Brazil Northeastern 2-8-0 Locomotives in Brazil

Class 15 (Locobase 13977)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 44, p. 150 and Volume 49, p 164. (Thanks to Teemu Koivumaki for his 30 March 2021 email noting engine and builder numbers. His inquiry spurred some important revisions to this record.) Works numbers were 38658-38660 in July 1911 and 40631-40633 in September 1913.

The South American Railway Construction Company ordered three Consolidations at the same time they contracted for two Ten-wheelers. All five had the same boiler, but the 2-8-0s used an additional axle to raised adhesion weight by 12,000 lb (5,443 kg) and fitted cylinders measuring 1"(25.4 mm) greater in diameter. Axle loading on the drivers would vary from 7 1/2 (16,535 lb) to 8 1/2 metric tons (18,739 lb).

Three more 2-8-0s arrived in 1913 that duplicated the .1911 trio.

Railway limitations included light rail (40 lb/yard or 20 kg/metre) and curves as tight as 278 ft (85 m) that had to be traversed at no less than 10 mph (16 km/h). Later notes spoke to the roughness of the route: "Hereafter: Apply brass hub liners on engine truck wheesl, and arrange for 3/4" track play on the engine truck and 1/8" total lateral play on the wheel hubs and the driving boxes on the front and back drivers." (The 1st and 4th drivers were interchangeable.)

Although equipped with a wood-burner's stack (Radley & Hunter 15" diameter), the engines were delivered with an extra set of grate bars suitable for burning coal. A supplemental paragraph explains that the engines would usually burn coal,which required a deep firebox and a coal grate, but were shipped with a wood-burning grate with plain bars and a dead plate

The 19 was later sold to the Central do Rio Grande do Norte.

Class 9 (Locobase 13869)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 39, p.243. Works numbers were 36701-36702 in July 1911.

Purchased by the South American Railway Construction Company, these two small Consolidations were lettered for the EFNB. They immediately followed the two Ten-wheelers shown in Locobase 13870 and had wood-burning grates of identical area. However the fireboxes were shallower and the tubes of smaller diameter. Adhesion weight was identical, but engine weight came to almost 5 tons less.

Class 9 (Locobase 21028)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 39, p.243. Works numbers were 36701-36702 in July 19121

The South American Railway Construction Company purchased these two small Consolidations to run on the Noreste.