4-4-0 Steam Locomotives in Chile

Class 4th/Tipo 9 (Locobase 21346)

Data from Chilean State Railways (EFE) diagram book, 9, supplied in August 2025 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. See also Martin Coombs, Chilean steam locomotive lists, Part 1, Broad gauge locos (v2.64, March 2026), p.52-53 at [].

Just before Slaughter, Gruning reformed their company as Avonside Engine Company, Ltd, they delivered a trio of American-type Eightwheeler with freight driver dimensions. Coombs recorded new boiler for 14 in 1888, recondition boiler for 15 in 1892, a total makeover for 16 in 1894.

The EFE retired Mapocho (14) in 1914, Chacabuco (16) in 1921. Coombs found no withdrawal date for Renca (15).

Class Aconcagua/Tipo 7 (Locobase 21343)

Data from Chilean State Railways (EFE) diagram book, 8, supplied in August 2025 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. See also Martin Coombs, Chilean steam locomotive lists, Part 1, Broad gauge locos (v2.64, March 2026), p.13 at [].

Although a photo taken by P C Dewhurst "possibly just before the First World War", according to Coombs, shows a well-cared-for engine, the EFE retired the 9 in 1914 and scrapped it.

Class Montt/Tipo 14 (Locobase 21352)

Data from Chilean State Railways (EFE) diagram book, 14, supplied in August 2025 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. See also Martin Coombs, Chilean steam locomotive lists, Part 1, Broad gauge locos (v2.64, March 2026), p 73. at [].

Martin Coombs repeats the surprising bit of design quirk from "AS" who saw this engine in 1887 or 1888. So extensive was the work to remedy "construction defects", he wrote, "it was a practically new engine." He then added: "The wheels had been put in reversed and it ran forward with lever in back gear. George Brunton said that was intentional and left it so!!! result it went into the turntable pit several times".

Class Presidente Pedro Montt/Tipo 63 (Locobase 21337)

Data from Chilean State Railways (EFE) diagram book, 62, supplied in August 2025 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. See also Martin Coombs, Chilean steam locomotive lists, Part 1, Broad gauge locos (v2.64, March 2026), pp. 204-205 at []. Works numbers 1077-1078 in June 1908 and 1099-1102 in January and March 1910

Ohio's only locomotive works delivered the first two of its American-type Eight-wheelers with 14" cylinders to Don Pedro Rosselot, contractor (Locobase 21336) for use in building the Osorno-Puerto Montt section of the EFE's southern mainline. Apparently, the contractor modified the order to add power and useful speed to the engines with this larger design.

Class Quepe/Tipo 62 (Locobase 21336)

Data from Chilean State Railways (EFE) diagram book, 62, supplied in August 2025 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. See also Martin Coombs, Chilean steam locomotive lists, Part 1, Broad gauge locos (v2.64, March 2026), pp. 204-205 at []. Works numbers 1075-1076 in June 1908.

Ohio's only locomotive works delivered this duo to Don Pedro Rosselot, contractor for use in building the Osorno-Puerto Montt section of the EFE's southern mainline. Quepe is credited with the first locomotive to enter Puerto Montt, which lies 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Santiago.

Six more would later make up EFE's Tipo 63; see Locobase 21337.

Class Quillota/Tipo 6-(0-4-2) (Locobase 21342)

Data from Chilean State Railways (EFE) diagram book, 6, supplied in August 2025 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. See also Martin Coombs, Chilean steam locomotive lists, Part 1, Broad gauge locos (v2.64, March 2026), p.13 at [].

Delivered as a 0-4-2, the Quillota underwent a complete reconstruction in 1869-1870. In 1879, the Valparaiso shops reconfigured the engine as an American-type Eight-wheeler.

The EFE retired the 8 in 1914.

Class Tipo 15 (Locobase 11623)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines, 1888, as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 18, p. 1; and Chilean State Railways (EFE) diagram book, 15, supplied in August 2025 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection.. See also Martin Coombs, Chilean steam locomotive lists, Part 1, Broad gauge locos (v2.64, March 2026), pP. 161-164, .203 at []. Works numbers were 10002-10003, 10006-10011, 10013, 10017, 10020-10023 in May 1889.

Baldwin estimated the adhesion weight as 46,590 lb (21,133 kg) and engine weight as 78,330 lb (35,530 kg). The design's small boiler fools the eye into perceiving the drivers as having express-passenger diameters.

North & South American Construction Company ordered this batch of broad-gauge American-type Eight-wheelers from Julio Bernstein, but even before Baldwin delivered them, the N&SACCo's assets had been expropiated by the government's DOP.

On his pages 161-164, Martin Coombs details the careers, numbers, and names of each of the fourteen engines. He also notes the DOP's penchant for reaching into other railways for locomotives to use on short-to-medium term projects.

Class Tipo 17 "San Fernando" (Locobase 9312)

Data from American v English Locomotives, Correspondence, Criticism, and Commentary respecting Their Relative Merits (New York: Robert K Pease, 1880), pp. 36-37 (citing an 1870 report); and Chilean State Railways (EFE) diagram book, 17, supplied in August 2025 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. See also Martin Coombs, Martin Coombs, Chilean steam locomotive lists, Part 1, Broad gauge locos (v2.64, March 2026), pp 16, 62 at [],pp. 16, 62. Works number was 998 in February 1861.

See Locobase 9311 for the full details of the trial to which two Rogers locomotives were put on Chilean rails.

Having reported that the English "goods" engine couldn't manage the 11 2/3-mile (18.75) trip to the summit pulling the stipulated 35 cars, W W Evans doesn't describe the Rogers locomotive's run in detail. He contents himself with noting that the American engine reached the summit pulling all 35 cars (587 gross tons) in 41 minutes, less than half the time it took the British engine to manage 335 tons.

Locobase finds himself agog at the disparity, but skeptical. There were the two passenger contenders as well; see Locobase 9313 and 9314.

Class Tipo 36 (Locobase 10202)

Data from "Four-Coupled Express Engine, Chilian [sic] State Rys", The Locomotive Magazine, Volume VI (September 1901), p. 151; and Chilean State Railways (EFE) diagram book, 36, supplied in August 2025 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection. See also Martin Coombs, Chilean steam locomotive lists, Part 1, Broad gauge locos (v2.64, March 2026), p 83. at []. Works numbers were 2561-2569 in 1890.

These pure express passenger American-type Eight-wheelers had the tallest drivers ever used on the EFE, according to Martin Coombs. The builder's photographj on page 83 shows the crew and illustrates just how tall they seemed.

Coombs added that the names of the engines mostly commemorated persons involved in the War of the Pacific.

Class Tipo 41 (Locobase 5866)

Data from "Rogers Compounds for Chili [sic]", Railroad Gazette, Volume XXVII [27], No. 10 (October 1895), pp. 670-671. American Engineer and Railroad Journal (AERJ), Volume, No 10 (October 1895). Works numbers were 5041-5042 in August 1895.

AERJ had a very helpful photo of this engine that shows a typical, turn-of-the-century American-type Eight-wheeler. Heating surface is calculated based on number of tubes and their diameter and length to which is added the known firebox heating surface.

The description, however, goes into considerable detail about the cross-compound cylinder, which used an intercepting valve to direct exhausted steam from the left-side HP cylinder to the larger right-side LP cylinder when the pressure in the LP cylinder dropped below 56% of MEP.

The State railway leased the 237 to the Apostadero Naval de Talcahuano in 1932. Neither of the class remained in service by 1939-1942.

Class Tipo 44 (Locobase 12167)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 20, p.35. Works numbers were 14468-14471 in October 1895.

This quartet of American-type Eight-wheelers were similar to the compounds that came off the production line earlier in the year (Locobase 12157).

Class Tipo 48 (Locobase 10749)

Data from Charles King, "The Chilian [sic] State Railways," The Railway Magazine (March 1908), pp. 209-214; see also the introductory article in the same journal at February 1908, pp.143-150; and "Steam Locomotive Portraits - Chilian State Railways 4-4-0 steam locomotive Nr. 331 (August Borsig, Berlin)" on Flickrs' Historical Railway Images at [], last accessed 28 April 2024; and Chilean State Railways (EFE) diagram book, 48, supplied in August 2025 by Allen Stanley from his extensive Rail Data Exchange collection.Works numbers 5562-5563 in May 1905, 5564 in June, 5564-5566 in October, 5765-5770 in December.

King explained that Borsig was the supplier of choice to the CSR in recent years and that this four-coupled shared its boiler and motion with the six-coupleds delivered in the same years (Locobase 10750). The American-type Eight-wheelers of course had the taller drivers.

(NB: in the article, King credited the 4-4-0 with the higher weight. Locobase deemed this unlikely and reversed the two sets of weights.)

Class Type 40 (Locobase 12156)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University Volume 20, p.2. Works numbers were 14369-14370 in July 1895.

Gene Connelly's excellent Baldwin records show a four-locomotive series of American-type Eight-wheel Vauclain compounds. The DeGolyer archive, however, shows that only the first two of the of the batch had two driven axles.

Assessing the virtues of the Vauclain compound in two different settings, the CSR bought these two passenger engines and two more freight Ten-wheelers described in Locobase 12157.