2-6-6-6

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One of the C&O's 2-6-6-6 locomotives.
One of the C&O's 2-6-6-6 locomotives.

The 2-6-6-6 (in Whyte notation) is an articulated locomotive type with 2 leading wheels, two sets of six driving wheels and six trailing wheels. The only 2-6-6-6 locomotive type ever built was the "Allegheny" class, built by the Lima Locomotive Works. The name comes from the locomotive's first service with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway beginning in 1941. These were the heaviest reciprocating steam locomotives ever built.

Other equivalent classifications are:
UIC classification: 1CC3 (also known as German classification and Italian classification)
French classification: 130+033
Turkish classification: 34+36
Swiss classification: 3/4+3/6

The UIC classification is refined to (1'C)C3' for Mallet locomotives.

[edit] History

Two classes of 2-6-6-6 locomotives were built; the H-8 "Allegheny" class for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), and the "Blue Ridge" class for the Virginian Railway. There is often confusion because the locos were Series AG on the Virginian, which was thought to be an abbreviation for Allegheny, but that referred to their being Articulated, Series G. All were built by the Lima Locomotive Works. The "Allegheny" name refers to the C&O locomotives' job of hauling heavy coal trains up and down the Allegheny Mountains.

To many, the handwriting was on the wall for reciprocating piston driven steam locomotives, even though they would live on almost another 20 years. Lima Locomotive Works and C&O set out to build the ultimate in high horsepower engines, and they did succeed in that, because no other piston engine ever surpassed the output of these monsters. They were, as a result, also the heaviest steam locomotives ever constructed.

[edit] Preservation

There are only 2 surviving Alleghenies. One resides in The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan, and the other at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. Neither is in operational condition and they are likely to remain static displays given their incredible size and weight.

[edit] External links

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Steam locomotive types
Single engine types
0-2-2 • 2-2-0 • 2-2-2 • 2-2-4 • 4-2-0 • 4-2-2 • 4-2-4 • 6-2-0
0-3-0
0-4-0 • 0-4-2 • 0-4-4 • 2-4-0 • 2-4-2 • 2-4-4 • 4-4-0 • 4-4-2 • 4-4-4 • 4-4-6
0-6-0 • 0-6-2 • 0-6-4 • 2-6-0 • 2-6-2 • 2-6-4 • 2-6-6 • 4-6-0 • 4-6-2 • 4-6-4
0-8-0 • 0-8-2 • 0-8-4 • 2-8-0 • 2-8-2 • 2-8-4 • 2-8-6 • 4-8-0 • 4-8-2 • 4-8-4 • 4-8-6 • 6-8-6
0-10-0 • 0-10-2 • 2-10-0 • 2-10-2 • 2-10-4 • 4-10-0 • 4-10-2
0-12-0 • 2-12-0 • 2-12-2 • 2-12-4 • 4-12-2 • 4-14-4
Duplex engine types
Garratt (articulated) types
Mallet (articulated) types
(includes Triplex)
0-4-4-0 • 0-4-4-2 • 2-4-4-2
0-6-6-0 • 2-6-6-0 • 2-6-6-2 • 2-6-6-4 • 2-6-6-6 • 2-6-8-0 • 4-6-6-2 • 4-6-6-4
0-8-8-0 • 2-8-8-0 • 2-8-8-2 • 2-8-8-4 • 4-8-8-2 • 4-8-8-4
2-10-10-2 • 2-8-8-8-2 • 2-8-8-8-4
Engerth (articulated) types
0-4-4 • 0-4-6
2-6-2 • 0-6-4 • 0-6-4-0
0-8-4 • 0-8-6