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In the Whyte notation for the wheel arrangement of locomotives (primarily steam locomotives), an 0-6-0 is a locomotive with six powered driving wheels (thus three powered axles), and neither leading or trailing wheels.

In the UIC classification popular in Europe, the same arrangement is written as C (if the wheels are coupled with rods or gears) or Co (if they are independently driven).

The 0-6-0 was generally considered a switcher (UK: shunter) type, since its lack of guiding axles meant that it wasn't too stable at speed, yet its lack of unpowered axles meant that all weight was adhesive weight and thus tractive effort and factor of adhesion were maximised. The 0-6-0 became possibly the most common wheel arrangement for switchers worldwide; the 0-4-0 proved to be too small and not powerful enough for most applications, while the 0-6-0 proved to be 'just right'. 0-8-0 and larger switchers were popular, but many smaller and lighter railways could not use them.

The type could also be used for longer runs when high speeds were not required nor greater hauling ability than the 0-6-0 could provide. Branch line work and lighter freight runs were well within an 0-6-0's capabilities.

In the United States, huge numbers of 0-6-0 switchers were produced. An 0-6-0 was the smallest of the USRA Standard classes designed and produced during the brief Government control of the railroads through the USRAThe United States Railroad Administration was the name of the nationalised railroad system of the United States between 1917 and 1920. It was possibly the largest American experiment with nationalisation, and was undertaken against a background of war eme during World War IWorld War I (also known as the First World War , the Great War the War of the Nations and the "War to End All Wars") was a world conflict occurring from 1914 to 1918. No previous conflict had mobilized so many soldiers, or involved so many in the field of. 255 of them were built and ended up in the hands of about two dozen US railroads; in addition, many of them (and others) built numerous copies after the war. The Pennsylvania RailroadThe Pennsylvania Railroad ( AAR reporting mark: PRR was an American railroad existing 1846 1968, after which it merged into the Penn Central. Commonly referred to as the Pennsy the company was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company's sym rostered over 1,200 0-6-0 types over the years, which were classed as type B on that system. US 0-6-0s were generally tender locomotiveSteam locomotives often haul a tender which is a special railroad car designed to hold the locomotive's fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of both. Locomotives that do not have tenders and carry all their fuel and water on board ths.

In the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly, 0-6-0 tank locomotiveA tank locomotive (occasionally tank engine) is a steam locomotive that carries its own fuel and water with it, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. Types of tank There are a number of sub-classes of tank locomotive, mostly based on the location as were the most common locomotive type on all railways throughout the twentieth century. They were used whenever high speeds were not required and an 0-6-0 was 'big enough' for the task, including much branch line work, shunting tasks, and (often as tender locomotives) light to medium weight slower freight trains. All of the Big Four companies to emerge from Grouping in the 1920s used them in large numbers, and the Great Western Railway had an especial liking for the type, especially in pannier tank form, a type they produced until Nationalisation in 1948. When diesel shunters began to be introduced, the 0-6-0 type became the most common also; many of the British Railways shunter types were 0-6-0s, including Class 03, the standard 'light' shunter, and Class 08 and Class 09, the standard heavier shunters.

Continental European railways also used 0-6-0s, though possibly not in the proportions used in England; they were generally reserved for light switching requirements, station pilot s and the like, and on very small branch lines. Larger tank engines were used for most branch line service.