Recently I have been Trying to Resurrect a train layout from pieces and parts I have inherited through various means, and have been desperately trying to track down engines for this layout online etc, often I come upon descriptions such as 0-6-0 and 2-8-8-2. As I am a novice to the hobby I have no clue what these numbers mean or are referring to.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thats the Whyte wheel arrangement system to decribe steam locomotives.
“0-6-0” means zero pilot wheels, 6 driving wheels, and zero trailing wheels. Switchers don’t move at high speeds so they usually don’t have pilot wheels. Pilot wheels are for guiding the locomotive at higher speeds and through curves.
2-8-8-2 means 2 pilot wheels, 8 drivers, 8 more drivers, and 2 trailing wheels.
If there are two center numbers in the wheel arrangement, its either a duplex or articulated. Articulateds have the rear set of drivers/cylinders is mounted ridged and the front pivots to allow negotiation of sharper curves. Duplexs have 2 sets of cylinders and drivers, but both are mounted ridged on one frame.
Be advised that the Whyte system (i.e. 4-8-4, 2-8-0, 4-4-0, ect.) only applies for Steam Locomotives.
Welcome to the forum, loyalist!!
And I like the idea that your first question is about STEAM engines. Diesels are great, but I’m just not drawn to them, as I am to the older steam locomotives. The raw power…the belching smoke…the hissing steam…sure beats the thunderous growl and smell of a diesel…
(sorry guys…lost my head…)
For more info on the Whyte System of steam loco wheel arrangements check out the link below. It has information about the popular name (for example the 4-4-0 is known as the American, etc.) and also what roads they were used on and who built them.
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/misc/wheels.html
And!!! Welcome to the forum!!! [#welcome]
Just a simple rule: the wheel arrangements are to viewed from the side, what you will see is 1-4-1, which is really a 2-8-2 , (remember there are another set of wheels on the other side) 2 leading trucks, 8 big driving wheels, 2 trailing trucks. I had to explain this to a group of children on their first contact with a real steam engine, they were referring to it as a 1-4-1, no one had ever explained it to them. have fun .
Diesels can have those too, You ever see a tubocharged MLW open up th throttle too fast?
Trainboy
That is the Whyte system. The Whyte System of steam locomotive idenification by wheel arrangement evolved as the standard of North American railroading. Developed in 1900 by Fredirick Whyte, a New York Central mechanical engineer, and subseqeuntly adopted by the cheif mech. engineers of the time, the system endured through the steam era and is still used today.
The Whyte System uses numerals divided by hyphens to represent the number of wheels(on both sides) in each grouping, starting at the front end with the leading truck, progressing through the drivers(or groups of drivers), and finishing with the trailing truck: 0-4-0, 2-6-0, 4-6-2, 2-6-6-2, and so on.
I hope I helped![:D]