Tender Locomotives 2-4-2 “Columbia”

The New Zealand Railways Class K of 1877 is considered to be the first 2-4-2 tender locomotive

Bernard Spragg CC0: Public Domain Dedication

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:

Columbia

UIC: 1B1

Whyte: 2-4-2

Switzerland: 2/4

France: 121

Turkey: 24

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.

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.

Locomotive of the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée from 1868, which was only later given a trailing axle

Locomotive Magazine, November 1899

Belgian Railway type 12bis

New Zealand Railways class K (1877)

State Railway Company series II No. 65 to 122

Belgium | 1897
26 produced

Die Lokomotive, December 1917

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	82.68 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

steam locomotive

express

Alfred Belpaire

last changed: 01/2024

New Zealand | 1877
8 produced

The preserved K 92 in November 2016

Tony Hisgett / Rogers Steam Locomotive 2 CC BY: Attribution

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.

Variant	as built	rebuilt

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

Variant	as built	rebuilt

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

steam locomotive

express

passenger

last changed: 08/2023

Drawing with the original boiler (even if the year is wrong)

Railway and Locomotive Engineering, August 1897

Austria-Hungary | 1882
58 produced

StEG II No. 122, later MÁV Ig 632 and MÁV 223 032

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	71.65 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

steam locomotive

express

last changed: 08/2023

Navigation