{{Short description|Articulated locomotive wheel arrangement}} [[File:Great Northern steam locomotive 1951, Skykomish, ca. 1924.jpg|thumb|right|300px|GN #1951 at [[Skykomish, Washington]] in 1924.]] A '''2-6-8-0''' [[steam locomotive]], in the [[Whyte notation]] for describing [[locomotive]] [[wheel arrangement]]s, has two [[leading wheel]]s, a set of six [[driving wheel]]s, a set of eight driving wheels, and no [[trailing wheel]]s. These locomotives usually employ the [[Mallet locomotive|Mallet]] principle of articulation, with a swinging front engine and a rigidly attached rear engine.
==Equivalent classifications== Other equivalent classifications are:<br /> [[UIC classification]]: '''1CD''' (also known as German classification and [[Italian classification]])<br /> [[French classification]]: '''130+040'''<br /> [[Turkish classification]]: '''34+44'''<br /> [[Swiss classification]]: '''3/4+4/4'''
The [[UIC classification]] is refined to '''(1'C)D''' for Mallet locomotives.
==Examples== This type of [[articulated locomotive]] is unusual in having different numbers of driving axles in each set, and was only found in the United States of America and Germany. The [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railway]] and the [[Alabama Great Southern]], a predecessor of the [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]], both in the [[United States]], were the sole long-term users of this type of locomotive.
Great Northern received 35 from [[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin]] in 1910, numbered 1950–1984, designated class [[GN M-1|M-1]]. The M1s were rebuilt to use simple expansion In 1926 and 1927 and were redesignated class M-2. Most of the M-2s did not last long, being converted to class [[GN O-7|O-7]] [[2-8-2]]s between 1929 and 1931; the thirteen exceptions remained in service until 1949–1954.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Keyes |first1=Norman C. |last2=Middleton |first2=Kenneth R. |date=Autumn 1980 |title=The Great Northern Railway Company: All-Time Locomotive Roster, 1861–1970 |journal=[[Railroad History]] |volume=143 |issue=143 |publisher=Railway and Locomotive Historical Society |pages=95–96 |jstor=43523930}}</ref> The AGS had a single example in this wheel arrangement, number 300.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://railga.com/ags.html|title=Alabama Great Southern Railroad|website=railga.com|access-date=2019-07-21}}</ref> It went to the [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]] and was later joined by two other 2-6-8-0 types numbered 4002 and 4003.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/28271|title=Great Northern Railway's odd-ball steam locomotive The M Class 2-6-8-0. {{!}} Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine|website=model-railroad-hobbyist.com|access-date=2019-07-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 21, 2019 |title=Untitled Photo |url=http://railga.com/srmallet4002.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721093305/http://railga.com/srmallet4002.jpg |archive-date=July 21, 2019 |access-date=July 21, 2019 |website=Railga.com}}</ref>
This unusual wheel arrangement was the subject of some experimentation. The [[Erie Railroad]] briefly had a locomotive of this type numbered 2900, but it was rebuilt to a 2-8-0 in 1916 after only six years. The [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]] marketed a front end "kit" whereby conventional 2-8-0 locomotives could be converted to 2-6-8-0 types. None of this type locomotive have been preserved.
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad had some 2-6-8-0 steam locomotives in their KL-1 class.
In Germany, during [[World War II]], [[Deutsche Reichsbahn]] started work on a condensing 2-6-8-0 mallet locomotive built by [[Borsig]]. These were to have dual smoke stacks and had smoke deflectors to help with the driver's visibility while driving the locomotive. The locomotive would have been the largest on the German rail network, but as it was nearing completion in Borsig Werke it was destroyed in an [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] bombing raid.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=Articulated&railroad=srs#293 Alabama Great Southern / Southern Other Articulated Locomotives] * [https://www.steamlocomotive.com/locobase.php?country=USA&wheel=Articulated&railroad=gn#352 Great Northern Other Articulated Locomotives] *[http://www.gngoat.org/gn_steam_locomotives.htm GN Steam Locos] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070822221229/http://www.erielackhs.org/Erie/prototype/ErieCondensedSteamRoster.html Erie Condensed Steam Locomotive Roster] *[https://ngdiscussion.net/phorum/read.php?1,363464,363464 Alabama Great Southern 300] {{Whyte types}}
[[Category:Whyte notation|68,2-6-8-0]] [[Category:Great Northern Railway (United States) locomotives]] [[Category:Steam locomotives of Southern Railway (U.S.)]]