As in the United States, the 2-8-0 was also a popular type in Europe, again largely as a freight hauler. The type was also used in Australia, New Zealand, and Southern Africa.
Australia The 2-8-0 locomotive was used extensively throughout Australia. It served on the broad gauge, and narrow gauge and was employed mostly as a freight locomotive, although it was often also employed in passenger service in
Victoria. In 1912, some of the NSWGR T class types were also purchased by the private East Greta Railway, later to become the
South Maitland Railway, but these were converted to 2-8-2 tank locomotives. The class proved to be successful throughout its long service life, until being retired from government revenue service in 1973. This locomotive survived in preservation and is used on special excursions. On 16 December 2006, number 29.013 re-enacted the last 1966 run on the same route.
Canada The
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) N-2-a, b, and c class locomotives were a class of altogether 182
Consolidation type locomotives, built by Montreal Locomotive Works between 1912 and 1914. They were numbered in the range from 3600 to 3799 and were used almost everywhere around the system. The order for these engines came about when CP needed bigger locomotives for their mainline since their current engines were wearing out and were too small for the loads that were being hauled. Most of the class were converted to oil-firing in later years. One of the locomotives, No. 3716, is run and maintained in Summerland,
BC as part of the
Kettle Valley Steam Railway.
Finland Finland had five tender locomotive classes with a 2-8-0 wheel arrangement, the classes Tk1, Tk2, Tk3, Tv1, and Tv2. The class Tk1s were numbered from 271 to 290 and were nicknamed
Amerikan Satikka. to
Kotka The class Tk2s were numbered 407 to 426 and 457 to 470. They were nicknamed
Satikka. Three were preserved, No. 407 at
Närpes, No. 418 at
Junction City, Oregon, in the United States, and No. 419 at
Haapamäki. The
class Tk3s were numbered 800 to 899, 1100 to 1118, and 1129 to 1170. They were built by
Tampella,
Lokomo, and Frichs. The class Tv1s were numbered 594 to 617, 685 to 741, 900 to 948, and 1200 to 1211. They were built by Tampella and were nicknamed
Jumbo. Four were preserved, No. 609 at Haapamäki, No. 933 at the Veturi museum at
Toijala, No. 940 at
Lapinlahti and No. 943 at
Ylivieska. The class Tv2s were numbered from 618 to 637. They were nicknamed
Wilson. Only No. 618 was preserved, also at Haapamäki. Finland had only one tank locomotive class with a 2-8-0 wheel arrangement, the class M1 consisting of one solitary locomotive numbered 66. It was not preserved.
Germany The 2-8-0 wheel arrangement enjoyed a brief period of popularity in Germany during the era of the
Länderbahnen or State Railways, from about 1840 to 1920, prior to the establishment after the First World War of the
Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German National Railways. Under the
Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG) classification system, all 2-8-0 locomotives were assigned to class 56 (
Baureihe or BR 56), with different types receiving subclassifications. The earliest type was the Prussian G73 of 1893.
Indonesia In response to the increasing need for freight and passenger transports on the
Buitenzorg–
Bandung–
Banjar line, the Java
Staatsspoorwegen at the time ordered 42
Consolidation locomotives from 4 different engine manufacturers, including
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works (SLM),
Hanomag,
Hartmann and
Werkspoor, came in 1914, 1915 and 1921, classified as SS Class 900 (901–942). These locomotives were made to fulfill the requirements that submitted by SS, being able to haul 550 tons of freight with speeds of up to 50 km/h (31 mph) or 30 km/h (18.6 mph) on lines with a gradient of 4% or 1 in 25. In order to be able to negotiate 150 meters curve radius, the leading wheels adopted Adam axle system which could enable to turn radially by 70 mm. As for the fourth driving wheels, adopted
Golsdorf axle system (patented by
Karl Golsdorf), this make the outer driving wheels able to move laterally by 100 mm. As by result, it's not only able to turn at 150 meters curve radius, but speeds up to 75 km/h (46.6 mph) was made possible from its initial of 50 km/h (31 mph). Based on record in 1938, the SS Class 900/DKA 50s ever been used to haul the
Eendaagsche Express or One Day Express train on
Bandung–
Banjar southern-west line replacing the SS Class 1250 (DKA DD52) due to resource and asset saving policies during
Great Depression and SS Class 1700/DKA C30s which were considered to be inefficient in serving the increasingly congested volume of freights and passenger transport. In 1939, the
Eendaagsche Express shortened the time journey for
Bandung–
Yogyakarta–
Surabaya to only 11 hours. These locomotives worked on
Bandung–Purwakarta–Batavia line and also assigned to work the eastern express trains in
East Java on
Banyuwangi–
Surabaya line in tandem with SS Class 1100 (DKA C27). To make the SS 900s have the characteristics of express locomotive, each unit received the modification of two pair of
smoke deflectors. In the need of increasing freight transport in
South Sumatra, the Java
Staatsspoorwegen allocated 4 of them to serve coal transport from Bukit Asam to
Kertapati. Not quite a long, the South Sumatra division of SS or so called
Zuid-Sumatra Staatsspoorwegen (ZSS) were also ordered 11 of these from two German engine manufacturers, 5 were imported from
Hartmann in 1925 and the rest of 6 from
Hanomag in 1926.
Preservation During
Japanese occupation in 1942, all Dutch East Indies railway locomotives were renumbered based on
Japanese numberings, this including the SS Class 900s were renumbered to D50s and this numbering system still used after the Independence of Indonesia by
Djawatan Kereta Api (DKA) or Department of Railways of the Republic of Indonesia up to now. During
Indonesian National Revolution some of SS Class 900/DKA D50 were used among the others to haul trains belonging to Republican fighters and the Dutch military. In some records, some of them were destroyed in action due to the conflict. While the SS911 or DKA D50 11 was captured by 2nd Company of
1e Bataljon, 15 Regiment Infanterie of Dutch Marines during
Operation Kraai in Yogyakarta. After the acknowledgement of Indonesian sovereignty by Dutch in 1949, the SS Class 900 were transferred to
Djawatan Kereta Api. In 1976, most of D50s were found regularly in
Jember, East Java which many of them had been dumped out and seemed to be derelict. While the rest of them are still used regularly in South Sumatra pulling some coal trains. Out of 61 units, only DKA D50 11 (ex-SS911) survived and now preserved as static display in Transportation Museum of
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.
Italy In Italy, the state-controlled railways company
Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), after comparing two models of 2-8-0 engine in 1906 (a simple-expansion [simplex] locomotive purchased from Baldwin and a compound type assembled by German and Italian builders) opted for a simplex 2-8-0 as basic power for its freight and mixed trains. Production of such locomotives, classified
Gr. 740 in Italy, began in 1911 and stopped four years later when
Italy entered the First World War. Thereafter, Italian industry was devoted to producing military equipment, so FS bought locomotives from North American firms. From 1917 to 1922,
American Locomotive Company and
Montreal Locomotive Works built 400 2-8-0 locomotives for Italy but only 393 were delivered. The FS classified these engines as
Gr. 735 and used them for freight and passenger services. After the war, the supply of Italian-built Gr. 740 resumed. Both Gr. 740 and Gr 735, very similar in performance, remained in service until the end of the 1960s.
Japan No. 9608, oldest surviving example of the class, on static display at Ome Railway Park. The Baldwin supplied the first three 2-8-0 9000 class locomotives for export to Japan in 1893, in use of
Hokkaido Colliery and Railway Company, which were taken over
Japanese Government Railway under
Railway Nationalization Act of 1906. Among several classes, most successful examples were 770 of
JNR Class 9600, built from 1913 to 1926. Some independent
shortlines had equivalent locomotives to 9600 both factory-new and secondhand from JNR, the last example was Yubari Colliery and Railway No. 21, built in 1941 by
Kawasaki. Despite obsolescence and early replacement by 2-8-2 D51, 9600s were still widely utilized thanks to high performance and appropriate route availability. The last example, No. 79602, kept longevity until March 1976, making the very final steam traction in service on JNR. No. 79602 was nearly preserved, however, sadly, it was subsequently destroyed by arson attack at Oiwake roundhouse.
New Zealand Several 2-8-0 locomotives were supplied to New Zealand by the
Baldwin Locomotive Works of
Philadelphia in the United States. Six
O Class locomotives were built for the
New Zealand Railways in 1885. The
Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, which operated the
Wellington-Manawatu line, had four similar locomotives built by Baldwin, two in 1888, one in 1894 and one in 1896. The WMR locomotives of 1894 and 1896, No. 12 and No. 13, were
Vauclain compound locomotives, the first in New Zealand and the first narrow-gauge compounds in the world. While standard gauge compounds usually had the low-pressure cylinder mounted below the high-pressure cylinder on each side, this was often reversed on narrow-gauge locomotives, which had the larger low-pressure cylinders mounted above the high-pressure cylinders to provide greater clearance at platforms. In 1908, when the WMR was nationalized, these locomotives were classified into three NZR subclasses because of detail differences, the two 1888 locomotives as
OB class, the 1894 locomotive as
OA class, and the 1896 locomotive as
OC class.
North Korea The
Korean State Railway have locally built 500-series (used by rubber recycling plant) and 810 series Japanese built narrow gauge (762mm) 2-8-0 locomotives. The 810 series was likely retired in 2006 and 500-series may still be operating.
Poland "Consolidated" 2-8-0 locomotives were relatively popular at
Polish State Railways (PKP) after 1918. However, most of them were not original polish designs. After
World War I newly created polish state took and introduced small amounts of 2-8-0 locomotives from
Russia (Tr103), Germany (Tr1) and
Austria-Hungary (Tr11 and Tr12). Due to their
wheel arrangement, they have been classified as "r" engines. First large order for new locomotives for PKP was made in
United States in 1919. They were built in
Baldwin Locomotive Works and classified in Poland as Tr20. They were used from 1920 to 1974. After
World War II Poland acquired even more 2-8-0 engines, usually made in Germany in the interwar period, such as a Tr5 (former
DRG Class 56.2), Tr6 (former
Prussian G 8.2) and Tr7. More 2-8-0s came to Poland from
United Kingdom and USA. In years 1946 - 1976, PKP had 30
Liberation Class locomotives, classified as Tr202. Another very popular staem engine was
USATC S160. First 75 units came to Poland in the years 1946 - 1947 as part of the
UNRRA program. They were classified as Tr201 from 1 to 75. In the late 1940s Poland received 500 more S160 locomotives, later depicted as Tr203. Last Tr201 and Tr203 were withdrawn in the early 1980s. From almost 600 units only 3 remained in Poland: Tr203-451 in
Warsaw, Tr201-51 and Tr203-296 in
Jaworzyna Śląska. The first 2-8-0 locomotives built in independent Poland were PKP class Tr12. They were austrian
KkStB 270. After 1918 PKP received 142 locomotives; 60 of them were built in early 1920s by WSABP in Warsaw. Rest of those locomotives were delivered by
Lokomotivfabrik Floridsdorf. They were operational until year 1969. First locomotive designed in Poland was Tr21. New steam engines for PKP were created in cooperation with Austrian
StEG. Between 1922 and 1925 PKP received 148 units of Tr21. There were 3 different producers: Austrian StEG, polish
Fablok and Belgian
John Cockerill. First locomotive fully built in Poland was Tr21-37 put into service in February 1924. After World War II PKP had 100 units in service. Usage of those locomotions ended in 1974. Only one locomotive was preserved. Another Polish 2-8-0 locomotive was TKr55. TKr55 was a
prototype steam engine designed in
Poznań in 1955 and built in
Wrocław in 1957. New unit was created for
shunting operations. It was based on the Tr203 (USATC S160) chassis, had a boiler similar to American locomotives and the cabine from the Polish
TKt48. The only prototype locomotive built was used in
Kutno until late 1970s when it was scrapped.
Russia In Russia, the 2-8-0 wheel arrangement was represented by the prerevolutionary Sch (Shuka-
pike) class. These two-cylinder compound locomotives without superheaters were declared the standard Russian freight locomotive in 1912, but since they were relatively low-powered, they were only useful on easier lines without steep gradients such as the Saint Petersburg-Moscow route.
South Africa Five 2-8-0 locomotive classes saw service in South Africa, all of them initially acquired by the
Cape Government Railways (CGR), which classified all but two as 8th Class. All of them were variations on the same design, used
saturated steam, and had cylinders with overhead slide valves, actuated by inside
Stephenson valve gear. • In 1902, the CGR also placed a single experimental
tandem compound Consolidation in service, based on its Schenectady/ALCO-built 8th Class. Delivered by ALCO in 1902, the locomotive was not classified and was simply referred to as the Tandem Compound. In 1912, it was designated
Class Experimental 2 on the SAR. While subjecting the
Consolidations to exhaustive testing on all types of traffic and under varying conditions, some trouble was experienced with the leading pony truck and it was dropped in favour of a four-wheeled bogie in later orders for more eighth class locomotives. All subsequent Cape eighth class locomotives were therefore built with a
Mastodon wheel arrangement. In 1911, nine tender locomotives were placed in service by the
Staatsbahn Lüderitzbucht-Keetmanshoop (Lüderitzbucht-Keetmanshoop State Railway). After the first World War, all nine locomotives came onto the roster of the SAR, where they were referred to as the
eight-coupled tenders. The most successful British 2-8-0 class was the
Class 8F, designed in 1935 by
William Stanier for the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway. By 1946, 852 had been built. During the Second World War, the
War Department originally chose the class 8F as its standard freight locomotive, and large numbers of them saw service overseas, notably in the Middle East. The Class 8F was superseded after 1943 by the cheaper
WD Austerity 2-8-0 for war service. A total of 935 of these were built and again, many saw service overseas.
United States Consolidation No. 2106,
circa 1907|left
Consolidation No. 2300,
circa 1907|left In the United States, only a few railroads purchased
Consolidation types when Baldwin Locomotive Works first introduced its version. Even the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad, which eventually had nearly 180 locomotives in regular service by 1885, did not purchase any of this type until 1873. The
Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway, which eventually became part of B&O, purchased 15 of this type from
Brooks Locomotive Works in 1883. The 2-8-0 design was given a major boost in 1875, when the
Pennsylvania Railroad made it their standard freight locomotive, and 1875 was also when the
Erie Railroad began replacing its
4-4-0s in freight service with 2-8-0s. The railroads had found that the 2-8-0 could move trains twice as heavy at half the cost of its predecessors. From a financial standpoint at the time, the choice of the 2-8-0 as new freight locomotive was therefore clear.
Preservation Great Northern Railway Consolidation No. 1147 is on display in a park in
Wenatchee, Washington. Great Northern Railway Consolidation No. 1246 is in storage in southern Oregon.
Maine Central class W 2-8-0 locomotives numbered 501 and 519 were officially property of the
European and North American Railway (E&NA) as a condition of the lease of that company by the Maine Central Railroad. While all other Maine Central steam locomotives were scrapped when replaced by diesel locomotives, these two survived as a lease obligation until Maine Central purchased E&NA in 1955. The advantages of preservation were recognized by that date, so No. 501 is awaiting restoration to operating condition at the
Conway Scenic Railroad in
Conway, New Hampshire, and No. 519 was on display at the
Steamtown National Historic Site in
Scranton, Pennsylvania. Southern Pacific No. 895, a 2-8-0
Consolidation locomotive built by ALCO in 1913 is on static display at Roseland Park in
Baytown, Texas. SP No. 895 was retired after 44 years of service and donated by Southern Pacific Railroad to the Robert E. Lee High School Key Club, then towed on temporary tracks to its current location at Roseland Park in April, 1957.
Southern Pacific 2579 is on static display under a shed in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Baltimore & Ohio No. 545 "A.J Cromwell", built in 1888, is preserved at the
B&O Railroad Museum in
Baltimore, Maryland. The Southern Pacific Railroad's locomotive No. 2562 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1909, serial No. 29064. It is on exhibit in the
Arizona Railway Museum in
Chandler, Arizona. The locomotive and its tender are listed in the
National Register of Historic Places, reference No. 09000511. The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad's class 759 locomotive No. 761 was built around 1890. When active, it was used on the railroad's
mainline between Chicago and the west. No. 761 is plinthed next to the historic
Wickenburg, Arizona, train depot that is now the town's visitor center. Santa Fe class 769 locomotive
No. 769 is currently on static display in
Madrid, New Mexico, but is awaiting a future restoration to run on the
Santa Fe Southern Railway. Denver and Rio Grande Western No. 346 is operational at the Colorado Railroad Museum. Rio Grande No. 318 is also on static display at the same museum, along with Denver, Leadville and Gunnison 191. Denver and Rio Grande Western No. 315 is operational and owned by the Durango Historical Society. The Colorado & Southern (C&S) narrow-gauge No. 60 is on display in
Idaho Springs, Colorado, while C&S No. 71 is in
Central City, Colorado. A Ks1 class 2-8-0, No. 630, is run and maintained in
Chattanooga, Tennessee, by the
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. In 2014, this locomotive participated in the Norfolk Southern 21st Century Steam program. operating at the
Arcade and Attica Railroad. In 1962, the
Arcade and Attica Railroad purchased an ALCO-build locomotive from the Boyne City Railroad in Michigan. The locomotive, now numbered
18, is billed as the last operating steam excursion in
New York State. Three out of the four SC-1 hogs from the
Lake Superior and Ishpeming survived being scrapped. Engine
No. 33 has been restored by the
Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, before being purchased by the
Age of Steam Roundhouse in
Sugarcreek,
Ohio, where it operates today. Engine No. 35 has been on static display at the
Illinois Railway Museum in
Union,
Illinois since 1985. operating at the
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. In 1991, the
Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, based in
Cumberland, Maryland, acquired SC-1 class
No. 734. The locomotive was restored to operating condition and cosmetically changed to look like an original
Western Maryland 2-8-0. The locomotive was renumbered 734 in honor, so to speak, of the H-7 (Nos. 701-764) class of 2-8-0 that the Western Maryland harbored and of which none was preserved, although it has an overall appearance of an H-8. Over the years it was overworked and according to the WMSR 734 is in very poor mechanical condition. It was pulled from service officially in 2016. As of 2023, Mountain Thunder, as No. 734 is nicknamed, is undergoing restoration to operating condition. In the late 1980s, four ex-LS&I 2-8-0s were purchased by the
Grand Canyon Railway based in Williams, Arizona. They were Nos.
18, 19, 20, and
29. Only No. 29 remains in
Williams, undergoing its 1,472-day inspection, while No. 18 is stored at the
Colebrookdale Railroad in
Boyertown, Pennsylvania, No. 19 is on static display in
Frisco, Texas, and No. 20 is on static display in
Allan, Texas. Other preserved Ex-LS&I 2-8-0s include No. 21, which is being rebuilt in Wisconsin, No. 22, which is on static display at the
Mid-Continent Railway Museum in
North Freedom, Wisconsin,
No. 23, which is stored at the
Empire State Railway Museum in
Phoenicia, New York, and No. 24, which is on static display at the
National Railroad Museum in
Green Bay, Wisconsin. UPRR No. 561 is on static display along US Highway 81 in
Columbus, Nebraska. UPRR No. 423 is on static display on 10th street in
Gering, Nebraska. UPRR No. 6072 is on static display at Wyman park in
Fort Riley, Kansas. operating at the
New Hope Railroad. Baldwin Locomotive Works
No. 40, built in December 1925 for the
Lancaster and Chester Railroad in South Carolina, and later purchased by the
Cliffside Railroad in North Carolina, now pulls scenic excursion trains at the
New Hope and Ivyland Railroad in
New Hope, Pennsylvania, which opened in August, 1966.
Great Western No. 60, built in August 1937 by the American Locomotive Company in
Schenectady, New York, is currently operated on the
Black River and Western Railroad in
Ringoes, New Jersey. No. 60 originally operated on the
Great Western Railway of Colorado. Baldwin Steam Locomotive
No. 1702, built in 1942 for the United States Army, was purchased by the
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) of
Bryson City, North Carolina, in the mid-1990s for use on its scenic railway excursions. After a decade of service, No. 1702 was retired in 2004. In October 2012, a partnership formed between GSMR and
Swain County to provide funding to restore the locomotive. In 2013, a complete restoration was launched and the locomotive returned to service during summer 2016. Pennsylvania Railroad No. 1187, of the class R, later H3, is on display at the
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in
Strasburg,
Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania. This class is described in detail in the book
Set Up Running: The Life of a Pennsylvania Railroad Engineman 1904-1949. on static display at the
Valley Railroad. The
Valley Railroad, operating in
Connecticut as the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat, has one 2-8-0,
No. 97 built in 1923 by the American Locomotive Company’s Cooke Machine Works in
Paterson, New Jersey for use in Cuba. It stayed at Cooke until the Works’ closure in 1926 and started service on the Birmingham and Southeastern Railroad in Alabama as No. 200. It ran various excursions on the
Vermont Railway and
New Haven Railroad in the late 1960s under a private owner. No. 97 arrived in
Essex in 1970 initially operating between 1973 and 2010. It returned to service in October 2018.
Virginia & Truckee No. 29 is currently operational on the
Virginia and Truckee Railroad headquartered in
Virginia City, Nevada. Two
USATC General Pershing locomotives survive in the United States.
No. 28 is currently undergoing repair to run again at the
Texas State Railroad in
Palestine, Texas, and
No. 101 is on static display at the
National Railroad Museum in
Green Bay, Wisconsin. ==References==