Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 8, 2007

In Whyte notation, a 2-8-0 is a railroad steam locomotive that has a single-axle leading truck followed by four powered driving axles. In the US, this wheel arrangement is commonly called a Consolidation. The equivalent UIC classification is 1-D. The first locomotive of this wheel arrangement was likely built by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), but like the first 2-6-0s, this first 2-8-0 had a leading axle that was rigidly attached to the locomotive's frame. To create this 2-8-0, the PRR's master mechanic John P. Laird modified an existing 0-8-0, the Bedford, between 1864 and 1865. However, some railroad historians believe the first 2-8-0 was ordered by Lehigh and Mahoning Railroad (also in the USA), which named the new locomotive Consolidation. The 2-8-0 wheel arrangement soon found frequent and heavy use in freight service around the world.