Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, 6-8-6 represents the arrangement of six unpowered leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels, and six unpowered trailing wheels.
Other equivalent classifications are:
The only known example of the 6-8-6 wheel arrangement is the experimental Pennsylvania Railroad S2 steam turbine locomotive. [1]
The Pennsylvania Railroad K4 was a class of 425 4-6-2 steam locomotives built between 1914 and 1928 for the PRR, where they served as the primary main line passenger steam locomotives on the entire PRR system until late 1957.
A 6-4-4-6 steam locomotive, in the Whyte notation for describing locomotive wheel arrangements, is one with six leading wheels, two sets of four driving wheels, and six trailing wheels.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class B6 was its most successful class of switcher locomotive, or as the PRR termed them "shifter". The PRR preferred the 0-6-0 wheel arrangement for larger switchers, whereas on other railroads the 0-8-0 gained preference. The PRR generally used 2-8-0s when larger power was required.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class P5 comprised 92 mixed-traffic electric locomotives constructed 1931–1935 by the PRR, Westinghouse and General Electric. Although the original intention was that they work mainly passenger trains, the success of the GG1 locomotives meant that the P5 class were mostly used on freight. A single survivor, prototype #4700, is at the National Museum of Transportation in St Louis, Missouri.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class O1 comprised eight experimental boxcab electric locomotives built in 1930 and 1931. They were built in preparation for the New York to Washington Electrification project. They had the wheel arrangement classified as 4-4-4 in the Whyte notation. Although successful, they were not powerful enough for the railroad's increasingly heavy trains. For production, the PRR chose to concentrate on the P5 class, effectively an enlarged and more powerful version of the O1 with an additional pair of driving wheels.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class DD2 was a single prototype electric locomotive never placed into series production. It was intended as an improved and simplified GG1 for use on the planned, but never built, extension of the PRR's electrification west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The one locomotive produced was numbered #5800 and used in regular Baltimore tunnel helper service until it was scrapped in September 1962.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class FF1 was an American electric locomotive, a prototype numbered #3931 and nicknamed "Big Liz". It was built in 1917 to haul freight trains across the Allegheny Mountains where the PRR planned to electrify. "Big Liz" proved workable but too powerful for the freight cars of the time with its 4,600 hp (3,400 kW) and 140,000 lbf (620 kN) of tractive effort. Pulling the train it regularly snapped couplers and when moved to the rear as a pusher its force was sufficient to pop cars in the middle of the train off the tracks.
Pennsylvania Railroad class E2b comprised six experimental B-B electric locomotives built for the railroad by General Electric.
Pennsylvania Railroad class E3b was an experimental electric locomotive supplied by Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. The locomotive was of the two unit design, with each unit having a B-B-B (AAR) or Bo-Bo-Bo (UIC) wheel arrangement. The bodywork and running gear was produced by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton while the electrical equipment was provided by Westinghouse, who also acted as the main contractor.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class R1 comprised a single prototype electric locomotive constructed in 1934 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, with the electrical equipment by Westinghouse.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class L6 comprised three electric locomotives of 2-8-2 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation. The intention was to build a whole class of freight boxcab locomotives using this design, but the displacement of class P5a to freight work after the introduction of the GG1 meant that there was little need for more electric freight locomotives.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class L5 were the railroad's second generation of production electric locomotives after the DD1, and the last to use a jackshaft and side rods to drive the wheels. The L5 was a single-unit locomotive instead of the twin-unit DD1. The wheel arrangement in Whyte notation was 2-4-4-2, or 1-B-B-1 in the AAR scheme. Twenty five were built in 4 distinct subclasses. The lead unit of the class was equipped for AC operation with an overhead pantograph, while the other 24 were third rail DC units to work on the existing PRR third rail electrification in the New York area.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class B1 comprised 42 electric switcher locomotives built between 1926 and 1935. They were of 0-6-0 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation with 700 horsepower. As built, the first 28 locomotives in the 1926 order formed semi-permanently coupled pairs grouped in three classes.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class AA1 comprised two experimental electric locomotives constructed in 1905 by the company's own Altoona Works with the assistance of Westinghouse. Intended as testbeds as the PRR began its electrification project, both locomotives remained service into the 1930s.
Pennsylvania Railroad's Odd D #10003 was an experimental electric locomotive built in 1907 by Baldwin and Westinghouse. It had a 4-4-0 wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation, or 2-B in the AAR scheme. On the PRR, class D was assigned to 4-4-0 locomotives. Production classes of locomotive were assigned a number after the letter, but one-off locomotives were simply designated "Odd".
The Pennsylvania Railroad class Q1, #6130, was a single experimental steam locomotive designed for dual service. The locomotive entered service in 1942, and retired in 1949 after accumulating a relatively low 165,000 service miles.
The class D15 of the Pennsylvania Railroad comprised a solitary Lindner-system cross compound steam locomotive of 4-4-0 "American" wheel arrangement in the Whyte notation. The sole locomotive was #1515, built in 1892 at the PRR's Altoona Shops. It was British in appearance with a full-length footplate, splashers, a six-wheel tender, and large 84 in (2,134 mm) drivers. It was built in 1892 by the PRR's Altoona Works, and remained in service until it was retired and scrapped in November 1905.
The PRR class D14 was a 4-4-0 steam locomotive built for the Pennsylvania Railroad. They were originally designated class P in the PRR's pre-1895 classification scheme. Twenty-two locomotives were built at the PRR's Altoona Works ; six in 1893 with 78-inch (1,981 mm) driving wheels, and sixteen in 1894 with 80-inch (2,032 mm) drivers, classified D14a. Later, all sixteen class D14a were rebuilt to class D14b with 68-inch (1,727 mm) drivers for secondary service after they were replaced in top-flight express service, while three of the six class D14 were similarly rebuilt to class D14c.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class A5s was the most powerful class of 0-4-0 steam locomotives. The Pennsylvania Railroad built 47 in its Juniata Shops between 1916–1924. They were all retired by 1957. One is preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class K29s comprised a single experimental 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive. Constructed by Alco-Schenectady, it was given road number 3395. Although only one demonstrator was constructed, the K29s would become the basis for the highly successful K4s Pacifics and L1s Mikados. The lone example spent most of its life on the PRR's Pittsburgh division main line and was retired around 1929.