Schematic of 4-6-0 steam locomotive wheel arrangement. Front of locomotive at left.
A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the absence of trailing wheels.
In the mid-19th century, this wheel arrangement became the second-most-popular configuration for new steam locomotives in the United States, where this type is commonly referred to as a ten-wheeler. As locomotives pulling trains of lightweight all-wood passenger cars from the 1890 to the 1920s, they were exceptionally stable at near 100 mph (160 km/h) speeds on the New York Central's New York-to-Chicago Water Level Route and on the Reading Railroad's line from Camden to Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Overview[]
Tender locomotives[]
Denver & Rio Grande Southern No. 20 an example of a 4-6-0 tender locomotive
During the second half of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries, the 4-6-0 was constructed in large numbers for passenger and mixed traffic service. Speaking of which, they are able to pull at least a dozen passenger cars during passenger service. A natural extension of the 4-4-0 American wheel arrangement, the four-wheel leading bogie gave good stability at speed and allowed a longer boiler to be supported, while the lack of trailing wheels gave a high adhesive weight. In passenger service, they can pull at least a dozen passenger cars like their 4-6-2 counter parts.
The primary limitation of the type was the small size of the firebox, which limited power output. In passenger service, it was eventually superseded by the 4-6-2 Pacific type whose trailing truck allowed it to carry a greatly enlarged firebox. Prussia and Saxonia however went directly to the 2-8-2 Mikado type (pr. P10(39) / sax. XX HV(19) class); Karl Gölsdorf reversed the 2′C1 Pacific type to the 2-6-4 Adriatic type to accommodate an even larger firebox and better curve performance (type 310). For freight service, the addition of a fourth driving axle created the 4-8-0 Mastodon type, which was rare in North America, but became very popular on Cape gauge in Southern Africa.
Tank locomotives[]
Leighton Buzzard Light Railway No. 778 an example of a 4-6-0 tank locomotive
The 4-6-0T locomotive version was a far less common type. It was used for passenger duties during the first decade of the twentieth century, but was soon superseded by the 4-6-2T Pacific, 4-6-4T Hudson and 2-6-4T Adriatic types, on which larger fire grates were possible. During the First World War, the type was also used on narrow gauge military railways.
List of 4-6-0s[]
GWR 6000 Class[]
- 6024 King Edward 1