Chris Walker Wrote:
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> James Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Kelly Anderson Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I hate to say it because Mastodon is such a
> > cool
> > > name, but according to the wheel arrangement
> > table
> > > in the
Locomotive Cyclopedia, a 4-8-0
> is
> > > known as a Twelve Wheeler. A Mastodon is a
> > > 4-10-0, of which I believe only one was ever
> > > built.
> >
> >
> > I've most frequently seen the "Mastodon" name
> > applied to the 4-8-0, particularly being
> > associated with the S.P. machines. The only
> > 4-10-0, which led a short and useless life as
> > little more than a point of trivia, had its own
> > name. I regard the "Cyclopedia" as clearly in
> > error in this case.
> >
> > At times american standard types were called
> > eight-wheelers, and we all know what the
> > ten-wheeler refers to. Twelve-wheeler was an
> > obvious extension of the convention, although
> with
> > the development of the two-wheel lead truck and
> > (later) trailing truck that sort of
> nomenclature
> > rapidly became obsolete. After all, the mogul
> > type is also an eight-wheeled locomotive! As I
> > understand, ten-wheeler stuck as a name for
> that
> > class mostly because nobody could agree on
> > anything better to call it, the name being
> fairly
> > entrenched (it was an 1840's-era design) by the
> > time other ten-wheeled locomotives (ie, the
> > consolidation) became numerous.
>
> Kelly, and James,
>
> The Mastodon name was applied to a Central Pacific
> 4-8-0 of 1882.
>
> But Kelly is somewhat right as that has to be the
> coolest name for a locomotive beast ever!
I believe our local 4-8-0's were referred to as Mastodon's over here on the other antipode island as well!
Wayne from Oz