0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This was the most common wheel arrangement used on both tender and tank locomotives, in versions with both inside and outside cylinders.
In Britain the Whyte notation of wheel arrangement was also often used for the classification of electric and diesel-electric locomotives with side-rod coupled driving wheels.
Other equivalent classifications are:
UIC classification: C (also known as German and Italian classifications)
French classification: 030
Turkish classification: 33
Swiss classification: 3/3
Russian classification: 0-3-0
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.
Overview
History
The 0-6-0 configuration was the most widely used wheel arrangement for both tender and tank steam locomotives. The type was also widely used for diesel switchers (shunters). Because they lack leading and trailing wheels, locomotives of this type have all their weight pressing down on their driving wheels and consequently have a high tractive effort and factor of adhesion, making them comparatively strong engines for their size, weight and fuel consumption. On the other hand, the lack of unpowered leading wheels have the result that 0-6-0 locomotives are less stable at speed, so they are mostly used on trains where high speed is unnecessary.
