Talk:4-8-8-2

Train in the picture?
The caption for that picture says "Southern Pacific Railroad #4274, a type 4-8-8-2 "cab-forward" steam locomotive, leads a California-Nevada Railroad Historical Society excursion out of Reno, Nevada in December of 1957." So that train was scrapped, right? When did that happen? I'm betting the photo was taken in the last few years of its life -- you don't really hear about important steam trains being scrapped after like 1965, due to historical interest. --Ragemanchoo (talk) 09:56, 31 March 2008 (UTC)


 * SP 4274 ran the last run over Donner Pass for a cab-forward on November 30, 1957; this was filmed (see http://www.goldenspike.us/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=19863&CLSN_1119=120696049711198ad32f5bb2bb7135dd). This must have been not long after, and I suspect it was withdrawn from service shortly after.  The last cab-forward to be scrapped was in 1960.  All were disposed of except 4294, the last built. Matthew Brown (Morven) (T:C) 10:56, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Article renaming
This article needs renaming. 4-8-8-2 does not mean anything to someone other than a knowledgeable train person so finding this page would have to be by happenstance or luck. Possibly Locomotive (4-8-8-2) or some other like name would be more appropriate and certainly better than just 4-8-8-2. I would hope that someone has this article marked to watch and will realize the impracticality of the current name. Another option is that this article needs to be merged with another appropriate article where 4-8-8-2 can be a section of locomotive types. If there is not sufficient information about this particular locomotive to facilitate article expansion this might be the more prudent solution. Otr500 (talk) 17:59, 15 December 2010 (UTC)


 * I agree. Jonathan is me (talk) 05:57, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
 * It had been so long that I forgot I had visited this article. I ran across it while performing citation maintenance, added a source, then came here to comment on the strange title. I missed the comments that added or I would have looked into this a long time ago.
 * It has become very common to list the articles simply under the wheel arrangement according to the Whyte notation as shown at the bottom under "Steam locomotive wheel arrangements". Different countries have "Other equivalent classifications" (See lead). he name 4-4-2 was obviously ambiguous so 4-4-2 (locomotive) was used which has been referred to as an Atlantic and the 4-4-2+2-4-4 the Double Atlantic.I ran across several articles with no sourcing I am going to look at, 4-4-6-4, 4-6-4-4, 4-10-0, and 6-4-4-6
 * Please see comments at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject Trains/Style advice. Otr500 (talk) 10:55, 2 January 2020 (UTC)