The wheel arrangement 2-4-2 designates a steam locomotive that has a leading axle, two coupled axles and a trailing axle. In different countries, this wheel arrangement is referred to as follows:
ColumbiaUIC1B1Whyte2-4-2Switzerland2/4France121Turkey24
Depending on whether the carrying axles were fixed or flexibly mounted, the UIC wheel arrangement is specified as 1B1 or 1'B1'. The name “Columbia” comes from a prototype that Baldwin presented at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 as a new design for an express locomotive.
Tank locomotives with this wheel arrangement actually came into being very early on, but the number of tender locomotives was limited. The class K of the New Zealand Railways from 1877, which was also the first locomotive from US production in New Zealand, is considered to be the first tender locomotive. Others were created from locomotives with a 2-4-0 wheel arrangement, which were subsequently given a trailing axle to increase directional stability.
Locomotive of the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée from 1868, which was only later given a trailing axle
Locomotive Magazine, November 1899
In New Zealand, the greatest strength of the wheel arrangement was the good flexibility in curves, which was significantly better than that of the British locomotives with more rigid chassis previously used there. Another big advantage compared to the 4-4-0 wheel arrangement was that the firebox could be designed much more freely and, above all, wide. A more powerful boiler was therefore possible with the same number of axles.
The version with two completely fixed carrying axles was only possible on very good tracks. Thus, these were mostly in Adams axle bearings, which made radial adjustment possible. Especially with American machines there were also carrying axles in bogies. Due to the short, fixed wheelbase with two drivers and one leading and one trailing axle each, high demands were placed on the centering systems in order to be able to maintain directional stability at higher speeds.
The main area of the tender locomotives with this wheel arrangement was in France, Belgium and the also French-influenced Staatseisenbahn-Gesellschaft in Austria-Hungary. Elsewhere, the 4-4-0 wheel arrangement prevailed better. Before it could spread further, more powerful passenger and express locomotives with a total of five axles were needed.
Drawing with the original boiler (even if the year is wrong)
Railway and Locomotive Engineering, August 1897
After some British locomotives, the K class of 1877 was the first US locomotive to see service in New Zealand. Externally, compared to the British locomotives, it had many special features that caused a stir. These included the graceful bar frame, the swiveling trailing axle, many attachments located outside of the boiler and the rich decoration. The agile running characteristics in particular were apparently an advantage over the predecessors on the South Island of New Zealand. With the introduction of more powerful locomotives, they were used more on branch lines and some were moved to the North Island. After receiving new boilers, some with Belpaire fireboxes, they were retired in the 1920s. 
| General |
| Built | 1877-1878 | 1903 |
| Manufacturer | Rogers |
| Axle config | 2-4-2 (Columbia) |
| Gauge | 3 ft 6 in (Cape gauge) |
| Dimensions and Weights |
| Length | 45 ft 7 in |
| Wheelbase | 22 ft 3 in |
| Rigid wheelbase | 11 ft 10 in |
| Service weight | 52,192 lbs | 51,000 lbs |
| Adhesive weight | 33,153 lbs | 30,000 lbs |
| Total weight | 95,200 lbs | 94,008 lbs |
| Axle load | 16,579 lbs | 15,000 lbs |
| Water capacity | 1,501 us gal |
| Fuel capacity | 4,928 lbs (coal) |
| Boiler |
| Grate area | 8.8 sq ft | 10.1 sq ft |
| Evaporative heating area | 589 sq ft | |
| Total heating area | 589 sq ft | |
| Power Plant |
| Driver diameter | 49.5 in |
| Boiler pressure | 130 psi | 160 psi |
| Expansion type | simple |
| Cylinders | two, 12 x 20 in |
| Power |
| Power source | steam |
| Estimated power | 275 hp (205 kW) | 400 hp (298 kW) |
| Optimal speed | 27 mph | 32 mph |
| Starting effort | 6,429 lbf | 7,913 lbf |
| Calculated Values |
| Factor of adhesion | 1 : 5.16 | 1 : 3.79 |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 0.0053 hp/lb | 0.0078 hp/lb |
| Adhesive weight/Total | 1 : 1.57 | 1 : 1.70 |
| Tractive force/Heating area | 1 : 2453.81 | |
In order to be able to burn cheap coal with the smallest fragments, the Belgian State Railways needed a large firebox for their express locomotives. This also applied to the type 12bis, which was based on the type 12 from 1888 and where the “bis” stood for “second”. In order to achieve the required power, the grate area had to be further increased to 4.7 square meters or 50 square feet.
On the 12bis, too, the firebox consisted of a narrow, front part between the wheels of the second driving axle and a wide, rear part above the trailing axle. It still had outside frames, as well as serve tubes and a conical chimney. It was said to run smoothly even at 110 km/h (68 mph).
| General |
| Built | 1897 |
| Manufacturer | Cockerill |
| Axle config | 2-4-2 (Columbia) |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge) |
| Dimensions and Weights |
| Length loco | 35 ft 4 3/16 in |
| Wheelbase | 21 ft 6 7/16 in |
| Rigid wheelbase | 21 ft 6 7/16 in |
| Empty weight | 101,413 lbs |
| Service weight | 108,467 lbs |
| Adhesive weight | 58,092 lbs |
| Total weight | 184,968 lbs |
| Axle load | 29,652 lbs |
| Water capacity | 3,698 us gal |
| Fuel capacity | 6,614 lbs (coal) |
| Boiler |
| Grate area | 50.7 sq ft |
| Firebox area | 134.5 sq ft |
| Tube heating area | 1,207.4 sq ft |
| Evaporative heating area | 1,342 sq ft |
| Total heating area | 1,342 sq ft |
| Power Plant |
| Driver diameter | 82.7 in |
| Boiler pressure | 174 psi |
| Expansion type | simple |
| Cylinders | two, 19 11/16 x 23 5/8 in |
| Power |
| Power source | steam |
| Estimated power | 738 hp (550 kW) |
| Optimal speed | 29 mph |
| Starting effort | 16,375 lbf |
| Calculated Values |
| Factor of adhesion | 1 : 3.55 |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 0.0068 hp/lb |
| Heating Area Equivalent | 2,014.7 sq ft |
| Cylinder volume/HAE | 1 : 1258.82 |
| Adhesive weight/Total | 1 : 1.87 |
| Tractive force/Heating area | 1 : 2743.12 |
| Grate area/Heating area | 1 : 23.83 |
| Firebox/Tube area | 1 : 8.97 |
Almost 30 years after the founding of the StEG, the influence of French financing was still noticeable, so that the express locomotives were built based on the Paris-Orléans. Thanks to the 2-4-2 wheel arrangement, a larger firebox could be accommodated than with a 4-4-0, but the carrying axles' not yet fully developed centering system resulted in insufficient running smoothness. When the StEG was separated, 26 came to the Austrian part and 32 to the MÁV. The BBÖ retired their locomotives by 1928, after six had come to GySEV. The latter were retired between 1951 and 1959.
| General |
| Built | 1882-1885, 1889, 1891 |
| Manufacturer | StEG, Hanomag |
| Axle config | 2-4-2 (Columbia) |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge) |
| Dimensions and Weights |
| Length | 30 ft 3 1/4 in |
| Wheelbase | 18 ft 8 7/16 in |
| Rigid wheelbase | 6 ft 10 11/16 in |
| Empty weight | 94,358 lbs |
| Service weight | 105,381 lbs |
| Adhesive weight | 58,422 lbs |
| Water capacity | 2,642 us gal |
| Fuel capacity | 7,275 lbs (coal) |
| Boiler |
| Grate area | 24.9 sq ft |
| Firebox area | 111.5 sq ft |
| Tube heating area | 1,433.1 sq ft |
| Evaporative heating area | 1,544.6 sq ft |
| Total heating area | 1,544.6 sq ft |
| Power Plant |
| Driver diameter | 71.7 in |
| Boiler pressure | 130 psi |
| Expansion type | simple |
| Cylinders | two, 16 15/16 x 25 9/16 in |
| Power |
| Power source | steam |
| Estimated power | 536 hp (400 kW) |
| Optimal speed | 30 mph |
| Top speed | 50 mph |
| Starting effort | 11,354 lbf |
| Calculated Values |
| Factor of adhesion | 1 : 5.15 |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 0.0051 hp/lb |
| Heating Area Equivalent | 2,102.2 sq ft |
| Cylinder volume/HAE | 1 : 966.65 |
| Adhesive weight/Total | 1 : 1.80 |
| Tractive force/Heating area | 1 : 1652.50 |
| Grate area/Heating area | 1 : 57.64 |
| Firebox/Tube area | 1 : 12.85 |