In the Whyte notation a 4-4-2 is a steam locomotive that has a two-axle leading truck, two powered driving axles and a one-axle trailing truck. This locomotive wheel arrangement is commonly called an Atlantic type.
History
Hiawatha service
The Milwaukee Road made extensive use of the Atlantic type on its midwestern Hiawatha passenger trains. One locomotive of this type typically hauled as many as 10 passenger cars behind it at speeds up to 100 mph. The railroad's Atlantics featured streamlined shrouds that made them a distinctive sight on the tracks.