Federaux de l'est Bresilien 4-4-2 Locomotives in Brazil

Class 201 (Locobase 13971)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 44, p. 127. (Thanks to Piotr Staszewski for his 15 March 2022 email correcting the class count and works number range.) Works numbers were 39261-39265 in February 1913.

26 months after its last spate of orders from Baldwin, the Bresilien sat down with the Eddystone, Pa builder to order more engines on 28 October 1912. Like the earlier spree (Locobases 13772-13774), the contracts covered three different wheel arrangement, the specifications for which appear in this entry and Locobases 13972-13973.

These Atlantics were probably the smallest of any that rolled on this wheel arrangement to have superheaters. The advantage for the Bresilien was the provision of a wide firebox, albeit a shorter, shallower furnace than the contemporary 4-6-0s shown in Locobase 13972. A photo reveals a design converted from an equal size Ten-wheeler, an origin also suggested by the 9 ft, 11 in rigid wheelbase and the lack of swing allowed in the trailing truck. Also, these baby express engines had 8" (203 mm) piston valves (with "vacuum valves").

See Locobase 13973 for Baldwin notes from 1915 that described problems with all of the engines ordered on this date. One general observation was that the locomotives were not quite sturdy enough for "very rough road service."