Grand Central 0-8-0 Locomotives in Belgium

Class 170 (Locobase 8532)

Data from Reports of the United States Commissioners to the Universal Exposition at Paris in 1889 to the House of Representatives, 51st Congress, 1st Session, Ex. Doc 450 Part 3 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1891), p. 468.

The locomotive is described as the latest version of a design that had been in use since 1865. Locobase 6437 shows the Type 20 as described in an 1893 article; it was very similar, but had a smaller boiler than the one described here.

Class Type 24 (Locobase 20900)

Data from Albert Jacquet, "'Engerth'" Locomotives on French and Belgian Railways", Locomotive Magazine, Volume XXVIII [28] (15 June 1922), p. 174.

Jacquet offered the only explanation he could think of for this class (and the Type 23 described in 20899) being called "Engerths": a term applied by custom to "all powerful freight locomotives indiscriminately." This second batch had Belpaire square-shouldered fireboxes, fewer and shorter boiler tubes and larger grates, which greatly improved the evaporative heating surface area to grate area ratio.

"These locomotives were admirably designed and very satisfactory in appearance." Their careers began by hauling goods trains between Namur and Arlon in Luxembourg. Later on", Jacquet continued, "their lightness and limited power, were relegated to the secondary lines of Hainault, where they were stationed at the depots of Ath and St Ghislain."

Withdrawals begin in 1891 and ended in 1903.

NB: PLM's data for tube heating surface used the internal tube diameter, which yielded 139.45 sq m (1,501 sq ft) and evaporative heatng surface of 150.9 sq m (1,624 sq ft). Locobase uses the external diameter given in the Jury report to simplify comparison with Anglo-American designs.

Class unknown (Locobase 7414)

Data from Titre Exposition universelle internationale de 1889 a Paris. Rapports du jury internationale. Auteur - Volume France. Ministere du Commerce, de l'industrie. Picard, Alfred, ed. Volume Groupe VI - -Outillage et precedes des industries mecaniques. Electricite (5e partie) Classes 60 a 63. Rapport sur le materiel des chemins de fer. tables p. 198.([] (accessed 1 September 2005).

The Jury report notes the [Alfred] Belpaire firebox and [Egide] Walschaert valve gear on this Belgian engine. Locobase translates (loosely) the report to say that this engine belongs to a type that has been produced since 1865 (i.e., ca. 25 years at time of the Jury's report) and had changed but little during that period.