Data from Lionel Wiener, "Les Locomotives Articulees Actuelles," Revue General des Chemins de Fer, Volume 49 (July 1929), pp. 7-8; and Wiener, Articulated Locomotives (1930).
This Kitson-Meyer design ran on the FC de Girardot line of the Colombian National railways. Girardot lies at 1,066 ft above sea level, the summit of the railroad is 9,088 ft ASL 78 miles away, and the terminus is at Facativa (8,576 ft ASL). Along the way are many stretches of 4% grade and curves with a minimum radius of 260 ft.
This little locomotive had a long set of water tanks extending from just ahead of the smokebox to just ahead of the firebox. The wheels all but disappeared behind countershafts and counterbalances. The cylinders are at the extreme ends of the driver sets, but inside of the two trucks. The firebox had 11 sq ft (1.02 sq m) of arch tubes.
Wiener (1930) gives data on 104 tubes of the 1 1/2" size, which are the superheater elements.
In the Colomobian Boletin Cultural y Bibliografico, Nro 21, Volumen XXVI (1989), Jose Arias de Greiff discusses the many designs of PC Dewhurst. Among these were the "splendid machines that would go on to be the most perfect Kitson-Meyers that were built." Arias adds that if the genus arose in the southern Andes, it was in the Colombian Andes where it reached its pinnacle.
Several elements contributed to the brilliance of this design, says Arias. It used a bar frame, a modified Belpaire boiler, the "Colombian Smokebox", and an extra water tank behind the coal bunker that helped stabilize the engine on the steep and twisting grades of the Girardot.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | 24 |
| Locobase ID | 3630 |
| Railroad | Girardot-Tolima-Huila |
| Country | Colombia |
| Whyte | 2-6-0+0-6-2T |
| Number in Class | 4 |
| Road Numbers | 24 |
| Gauge | 3' |
| Number Built | 4 |
| Builder | Kitson & Co |
| Year | 1927 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 7.25 / 2.21 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 44.21 / 13.48 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.16 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 44.21 / 13.48 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 181,220 / 82,200 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 211,203 / 95,800 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 2500 / 9.47 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | 3.90 / 4 |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 50 / 25 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 37.40 / 950 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 190 / 1310 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 15.24" x 20" / 387x508 (4) |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 40,117 / 18196.79 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 4.52 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 166 - 2.008" / 51 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | 26 - 5.394" / 137 |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 13.25 / 4.04 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 165.77 / 15.40 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 35.52 / 3.30 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1802 / 167.40 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 380 / 35.30 |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 2182 / 202.70 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 213.38 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 6749 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 7896 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 36,851 |
| Power L1 | 8486 |
| Power MT | 619.42 |