Locomotives / Train Sets

2-8-0 (Consolidation)

Steam Locomotive

Series: "Consolidation"

Entry Last Edited: 01/17/2024 | Content ©www.RailRoadJunction.net | The following text is exclusive to this site.

The 2-8-0 steam locomotive was a common fixture the world over for its time on the railways.

Consolidation 2-8-0 locomotives were primarily freight-haulers popularized in the mid-to-late 1800s throughout the railways of the United States, Australia, Europe, and Canada as well as Africa, Asia, and Asia-Pacific. The name arose from the first 2-8-0 locomotive put forth by the Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad (LHR). The 2-8-0 numbering system itself was born from the wheel arrangement used in the Consolidation locos - four large connected wheels to each loco side with a smaller wheel unit sat at the front towards the nose as part of a separate bogey / truck. The 2-8-0 was an evolution of the earlier 0-8-0 approach and, itself, stood as the forerunner to the subsequent 2-8-2 that followed.

The first recognized "true" 2-8-0 steam locomotive was manufactured by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for LHR and its design is credited to Alexander Mitchell. Initial orders for the design were recorded in 1866. The type succeeded the earlier 2-6-0 "Mogul" arrangement already being encountered in the early 1860s.

The locomotive has the "classic" steam loco design arrangement with the driving cab set well-aft of midships (generally restricting views for the two-man operating crew). There was a long-running cylindrical body at the center of the machine and cylindrical stacks were installed over the front. The oversized, spoked wheels were a common design feature of the type for the period and a coal tender was typically affixed to the rear of the machine to feed the coal-fired, steam-based drive system.

The "2-8-0T" designation covered 2-8-0 locos whose design arrangement bypassed the water tender in favor of engine-mounted water-filled side tanks.

The Consolidation type steam locomotive managed a long-enduring service life into the 20th Century - the major advantage over pervious types being its enhanced stability in curves which was lacking in earlier wheel arrangements. It did, however, suffer from limited speeds and generally poor steaming. While not fast under load by any regard, it was a proven, versatile freight-hauler for its time on the rails which ended at about the early World War 1 (1914-1918) period at which time the design was succeeded by more modern, capable locomotives.

The design became a standard fixture for British railways after 1900 and were used to supplant 0-6-0 models then in service country-wide. 1885 saw six locos built for New Zealand Railways and in 1893, Japan received its initial three Consolidation locomotives.

Belgium even received a stock of about 300 2-8-0 steam locomotives in 1946 to make up for wartime losses to Germany - the last passenger hauling form operating in 1966! Communist North Korea even managed an effort involving the 2-8-0 design in which examples operated as recently as 2006.

"TF" models were British locos handed to the Turks during the World War 2 period to keep them neutral in the conflict.

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Specifications [ 2-8-0 (Consolidation) ]

American Locomotive Company (ALCO) / Baldwin Locomotive Works / Brooks Locomotive Works / Schenectady Locomotive Works - USA; Beyer, Peacock and Company / North British Locomotive Company / Neilson and Company - UK; Clyde Engineering / Phoenix Foundry - Australia; Dubs and Company - Scotland; Montreal Locomotive Works / Canadian Locomotive Company / Canadian Pacific Railway - Canada; Kawasaki - Japan
Builder

United States
Origin

1866 - 1946
Production Run

23,000 units
Production Total

Rear-Right
Driver Position

11.0m | 36.0 ft
Length
NOTE: May include length of entire train set

165,000 kg
(363,825 lb | 182 US Tons)
Weight

Steam
Power Source

Coal-fired, steam-based / steam-expanding boiler system driving cylinders in the action.
Engine / Drive Source

64.4 kph
(40.0 mph)
Max Speed

Wheel Arrangement
(Loco Facing Left)

Series Variants
2-8-0 - Base Designation.
"Consolidation" - Generic series name.
TF - Turkish railway locos handed over from UK during World War 2.

Operating Countries
Australia; Belgium; Canada; Finland; Germany; Italy; Japan; New Zealand; North Korea; Russia; South Africa; Sweden; Turkey (via UK); United Kingdom; United States

Customers / Operators:
Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway; Cape Government Railways; Commonwealth Railways; Ferrovie dello Stato (FS); Great Central Railway; Great Northern Railway; Great Western Railway; Hokkaido Colliery and Railway Company; J and A Brown; Japanese Government Railway; Kettle Valley Steam Railway; Kitson and Company; Korean State Railway; London and North Western Railway; London Midland and Scottish Railway; Midland Railway of Western Australia; National Railway Company of Belgium; New South Wales Government Railways; New Zealand Railways; Pennsylvania Railroad; Queensland Railways; Railway Operating Division (UK); Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway; Trans-Australian Railway; Turkish Railways; United States Army Transportation Corps; Victorian Railways; Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company
NOTE: Includes both past and present

Image of the 2-8-0 (Consolidation)

Side profile illustration view of a 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive.
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