United Swiss 0-4-0 Locomotives in Switzerland

Class 1 / Ec 2/5 (1st boiler) (Locobase 9582)

Data from [], last accessed 2 July 2010. Works numbers were 255-258 in 1854; 300-303, 307-314 in 1856; 395-402, 407-410 in 1858.

The supported-tender Engerth design went into service in Switzerland in this class, which began delivery in 1854. The engine and tender were closely linked - indeed, the front tender axle was placed ahead of the firebox and those wheels were linked by side rods to the main driving axle. Another element of the design was the spherical pivot between the tender and the engine, which had some vertical play and also allowed the locomotives to negotiate tighter curves.

The tender frame was quite strong, but the locomotive's inside frame that supported the boiler and cylinders proved to be a weak spot because it was too lightly built. At first the footplates had barely any shelter and the sides were guarded simply by chains.

The locomotives were rated at 260-300 tonnes on the level, 160-220 tonnes on a 1% grade, and only 75 tonnes up the Hauenstein inclines. Thus, says the Wikipedia author, the usual train of 150 tonnes had to be double-headed until the Ec 2/5s were replaced by the Eb 3/4 and Ed 3/5 types. On the other hand, the class managed lighter passenger trains quite handily and served those routes for decades. (August Sinclair, in his 1907 book, compares the Engerth tender-supporting design to that of Matthias Forney, which seems a good assessment.)

The original oval boiler was replaced by a cylindrical boiler beginning in the latter 1860s; see Locobase 9584.

Class Ec 2/5 (2nd boiler) (Locobase 9584)

Data from [], originally and [], last accessed 15 March 2025. Works numbers were 255-258 in 1854; 300-303, 307-310, and 313-314 in 1856; 395-402, 407-410 in 1858.

This class followed the Engerth design in which the widely spread coupled axles lay under the boiler. Oval in cross section, the boiler measured 1,110 mm (43.7") horizontally and 1,140 mm (44.9") vertically.

The forward axle of the three unpowered axles sat ahead of the firebox and just behind the rear coupled axle. It took some of the boiler weight. The other two supported the permanently coupled tender. A crowded front end put the lead axle just behind the smokebox and below the steam dome. The design's link motion lay in full view outside the frames.

Within 10 years after the SCB took delivery of this Engerth design, it had begun substituting a cylindrical boiler for the original tall oval vessels. Most of the updates occurred over the entire 1870s.

According to Wikipedia, "The locomotive's weak point was its relatively weak frame and coupling construction. These began to bend even with a moderate impact, requiring constant repairs." (See the Wikipedia article--translated by Google--for the detailed description.)

The class was withdrawn over a 22-year period. Four left the roster in 1883-1884 and four more departed in 1888-1889. The bulk of retirement occrred from 1893-1899 . Four survived the turn of the century to be scrapped in 1905-1906.