#2780
Pennsylvania Railroad class Q2
🇺🇸 United States ·built by Altoona Works· from 1944· class of 26 American duplex 4-4-6-4 locomotives
what is it?
The Pennsylvania Railroad's class Q2 comprised one prototype and twenty-five production duplex steam locomotives of 4-4-6-4 wheel arrangement built between 1944 and 1945. They were the largest non-articulated locomotives ever built and the most powerful locomotives ever static tested, producing 7,987 cylinder horsepower (5,873 kW) on the PRR's static test plant. They were by far the most successful duplex type.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 82 years ago, in 1944.
- 6 MW is about 70 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 47 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 37.8 m long: about 8 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 7 years (1944–1951).
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 1944
- in service from
- 1944
- retired
- 1951
- status
- retired
- number built
- 26
- kind
- Steam
- traction
- steam
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- Altoona Works
- operators
- Pennsylvania Railroad
- top speed
- —
- power
- 6 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 4-4-6-4
- length
- 37.8 m
- weight
- 281 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7120508, Wikipedia: Pennsylvania Railroad class Q2 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.