910.


=23" x 32" HP cylinders, 32" x 32" LP cylinders

= The
Clinchfield Railroad The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina. The 35-mile segmen ...
purchased a single 2-6-6-2 from Baldwin in 1909, which was scrapped in 1938. The
Western Maryland Railroad The Western Maryland Railway was a small American Class I railroad (1852–1983) that operated in 3 Southern US States, Maryland ( Western Region), West Virginia ( Eastern Region), and Pennsylvania (Southern Region) in the Allegheny Regions of ...
acquired nine 2-6-6-2 engines in 1909-11 for pusher service. In 1931 their leading and trailing trucks were removed, resulting in an
0-6-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a wheel arrangement refers to a locomotive with two engine units mounted under a rigid locomotive frame, with the front engine unit pivoting and each engine unit with six coup ...
wheel arrangement, and they were used in yard service. The last was retired in 1951. The
Chicago Great Western Railroad The Chicago Great Western Railway was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, and Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas City. It was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as a regional line between Saint Paul, Minn ...
purchased ten 2-6-6-2 engines from Baldwin in 1910, which they sold to the
Clinchfield Railroad The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina. The 35-mile segmen ...
in 1916. The Clinchfield scrapped them in 1925.


=Miscellaneous

= The Clinchfield purchased ten larger engines in 1910: 24" x 32" high pressure and 37" x 32" low pressure cylinders. The latter were rebuilt in 1923, notably including superheaters, and continued to operate until 1952. The Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad, part of the
Texas and New Orleans Railroad The Texas and New Orleans Railroad (TNO) was an American rail company in Texas and Louisiana. It operated of railroad in 1934; by 1961, remained when it merged with parent company Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific. Morgan's Louisian ...
, a subsidiary of the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...
, purchased twelve engines with 21.5" x 30" high pressure and 33" x 30" low pressure cylinders in 1910, which they dubbed "Mogul Mallets". They were retired in 1929–30. Five engines built in 1912 for the Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf Railroad, later
Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway The Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway (“KO&G”) had at its height 310.5 miles of track from Denison, Texas through Oklahoma to Baxter Springs, Kansas. Its various predecessor companies built the line between 1904 and 1913. The railroad was c ...
were slightly smaller. The most unusual engines of this wheel arrangement were the twelve
cab-forward The term cab forward refers to various rail and road vehicle designs that place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than is common practice. Rail locomotives In steam locomotive design, a cab-forward design will ...
examples built for the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...
, class MM-2, in 1912. Like all cab-forward engines they were oil fired; they had 63" drive wheels, 25" x 28" high pressure and 38" x 28" low pressure cylinders. They were intended for passenger service but proved unstable at speed. One derailed while pulling the Overland Limited at Applegate, California in 1912, and they were soon converted to 4-6-6-2 by replacing the front truck with a four-wheel design, and re-designated class AM-2. A ca-1915 catalog of the
Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railway locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, Eddystone in the early 20th century. The com ...
lists nine sizes of standard gauge 2-6-6-2 locomotives, along with four sizes available in either 36" or meter gauge. Measurements are given in English measure as in the original catalog. The 210 pound boiler pressure on line 6, "Maximorum", is doubtful. The two largest narrow gauge engines are outside frame designs. The "code words" are an example of a commercial code commonly used in
telegrams Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...
between the home office of an organization and its branches or clients to minimize communication costs and reduce the chance of errors.


Engines with jointed boilers

In 1910 the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...
built its first 2-6-6-2, number 1157, from a pair of
2-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Prairie. Overview The maj ...
Prairie engines in its shops in
Topeka Topeka ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeaste ...
, Kansas. Two more, numbers 1158 and 1159, were built by Baldwin. These three had two boiler sections connected by joints. Thirty eight additional engines built by Baldwin had rigid boilers. Ten additional 2-6-6-2 engines were built by Baldwin for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in 1910. They had a rigid two-section boiler with a
feedwater heater A feedwater heater is a power plant component used to pre-heat water delivered to a steam generating boiler. Preheating the feedwater reduces the irreversibilities involved in steam generation and therefore improves the thermodynamic efficiency o ...
occupying the front half, and were designed to burn low quality
lignite Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered the lowest ...
coal. Unlike previous engines they had 64" driving wheels. They primarily worked in the
Black Hills The Black Hills is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk Peak, which rises to , is the range's highest summit. The name of the range ...
.


1910 to 1917 engines, primarily Alco

American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...
produced groups of 2-6-6-2 locomotives for several railroads in the period from 1910 to 1917. Commonly each railroad would buy a small lot; satisfied customers would order more, typically with improvements to meet their specific requirements. After 1911 superheaters were generally employed to improve efficiency. Alco built these locomotives at its Schenectady and Brooks plants in New York state, and at Richmond, Virginia. Four roads furnished the majority of the orders.


=Boston & Albany and New York Central

= A subsidiary of the
New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...
, the
Boston and Albany Railroad The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The mainline is currently used by CSX for freight a ...
acquired one 2-6-6-2 type, numbered 1249, from the Schenectady Works of
Alco The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...
in 1910. It was subsequently transferred to the NYC and renumbered 1375. Similar, but slightly heavier engines 1300 to 1312 were built between 1912 and 1917. These and subsequent engines were equipped with stokers. All were retired between 1930 and 1932. They were primarily used to haul freight trains out of the Connecticut River Valley in both directions from Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1912 the
New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...
also purchased 25 similar engines, numbers 1375 to 1399. They purchased additional engines 1349 to 1373 in 1917 and engines 1339 to 1348 in 1920–21. These engines initially had a similar role to the B&A engines hauling freight trains up West Albany Hill out of the Hudson River valley. After completion of the Alfred H. Smith Memorial Bridge in 1924, traffic from New England no longer descended into the valley and fewer such engines were needed at Albany. Some were reassigned to branch lines in Pennsylvania and southeastern Ohio and used to pull trains of coal. Forty-four of these engines were also scrapped between 1932 and 1934; the remaining 16 were renumbered 1933 to 1948 in 1936 and remained in service until after the end of World War II. The last were retired in November, 1952. All of the 1300 series engines of both roads had a total weight in working order of 363,800 pounds (approximately 165 tonnes) and a coupled length of 85 feet, inches (26.09 meters). The NYC engines built before 1920 had oil headlamps mounted on the front frame of the locomotive, rather than the traditional location on the front surface of the boiler. In 1920 the
Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later Trucking industry in the United States, truc ...
required that road locomotives be fitted with electric headlights and both Pyle-National and Sunbeam units were fitted, in some cases on the front of the boiler.


=Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh

= The
Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad The Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway was one of the more than ten thousand Railway company, railroad companies founded in North America. It lasted much longer than most, serving communities from the Charlotte, Rochester, New York, shor ...
purchased 55 locomotives, numbers 700 to 754, between 1914 and 1923. When this railroad was merged into the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...
in 1932, they were kept and renumbered 7700 to 7754.


=Chesapeake and Ohio

= The
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Rich ...
ordered its first 2-6-6-2 engine in 1910, from the Schenectady plant of Alco, and a second was purchased used from the
Chicago and Alton Railroad The Alton Railroad was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago to Alton, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri. Its predecessor, the Chicago and Alton Railroad , was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1931 an ...
. Repeated orders through 1923, and a final order in 1949, brought a total of 250 engines to the roster. Twenty of these were USRA engines, discussed below. In addition, 25 engines built for the Hocking Valley Railroad in 1917 were acquired through merger in 1930. C&O engines 1300 to 1309, built in 1949, were the first significant group built to this wheel arrangement for U.S. use in 25 years. They were also the last steam locomotives built by Baldwin for a U.S. railroad.


=Norfolk and Western

= In 1912 the
Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...
purchased 15 copies of the Chesapeake and Ohio engine from the Richmond plant of
Alco The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...
, which they designated as Class Z. 175 improved engines, Class Z-1, were purchased between 1912 and 1918. They lasted nearly to the end of N&W steam operations, in 1958. Two were sold to Denver & Rio Grand Western in 1943, becoming their Class L-76.


=Others

= The
Chicago and Alton Railroad The Alton Railroad was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago to Alton, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri. Its predecessor, the Chicago and Alton Railroad , was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1931 an ...
purchased three 2-6-6-2 engines from the Brooks plant of
Alco The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...
, also in 1910, one of which was almost immediately sold to the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Rich ...
. They were used in helper and coal service until the railroad came under the control of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...
in 1931, when they were stored and subsequently scrapped.
Denver and Rio Grande Denver ( ) is a consolidated city and county, the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Western United States, in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains east of th ...
purchased eight 2-6-6-2 engines, Class 340/L-62, built by the Schenectady plant of
Alco The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...
, in 1910. They were purchased for helper service on Soldier Summit and Tennessee Pass. During the 1940s it also purchased two N&W locomotives, designated Class L-76, also for helper service. All were retired between 1947 and 1952. The
Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...
purchased 25 compound 2-6-6-2 engines of Class N-1 in 1910-11 from Alco, and sixteen more, Class N-2, in 1916. Initially eight were oil fueled, and some additional engines were converted to burn oil when they were displaced from the steepest mainline grades by electrification. The
Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route dire ...
's M-80 class consisted of five oil fueled 2-6-6-2 engines built by Alco in 1917 and five more built in 1924. Initially they were used in the
Feather River Canyon Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and an exampl ...
between Oroville and Portola, California, and after 1931 on the Northern California Extension from Keddie to Bieber, California. They served until 1953. The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway purchased 20 2-6-6-2 locomotives in 1917, notable for having 63" driving wheels rather than the 57" size common on most engines of the period. This enabled them to attain somewhat faster speeds in mainline service.


USRA 2-6-6-2 "light Mallets"

The
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Rich ...
received 20 2-6-6-2 engines built to a standardized design of the
United States Railroad Administration The United States Railroad Administration (USRA) was the name of the nationalisation, nationalized railroad system of the United States between December 28, 1917, and March 1, 1920. It was the largest American experiment with nationalization, and ...
while the railroads were under federal control in 1918–20. That railroad's management resisted taking them, as they felt their own design was superior for mine runs and the USRA engines were designed for main line operation, for which they preferred a more powerful
2-8-8-2 A 2-8-8-2, in the Whyte notation for describing steam locomotive wheel arrangements, is an articulated locomotive with a two-wheel leading truck, two sets of eight driving wheels, and a two-wheel trailing truck. The equivalent UIC classification ...
. However the
USRA 2-8-8-2 The USRA 2-8-8-2 was a USRA standard class of steam locomotive designed under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, the nationalized railroad system in the United States during World War I. These locomotives were of 2-8-8-2 whee ...
engine's front (low pressure) cylinders were too wide for existing tunnels on the C&O main line, notably the mile long Big Bend Tunnel. The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway was allocated 10 2-6-6-2 locomotives by the USRA. Unlike the C&O engines, they were built by Baldwin. Following a merger in 1932 they became the property of the
Nickel Plate Road The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States from 1881 to 1964. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of ...
. In a survey published at the end of government control, both the C&O and the W&LE compared the USRA engines unfavorably to engines of the same wheel arrangement they had received between 1910 and 1917 . Unlike other USRA wheel arrangements, no copies were built after the railroads were returned to their owners.


1919 to 1924

Between 1919 and 1924 the Chesapeake & Ohio, the New York Central, and the Western Pacific purchased additional locomotives of their preferred designs. The
Central of Georgia The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constr ...
purchased ten engines from the Richmond Works in 1919, but sold them to the
Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...
, which controlled them, a few years later. The Verde Tunnel & Smelter Company purchased two coal fueled engines from the Schenectady works in 1920 and operated them between Jerome and Clarksdale, Arizona. During World War II they were sold to the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...
, converted to burn oil, and placed in class MM-3. They were used in helper and branch line service on the Los Angeles Division until 1951 and 195
Southern Pacific Engine No. 3930 in the mid-forties


Experimental

The
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...
purchased two experimental engines in 1930. Both were simple articulated engines, one with a conventional boiler and the other with a
water tube boiler A high pressure watertube boiler (also spelled water-tube and water tube) is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which boils water in the steam-generat ...
.


Logging and mining locomotives

Baldwin added Mallet locomotives to their catalog before World War I, both in standard gauge and narrow gauge, and in both tank and tender versions. They continued to produce small lots for logging railroads in the Western US until the 1930s. These were generally standard gauge 2-6-6-2
tank engines A tank locomotive is a steam locomotive which 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 locomotive a tender h ...
, either being saddle tanks or pannier tanks. At least three of these locomotives are preserved. The
Black Hills Central Railroad The Black Hills Central Railroad is a heritage railroad that operates in Keystone, South Dakota, United States. The railroad was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 5, 2003. It currently operates the ''1880 Train'' on ...
operates a 2-6-6-2T engine built for Potlatch Lumber Company in 1926, later acquired by
Weyerhaeuser Company The Weyerhaeuser Company ( ) is an American timberland company which owns nearly of timberlands in the U.S., and manages an additional of timberlands under long-term licenses in Canada. The company has manufactured wood products for over a c ...
and renumbered 108. It also operates Weyerhaeuser engine 110. Southwest Forest Industries number 12, previously Hammond Lumber Company number 6, was one of a pair of logging locomotives built by Baldwin in 1929. It is displayed in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Uintah Railway The Uintah Railway was a small Narrow gauge railways, narrow gauge railroad company in Utah and Colorado in the United States. It was constructed to carry Gilsonite which provided most of its operating revenues; but it operated as a common carr ...
engines 50 and 51, having track gauge of 36 inches, were built by Baldwin in 1926 and 1928 respectively. These engines were simple articulated locomotives rather than compound
Mallet locomotives A Mallet locomotive is a type of compound articulated steam locomotive, invented by the Swiss engineer Anatole Mallet (1837–1919). The front of the locomotive is articulated on a bogie. The compound steam system fed steam at boiler pressu ...
, and they were 2-6-6-2T
tank engines A tank locomotive is a steam locomotive which 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 locomotive a tender h ...
carrying coal behind the cab and water on side tanks. They were sold to the
Sumpter Valley Railway The Sumpter Valley Railway, or Sumpter Valley Railroad, is a Narrow gauge railways, narrow gauge heritage railway, heritage railroad located in Baker County, Oregon, Baker County, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built on a right-of-way used by t ...
in 1940 and then to the
International Railways of Central America The International Railways of Central America (IRCA) (, FICA) was a U.S. based company founded by Minor C. Keith and incorporated in New Jersey in 1904 which operated a large network of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railways in Guatemala and El Sa ...
in 1947 and operated in
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
.


Locomotives built for export

Baldwin produced a variety of 2-6-6-2 locomotives for export, including an engine of 760mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge for the Ingenio Angelina in Santo Domingo in 1908, Mexico in 1908 and 1911 (see below), tank engines for the Ferrocarril del Sur of Columbia in 1921, and tender engines for the Northwestern Railway of India in 1923 in 1923. ALCo locomotives exported to Mexico, Serbia and South Africa are discussed under the headings for those countries below.


Mexico: standard and narrow gauge

An engine of similar cylinder dimensions to the Hill Road "large" engines, but smaller grate area, was built for the Central Mexicano in 1908, and 20 more for the successor,
National Railways of Mexico National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
, in 1910.LeMassina, p. 48. In 1925 they also acquired through merger 2 small examples built in 1910 by Schenectady for the Nor-Oeste de Mexico. NdeM purchased ten simple (non-compound) narrow gauge (3 feet) 2-6-6-2 engines between 1928 and 1936, and eight standard gauge, simple engines in 1937, all from ALCo's Schenectady Works.


South Africa: Cape Gauge (3 ft 6 in)

The South African Railways (SAR) operated 22 Mallet locomotives with this wheel arrangement, spread over five classes, all of them built to . * In March 1910, the
Central South African Railways The Central South African Railways (CSAR) was from 1902 to 1910 the operator of public railways in the Transvaal Colony and Orange River Colony in what is now South Africa. During the Anglo-Boer War, as British forces moved into the territory of ...
(CSAR) placed a single experimental Mallet articulated
compound steam locomotive A compound locomotive is a steam locomotive which is powered by a compound engine, a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages. The locomotive was only one application of compounding. Two and three stages were used in shi ...
in service. Ordered from ALCO, it was the first Mallet on the CSAR and, with its full working order weight of , it was the heaviest locomotive in the world working on gauge at the time. It had
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 ...
and used saturated steam. In 1912, when it was assimilated into the SAR, it was designated Class MD.Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 9, 12, 15-16, 46-47 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000) * In 1911, the CSAR placed nine compound Mallets in service. Also built by ALCO and with Walschaerts valve gear, they were very similar to the experimental Class MD, but they were equipped with
Schmidt Schmidt may refer to: * Schmidt (surname), including list of people and fictional characters with the surname * Schmidt (singer) (born 1990), German pop and jazz singer * Schmidt (lunar crater), a small lunar impact crater * Schmidt (Martian c ...
superheaters. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the SAR, they were classified as Class MF. Five more that were delivered in November 1911 were taken directly onto the SAR roster. In 1923 and 1925, six of them were converted to simple expansion (simplex) locomotives. * A single experimental compound locomotive was included with the CSAR's order for Class MF Mallets from ALCO. It was similar to the others, also with Walschaerts valve gear, but it used saturated steam and had a mechanical stoker, the first South African locomotive to be so equipped. The coupled wheels on the leading engine unit were of a larger diameter than those of the trailing engine unit. It was the only South African articulated locomotive to have driving wheels of different diameters and, in theory, this configuration was to result in improved acceleration, with the rear engine unit providing the traction. It was also believed that the difference in frequency between the front and rear cylinder exhaust beats would result in a more even pressure in the receiver pipe and therefore improved steam flow. In 1912, when it was assimilated into the SAR, it was designated Class MG. * During 1911, the CSAR ordered an experimental simple expansion Mallet from the
North British Locomotive Company The North British Locomotive Company (NBL, NB Loco or North British) was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp, Stewart and Company (Atlas Works), Neilson, Reid and Company (Hyde Park W ...
(NBL). Compared to other South African Mallets, this locomotive was unique, being arranged as a simplex locomotive with four high pressure cylinders instead of the more usual compound expansion arrangement. The locomotive was intended for test purposes on branchlines with light rail. It had Walschaerts valve gear, a plate frame and was equipped with a Schmidt superheater. By the time it was delivered in January 1912, the CSAR had already become part of the newly established SAR, who designated it the sole Class ME.North British Locomotive Company works list, compiled by Austrian locomotive historian Bernhard Schmeiser *In 1915, the SAR placed five Class MH compound Mallets in service, designed in detail in the locomotive drawing office in Pretoria under the direction of D.A. Hendrie, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the SAR from 1910 to 1922. They were superheated and had Walschaerts valve gear. The locomotives were built by NBL and erected in the Salvokop shops in Pretoria. At the time of their introduction, the Class MH was the largest and most powerful locomotive in the world on Cape gauge, with a full working order weight of . i.0/}+"P:


Serbia: 2 ft 6 in gauge

The Serbian government used 10 Mallet articulated compound locomotives for freight service on narrow gauge. They were built in 1915 for the Serbian government by the
American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer that operated from 1901 to 1969, initially specializing in the production of locomotives but later diversifying and fabricating at various time ...
(ALCO).


Soviet Union: 5 foot gauge

A modern but compact 2-6-6-2 Mallet, class P34, was one of several experimental locomotives built in 1949 in the Soviet Union. Only one was built, by
Kolomna Locomotive Works The Kolomna Locomotive Works () is a major producer of railway locomotives as well as locomotive and marine diesel engines in Russia. The plant started production in 1869 with a freight steam locomotive, one of the first in Russia. In the Russian ...
in Moscow. Track gauge was .


HO scale models

A drawing of the Great Northern Class L-1 2-6-6-2 (engine only) in HO scale was published in ''Model Railroader'' in October 1953, followed by article on building the engine in April 1955. Mantua Metal Products marketed models of both tender and tank versions of the 2-6-6-2 type. The brand was later acquired by MRC (Model Rectifier Corp.) and later Lionel. The 2-6-6-2 wheel arrangement was fairly popular among model railroaders during the period when brass models were being imported in large quantities from Japan and Korea. Among the leading examples in
HO scale HO or H0 is a rail transport modelling scale using a 1:87 scale (3.5 mm to 1 foot). It is the most popular scale of model railway in the world. The rails are spaced apart for modelling standard gauge tracks and trains in HO. The ...
were the following.


Road locomotives


Imported 1955 to 1974

* Chesapeake & Ohio class H-6 -- Made by Atlas/Ashai, imported by Pacific Fast Mail (PFM) -- 2177 copies * Chesapeake & Ohio class H-5 / USRA—Made by Akane and Fuji Models, imported by Gem—188 copies * Great Northern class L-2 -- Made by Atlas/KTM, imported by PFM—129 copies


Imported 1978 to 1985

* Baltimore & Ohio class KK-4b—Made by Samhongsha, imported by Key—75 copies * Chesapeake & Ohio—Made by Samhongsha, imported by Key—35 class H-4, 150 class H-6 * Chesapeake & Ohio class H-5 / USRA—Made by Samhongsha, imported by Key—75 copies * Denver & Rio Grande Western class L-96 / Norfolk & Western class Z-1a—Made by Dai Young, imported by Custom Brass—300 copies * Great Northern class L-1 -- Made by Tenshodo, imported by PFM—500 copies * New York Central class NE-2 -- Made by Dai Young, imported by Custom Brass—300 copies * Nickel Plate class I-3 -- Made by Samhongsha, imported by Key—50 copies * Southern Pacific class MM-3 -- Made by Daeki, imported by Nickel Plate Products—100 copies * Western Pacific class M-80—Made by Samhongsha, imported by Key -- #201 65 copies, #206 65 copies


Logging locomotives


Imported 1959 to 1975

* 2-6-6-2 (tender) Sierra—Made by United, imported by PFM—6142 copies * 2-6-6-2 (tender) Kosmos Timber Co—Made by Toby, imported by North West Short Line (NWSL) -- 708 copies * 2-6-6-2T (tank) Various owners—Made by Toby, imported by NWSL—1302 copies


Imported 1978 to 1985

* 2-6-6-2 (tender) Rayonier—Made by United, imported by PFM—150 copies * 2-6-6-2 (tender) CSF&E -- Imported by Sunset—400 copies * 2-6-6-2T (tank) Hammond Lumber Co—Dai Young, imported by Custom Brass—1302 copies The "second generation" of imported brass locomotives, beginning about 1975, were imported for a wider variety of roads and locomotive classes, with closer attention to detail. This led to smaller production lots over which to allocate the research and design costs and consequently, significantly higher list prices. In this period production shifted from Japan to Korea to reduce labor costs.


O scale models

An
O scale O scale (or O gauge) is a scale commonly used for toy trains and rail transport modelling. Introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad sc ...
model of a Great Northern 2-6-6-2 was built by Kumata & Co. as their item E-330-A and imported by Custom Brass in 1979. Fifty copies were built. Lionel introduced a model following USRA design, lettered Norfolk & Western #1409, SKU: 6–11339, and Weyerhaeuser #120, SKU 2421250. Standard O scale, introduced 2011. The discussion on their web site seems to indicate that C&O and W&LE engines were also offered. As discussed above, the USRA engines were initially allocated to C&O and W&LE, later Nickel Plate; Norfolk & Western did not receive any.


See also

* USRA 2-6-6-2 *
List of South African locomotive classes A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References

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