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Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 2-10-0 is a locomotive with two leading wheel s, generally arranged in a radially swinging leading truck , and ten coupled driving wheels, five on each side. This arrangement was often named Decapod, especially in the United States, although this name was sometimes applied to locomotives of 0-10-0 "Ten-Coupled" arrangement.
These locomotives were popular in Europe, particularly in Germany, and in Russia; British use of the type was confined to the period during and after World War II. In the United States, the 2-10-0 was not universally popular but was a favorite of a small number of railroads, mostly those in mountainous terrain.
The 2-10-0's main advantage was that five out of six of its axles were powered ones, meaning almost all the weight was available for traction rather than being wasted on guiding axles. This long rigid wheelbase, however, caused problems on tightly curved track, so blind driver s were the norm on the central axle and sometimes others, often coupled with lateral motion device s on the leading driven axles.
Its disadvantages included the fact that the firebox size was restricted by having driving wheels underneath it. Either it had to be fitted in between the wheels (common on earlier locomotives) and was then suboptimally long and narrow, or it could be mounted above the wheels, making it sufficiently wide and long but shallower than was optimal. Most later locomotives chose the latter route. The firebox being so mounted also restricted the diameter of the driving wheels, making them too small to carry sufficient counterweights to counterbalance the weight of the heavy main rod s and side rod s required to absorb the powerful thrust of the cylinders on the larger locomotives. Thus, they were not very well balanced at speed and rode very roughly; they were generally not permitted speeds of greater than 50 mph (80 km/h).
The type was almost universally seen in freight service, although locomotives in Germany and the United Kingdom proved capable of sufficient speed to haul passenger trains when called upon to do so.
The first Decapods were built for the Lehigh Valley RailroadThe Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company was incorporated April 21, 1846 in Pennsylvania. On January 7, 1853 the name was changed to Lehigh Valley Railroad . The railroad was built for the primary purpose of hauling anthracite. in 1867Events January 8 African-American men granted the right to vote in the District of Columbia January 11 Benito Juarez becomes Mexican president again January 30 Emperor Komei of Japan dies. Crown Prince Mutsuhito is expected to become the next Emperor of J; proving too rough on the track thanks to their long coupled wheelbase, one pair of drivers were removed. No more followed for 24 years, until the Erie RailroadThe Erie Railroad was a 19th century rail line in New York State, connecting New York City with Lake Erie and several cities in upstate New York, including Binghamton, Buffalo and Dunkirk. The line's original New York City area terminus is in Piermont, Ne bought six for pusher service between 1891Events January 1 ? Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany January 20 James Hogg becomes the first native Texan to be governor of that state. January 29 Liliuokalani proclaimed Queen of Hawaii March 9 ? 12 ? Powerful storm off England?s south coast; and 1893Events January 1 Japan accepts the Gregorian calendar January 2 Introduction by Webb C. Ball of the General Railroad Timepiece Standards in North America: Railroad chronometers January 13 The Independent Labour Party of the UK has its first meeting. Janua. In that low-speed service where high tractive effort was the most critical attribute, these Decapods were successful. Small numbers of other Decapods were built over the next twenty years, mostly for service in steeply graded mountainous areas where power at low speeds was the requirement. The type did not prove that popular, however, compared to the wildly successful Consolidation ( 2-8-0) type. Among the Decapods placed in service were a number for the Santa Fe, of interest mostly because they were tandem compound s.
The first great boost in the number of Decapods in service was thanks to historical events. Imperial Russia ordered approximately 1200 Decapods from American builders during World War I. When the Bolshevik revolution took place, over 800 had already been delivered, but more than 200 were either awaiting shipment or were in the process of construction. These stranded locomotives were adopted by the United States Railroad Administration (USRA), the body created by the Government to oversee and control the railroads during the War, converted to American standards, and put to use on American railroads. Small and light-footed, these Russian decapods proved popular with smaller railroads, and many of them remained in control long after the USRA's control of the railroads ceased. Many indeed lasted until the end of steam on those railroads.
The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), however, soon became the biggest user of the Decapod in the United States. The type was ideally suited to the Pennsy's heavy graded Allegheny Mountains routes; power and lugging ability, not speed, was what was called for. The PRR bought 598 of the brutes, building 123 itself and then ordering the rest from the Baldwin Locomotive Works in one of the biggest locomotive orders of all time. The PRR decapod, class I1s, was not a dainty, light-footed beast like the Russian decapod; it was huge, taking advantage of the PRR's heavy trackage and high allowed axle loading , with a fat, free-steaming boiler that earned the type the nickname of 'Hippos' on the PRR. Giant cylinders enabled the I1s to put down that power to the rails, and giant tenders allowed such hungry and thirsty beasts to work hard and long between stops. Their power and sheer brute force was undeniable, but they were not popular with the crews, for they were hard riding at all but low speeds.
Following that, a small number of other Decapods were ordered by other railroads; those built for the Western Maryland Railroad were the largest ever built, at almost 420,000 lb (190,500 kg) weight.
Thirteen Decapod locomotives survive in the USA, including six Russian Decapods and one PRR I-1s. Two, including one Russian decapod at the Illinois Railway Museum , are operational.