View source for 2-4-0

{{Short description|Locomotive wheel arrangement}}
{{About|the steam locomotive wheel arrangement|the [[March Engineering]] racing car|March 2-4-0}}
{{Infobox steam wheel arrangement
| name             = 2-4-0 (Porter)
| image            = WheelArrangement 2-4-0.svg
| alt              = Diagram of one small leading wheel, and two large driving wheels joined together with a coupling rod
| caption          = Front of locomotive at left
| image2           = LSWR Beattie well tank (Boys' Book of Locomotives, 1907).jpg
| alt2             = 
| caption2         = [[LSWR 0298 Class]] or ''Beattie Well Tank''
<!--Equivalent classifications-->
| hatnote          = 
| UIC/Germany/Italy= 1B, 1'B
| French/Spanish   = 120
| Turkish          = 23
| Swiss            = 2/3
| Russian          = 1-2-0
<!--First tank engine version-->
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| evolvedfrom      = 
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| mainbenefit      = 
| maindrawback     = 
<!--First tender engine version-->
| date2            = c. 1830s-1840s
| country2         = United Kingdom
| locomotive2      = 
| railway2         = 
| designer2        = 
| builder2         = 
| evolvedfrom2     = [[2-2-0]] & [[2-2-2]]
| evolvedto2       = 
| mainbenefit2     = Better adhesion with coupled wheels
| maindrawback2    = 
<!--First "True type" version-->
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}}

Under the [[Whyte notation]] for the classification of [[steam locomotive]]s, '''{{nowrap|2-4-0}}''' represents the [[wheel arrangement]] of two [[leading wheel]]s on one axle, four powered and coupled [[driving wheel]]s on two axles and no [[trailing wheel]]s. In most of North America it became known as a '''Porter'''.

The notation '''2-4-0T'''<!--which redirects here--> indicates a [[tank locomotive]] of this wheel arrangement, on which its water and fuel is carried on board the engine itself, rather than in an attached [[tender (rail)|tender]]. A subset is '''2-4-0WT''', a configuration in which the water is under the bolier in a well tank.

==Overview==
The 2-4-0 configuration was developed in the United Kingdom in the late 1830s or early 1840s as an enlargement of the [[2-2-0]] and [[2-2-2]] types, with the additional pair of coupled wheels giving better adhesion. The type was initially designed for freight haulage. One of the earliest examples was the [[Broad-gauge railway|broad-gauge]] [[GWR Leo Class]], designed by [[Daniel Gooch]] and built during 1841 and 1842 by [[R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company]]; [[Fenton, Murray and Jackson]]; and [[Rothwell, Hick and Rothwell]]. Because of its popularity for a period with English railways, noted railway author [[C. Hamilton Ellis]] considered the 2-4-0 designation to have the nickname (under the [[Whyte notation]]) of '''''Old English'''''.

During 1846–47, [[Alexander Allan (locomotive engineer)|Alexander Allan]] of the newly established [[London and North Western Railway]] (LNWR) created the [[Crewe type (locomotive)|Crewe type]] of locomotive, with a 2-2-2 wheel arrangement for passenger classes and 2-4-0 for freight. During the 1850s and 1860s, these designs were widely copied by other railways, both in the United Kingdom and overseas.<ref>[[Hamilton Ellis]], Some Classic Locomotives, George Allen and Unwin, 1949, pp.19-32.</ref>

[[File:LSWR 0298 Class Beattie Well Tank 4.jpg|thumb|Beattie's [[LSWR 0298 Class|0298 Class]] [[Well tank]] locomotive]]
During the mid-1840s, [[John Hawkshaw]] developed a new style of 2-4-0 passenger locomotive with [[Cylinder (locomotive)|outside cylinders]] in front of the [[leading wheel]]s and the rear [[driving wheel|driving axle]] behind the [[firebox (steam engine)|firebox]]. This layout provided steady running at high speeds, despite a long overhang at the front.<ref>[[Hamilton Ellis]], ''Pictorial encyclopaedia of railways,'' Hamlyn, 1968, pp.53-4.</ref>

[[Joseph Hamilton Beattie|Joseph Beattie]] of the [[London and South Western Railway]] was one of the first British locomotive engineers to use this type on express locomotives.<ref>D.L. Bradley, Locomotives of the London and South Western Railway, Part 1. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, 1965, p.58.</ref> From 1858, he began experimenting with 2-4-0 designs for passenger work, culminating in his ''Seven-Foot'' {{nowrap|2-4-0}} express passenger locomotives, built between 1859 and 1868.<ref>Bradley (1965), pp.52-76.</ref> Beattie was also responsible for the long-lived [[LSWR 0298 Class|0298 Class]] of 2-4-0 [[well tank]]s, designed for suburban passenger work in 1874, some examples of which were still working in 1961. A locomotive of this type hauled the first ''[[Orient Express]]'' from [[Paris]] to [[Munich]], a notable achievement for such a small engine.

After 1854, the Hawkshaw type of 2-4-0 was adopted by [[Beyer, Peacock and Company]], who built many examples of the type for export, including to the [[Swedish State Railways]] in 1856 and the Zealand Railway in [[Denmark]] in 1870.<ref>[[Hamilton Ellis]], ''Pictorial enclyclopaedia of railways,'' p.54.</ref>

==Usage==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2022}}

=== Australia ===
[[File:NSWGR Locomotive Class F.351.jpg|thumb|NSWGR F351 class locomotive]]
The [[New South Wales Government Railways]] [[New South Wales F351 class locomotive|F351 (later X10) class]] 2-4-0 tank locomotives were intended to haul suburban passenger trains in Sydney, and delivered in 1885 - 1887. After a derailment incident, from 1901, the entire class was withdrawn from passenger work. These locomotives were then allocated to [[Shunting (rail)|shunting]], yard and depot duties. Ten of the class were sold to various private railway operators, including for industrial use. Two are preserved.

[[South Australian Railways]] used [[South Australian Railways P class|P class]] 2-4-0 tank locomotives to haul suburban passenger services in Adelaide, from 1884 to 1929. One locomotive is preserved.

=== France ===
{{expand section|date=October 2020}}

===Germany===
The [[Bavarian B V]] and [[Bavarian B VI]] 2-4-0 locomotives of the [[Royal Bavarian State Railways]] were the first types to be produced in Bavaria in large numbers. In all, 208 were built between 1853 and 1863. One example is preserved in the [[Nuremberg Transport Museum]].

[[File:Mecklenburgische III Nr 19.png|right|thumb|Mecklenburg III class No. 19 ''ZWEIHUNDERT'']]
Between 1864 and 1869, the [[Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg Friedrich-Franz Railway]] bought 19 Hawkshaw type [[Mecklenburg III]] {{nowrap|2-4-0}} locomotives from [[Richard Hartmann]] in [[Chemnitz]].

Between 1877 and 1885, altogether 294 passenger locomotives of the [[Prussian P 2]] class were delivered to the [[Prussian state railways]] and its forebears.

=== Indonesia ===
The Indonesian Railways Class B50, formerly the Dutch Indies Railways Class 200, were the only tender types to be used for pulling passenger trains from [[Madiun]] to Ponorogo. In all, 60 were built by [[Sharp, Stewart and Company]]. Until today, only 1 survived, which is B5004, while the tender was attached into B2301.

===New Zealand===
In New Zealand, two classes of [[tank locomotive]] were built with the 2-4-0T wheel arrangement. They were the [[New Zealand Railways Department|New Zealand Railways]] (NZR) [[NZR D class (1874)|D class]] in 1874 and 1929, and the [[NZR L class]] in 1878, both classes having been designed for mixed traffic use.

Five D class locomotives were built by [[Dübs and Company]] in Glasgow, Scotland, nineteen were built by [[Neilson and Company]] and eleven were built by [[Scott Brothers (locomotive manufacturers)|Scott Brothers]] of Christchurch. The first members of the D class entered service in 1874 and all had been withdrawn from NZR service by the end of 1927, which allowed the D classification to be used again in 1929.

Of the 33 D class locomotives built, seven have been preserved, although only D16 and D140 were in operational condition.

All ten L class locomotives were built by the [[Avonside Engine Company]] in [[Bristol]]. The first L class built entered service in 1878 and another nine L class locomotives were ordered. In 1893–94, three of the L class 2-4-0T locomotives were rebuilt to a [[4-4-0]] wheel arrangement at Newmarket workshops, with larger boilers and enlarged cylinders. This new design was classified La, but their limited coal bunker capacity remained a drawback. The solution was to add a trailing [[Bissel truck|pony truck]] to accommodate a larger coal bunker, converting them to a [[4-4-2 (locomotive)|4-4-2]]T wheel arrangement. A further four L class locomotives were similarly converted. Three were not rebuilt, but sold to the [[Public Works Department (New Zealand)|Public Works Department]] between 1901 and 1903. Three new {{nowrap|4-4-2T}} locomotives were built in 1902–03. When the conversion program was completed in 1903, the classification for all ten remaining NZR locomotives was changed back to L.

Of the ten L class locomotives built, numbers 207 (507), 208 (508) and 219 (509) survived long enough to be preserved, all three operational.

===South Africa===
[[File:CGR ex CTR&D no. 10 Ebden 2-4-0T.jpg|thumb|[[Cape Town Railway & Dock 2-4-0T|2-4-0T ''Ebden'']] in Cape Town, c. 1872]]
A standard gauge railway line between [[Salt River, Cape Town|Salt River]] and [[Wynberg, Cape Town|Wynberg]] in the [[Cape Colony|Cape of Good Hope]], constructed with private capital, was opened to the public on 19 December 1864. The Cape Town Railway and Dock Company undertook to rent and operate the line and acquired [[Cape Town Railway & Dock 2-4-0T|three 2-4-0 tank locomotives]] as motive power for the line in 1864.<ref name="Holland 1">{{Holland-Vol 1|pages=15-17, 23}}</ref><ref name="SAR&H Jun 1943">Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1943). ''The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter I - The Period of the 4 ft. 8½ in. Gauge''. South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, June 1943. pp. 437-440.</ref>

In 1872, the locomotives came onto the roster of the [[Cape Government Railways]] when it took over the operation of all railways in the Cape of Good Hope. They remained in service on this line until after its conversion to dual [[standard gauge|standard]]-and-[[Cape gauge]]s around 1872 and were retired in 1881, when sufficient Cape gauge locomotives were in service.<ref name="Holland 1"/><ref name="SAR&H Jun 1943"/>

===United Kingdom===
[[File:MR 158A at Swanwick 1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Midland Railway]] 158A of 1866]]
Before 1846, the type was used on the [[Liverpool and Manchester Railway|Liverpool and Manchester]], [[Birmingham and Gloucester Railway|Birmingham and Gloucester]], [[North Midland Railway|North Midland]] and [[London and South Western Railway]]s.<ref>Bertram Baxter, British Locomotive Catalogue 1825-1923, Vol.1. Moorland Publishing, 1977. {{ISBN|0-903485-50-8}}.</ref>

[[File:790 Hardwicke at NRM York - DSC07757.JPG|thumb|[[LNWR Improved Precedent Class|LNWR's Improved Precedent class]] ''Hardwicke'' at York Railway Museum]]
Between 1846 and 1880, the 2-4-0 was the standard type for passenger and [[mixed-traffic locomotive]]s and was built in large numbers by, amongst others, the LNWR (1846–96), the [[Midland Railway]] (1846–1880), the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]] (1849–97), the [[North Eastern Railway (UK)|North Eastern Railway]] (1856–88) and the [[Great Eastern Railway]] (1856–1902).

Most United Kingdom railways used 2-4-0s, including those designed by [[James Holden (engineer)|James Holden]] on the Great Eastern Railway, [[Matthew Kirtley]] on the Midland Railway, [[Joseph Armstrong (engineer)|Joseph Armstrong]] on the [[Great Western Railway]] and [[Francis Webb (engineer)|Francis Webb]] on the [[London and North Western Railway]]. One of the latter's types, the [[LNWR Improved Precedent Class|Improved Precedent Class]] ''Hardwicke'' famously set outstanding records for the LNWR during the [[Race to the North]] in 1895.

===United States===
[[File:Virginia and Truckee J.W. Bowker.jpg|thumb|Virginia and Truckee 21 ''J.W. Bowker'', the last remaining Baldwin 2-4-0]]
[[File:Baldwin 2-4-0, Denver & Rio Grande Montezuma, 1871.jpg|thumb|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin's]] ''Montezuma'' of 1871, the first locomotive built for the [[Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad|Denver & Rio Grande]]]]
In the collection of the [[California State Railroad Museum]] is the ''J.W. Bowker'' locomotive, a {{nowrap|2-4-0}} engine built by [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]] in 1875 for the [[Virginia and Truckee Railroad]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.californiarailroad.museum/assets/downloads/CSRM-Public-Roster-September-10-2020.pdf |title=Master Railroad Equipment Roster|publisher=California State Railroad Museum, September 10, 2020|accessdate=December 5, 2021}}</ref>  Today, the ''J.W. Bowker'' is the sole remaining Baldwin 2-4-0 in existence.

At the [[Cedar Point]] amusement park in [[Sandusky, Ohio]], four 2-4-0s run tourist trains around a {{Convert|2|mi|km|abbr=on|sp=us}} loop of track alongside [[Lake Erie]] and pass many of the park's attractions. Two of the 2-4-0s were built by [[Vulcan Iron Works]] as 0-4-0Ts in 1922 and 1923 and now run as the ''Myron H.'' no. 22 and ''Judy K.'' no. 44 respectively. They are the two main engines for the [[Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad]]. The third engine was built by [[H.K. Porter, Inc.]] as an 0-4-0T in 1942 and now runs as the ''George R.'' no. 4.  The fourth engine was built by [[Davenport Locomotive Works]] as a 2-4-4T in 1927 and now runs as the ''G. A. Boeckling'' no. 1.  No. 1 was converted from oil-burning in 2010 and all engines now run on coal. One of the oldest 2-4-0s in the US is the [[John Bull (locomotive)|''John Bull'']].

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Commons category|position=left}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Whyte types}}

[[Category:2-4-0 locomotives| ]]
[[Category:1B locomotives| ]]
[[Category:Whyte notation]]