class (locomotive)

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A class of locomotives is a group of locomotives built to a common design, typically for a single railroad or railway. Classes can vary between country, manufacturer, and company.{{Cite journal |last=Gaskell |first=G. H. |date=1952 |title=The Origin of Locomotive Class Names |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43517676 |journal=The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin |issue=87 |pages=83–95 |jstor=43517676 |issn=0033-8842}} For example, the United States generally used the Whyte notation for steam locomotive classification,{{Cite web |last=Dean |first=Marcy |date=2023-03-05 |title=Whyte Classification |url=https://www.train-museum.org/2023/03/05/whyte-classification/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Southeastern Railway Museum |language=en-US}} but the Baldwin Locomotive Works had their own classification system.{{Cite web |last=Bell |first=Kurt |date=2021-03-09 |title=Deciphering the Baldwin Locomotive Works classification system |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/history/deciphering-the-baldwin-locomotive-works-classification-system/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Trains |language=en-US}} A list of locomotive classification systems follows: