#0033
KFNB Minotaurus and Ajax
Austria–Hungary ·built by Jones, Turner and Evans· from 1841· Two 0-4-2 steam locomotives built by Jones, Turner and Evans in 1841 for the Kaiser Ferdinands-Nordbahn
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Ajax locomotive Vienna: Das48· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The Minotaurus and Ajax were a pair of 0-4-2 steam locomotives purchased by the Kaiser Ferdinands-Nordbahn (KFNB) – Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway from Jones, Turner and Evans of Newton-le-Willows, England in 1841; Minotaurus has been scrapped, Ajax survives and is believed to be the oldest preserved steam locomotive on the European mainland and is currently exhibited at the Technisches Museum Wien (Vienna Technical Museum).
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 185 years ago, in 1841.
- Served for 33 years (1841–1874).
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 1841
- in service from
- 1841
- retired
- 1874
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 2
- kind
- Steam
- traction
- steam
- origin
- Austria–Hungary
- builders
- Jones, Turner and Evans
- operators
- Kaiser Ferdinands-Nordbahn
- top speed
- —
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 0-4-2
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1630661, Wikipedia: KFNB Minotaurus and Ajax (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.