4-6-0 vs. 2-6-0

[dehusman]

Lonehawk

For a long time, I've found myself torn between Moguls and Ten-Wheelers for my early '30's short line freelance project.

Just to be clear, a short line is a a smaller independent railroad, vs. a branchline  which is a low volume piece of a bigger railroad. 

A short line will have a more limited roster so engines will end up more generalized than on a larger railroad which can have engines for more specific purposes.

Was one type preferred over the other for shortline work (other than 4-6-0's being perferred for passenger work due to the 2-axle pilot).

Generally 2-6-0's were slower speed engines and were designed for higher pulling power.  Generally 4-6-0's were higher speed engines and could have a larger boiler, so have more steaming power.  There were at least twice as many 4-6-0's made as 2-6-0's.  4-6-0's in the 1900 era were fast freight and heavy passenger engines.  They were replaced by 2-8-2's in freight service and by 4-6-2's in passenger service. 

Would you see both types rostered and then assigned where needed?

This is where one has to think about how big the short line is.  Is it a short line with 5 engines or is it a short line with 50 engines?  How big are the enignes?  Some times engines are assigned to lines because of weight.  A lot of 2-6-0's were used in the 1930's because they were more powerful than a 4-4-0 and lighter than many 4-6-0's so were assigned to branches and lines with older bridges that couldn't handle heavier engines.

Or would it just come down to what the line could afford to buy for their roster?

  For a short line that could be it.  Were the engines bought new or were they bought used?  Were they 1890's engines bought 2nd hand or 1920's engines bought new?  Remember its the 1930's, rail traffic is down.  Railroads are going bankrupt left and right.

My set up will be primarily freight with limited passenger service, set in mostly-flat areas with some low hilly country. (foothills).  

There is a enough variation and no set rules that you can do whatever you like.  Normally passenger service on lower traffic areas was handled by 4-4-0's, they could easily handle a 2-4 car passenger train at lower speeds on mildly hilly territory.  2-6-0's were generally lower speed engines mostly used for freight.  4-6-0's were higher capacity than 4-4-0's and generally faster than 2-6-0's.  Your choice.  It's one of those things where you find an example of any option you want to choose.

[wrench567]

 Hi Adam.

 The four wheeler pilot was preferred for passenger operation to lessen the effect of hunting (the side to side thrusting from the forces of pistons and side rods.) A more comfortable ride was not necessary for freight service locomotives where weight on driver's over speed was preferred.

 Another consideration is track and bridges. For a shoestring operated road then more axles to spread the weight over a longer distance would be preferred over a shorter locomotive with just drivers concentrating all it's weight on a short distance.

  Hope this helps.

     Pete.

[NVSRR]

Driver size plays a roll here.  Since yours has limits passenger service, they might get one larger driver loco with the rest being smaller drivers.    Definitely also an affordability and what's on the market.    If the price is right. A 2-8-0 or 2-10-0 could end up there.    Thinking along the lines that money wise management figured they could only get a ?-6-0 for the money they and found  bigger one by surprise.   A size they thought they couldn't afford but could use one. 

shane

[Lonehawk]

Hey folks, looking for some advice on locomotives. For a long time, I've found myself torn between Moguls and Ten-Wheelers for my early '30's short line freelance project. Was one type preferred over the other for shortline work (other than 4-6-0's being perferred for passenger work due to the 2-axle pilot).  Would you see both types rostered and then assigned where needed? Or would it just come down to what the line could afford to buy for their roster? My set up will be primarily freight with limited passenger service, set in mostly-flat areas with some low hilly country. (foothills).  

From a layout-design standpoint, I'll have max 2.5% grades, probably hauling 8 cars per train at NMRA standard weight on code 75 track.

And I know that steamers could be widely modified based on the individual railroad's needs, and that in the end it's my RR and I can do what I want with it, but I do try to stick with real-world reasoning where I can. Thanks in advance for any insights.