Chilean State 4-4-0 Locomotives in Chile

Class 235 (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 4-locomotive series of Eight-wheeler 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.

Class 243 (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 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..Works numbers 5562-5563 in May 1905, 5564 in June, 5564-5566 in October, 5765-5770 in December.

King explains 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 eight-wheelers of course had the taller drivers.

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

Class unknown (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.

had a very helpful photo of this engine that shows a typical, turn-of-the-century 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 compound cylinder, which used an intercepting valve to direct HP steam to the LP cylinder when the pressure in the LP cylinder dropped below 56% of MEP.

Class unknown (Locobase 10202)

Data from "Four-Coupled Express Engine, Chilian [sic] State Rys", The Locomotive Magazine, Vol VI (September 1901), p. 151. Boiler pressure is an estimate.