Maine et Loire 0-8-0 Locomotives in France


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class La Rampe (Locobase 602)

Data from Gustav Reder (Michael Reynolds, trans), The World of Steam Locomotives (New York: Putnam, 1974). See also Frantois Prosper Jacqmin, Des machines a vapeur: Letons faites en 1869-1870 a l'+cole Imperiale des Ponts et Chausses - Volume 1

(Paris: Garnier Freres, 1870), pp. 277-280; [link] for illustration and further comment. See also P M Kalla-Bishop, "Beugniot Locomotives", Continental Railway Journal, No 7 (December 1965), pp. 6-7.

Developed by Edouard Beugniot at the Andre Koechlin Works in Mulhouse in the Alsaceprovince of France, La Rampe and La Courbe dealt with the Est's tight curves that had defeated the Creusot-Engerth engines such as the Le Creusot class. Beugniot treated both ends of the engine to modifications. To allow the eight-coupled driving section more flexibility in sharp curves, he reintroduced Matthais Baldwin's parallelogram-like flexible beam arrangement in which the axles pivoted (over a 13/16-in/20.6 mm range) on subsidiary bearings.

The tender's axles were laid out like an Engerth locomotive --two axles close together in the rear and one under the joint between the tender and the engine. Beugniot gave this forward axle two journal boxes on each side, the inner ones being sprung and joined to the locomotive by hornplate extensions from the frame. This way the locomotive's motion helped to steer the tender while the tender axle supported some of the engine's weight.

To reduce the oscillations caused by piston motion, Beugniot place the cylinders ahead of the front driving axle and led dual crossheads forward. The inner connecting rod drove cranked axles, the outer rod drove a crank on the driving wheel hub.

Except for the two engines sold to the Marseille and Lyon, the numbers and destinations of Beugniot engines isn't certain. Locobase 20668-20669 describes the 20 freight engines supplied to Italian railways by Koechlin and based on this design. Beugniot later revised the tender truck suspension, eliminating one of the guides and creating a centered lever on a pivot.

NB: Jacqmin's data for tube heating surface used the internal tube diameter, which yielded 163.6 sq m) (1,761 sq ft) and evaporative heatng surface of 173.0 sq m (1,862 sq ft). Locobase uses the external diameter given in the Jury report to simplify comparison with Anglo-American designs.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media
ClassLa Rampe
Locobase ID602
RailroadMaine et Loire
CountryFrance
Whyte0-8-0
Number in Class2
Road Numbers1998
GaugeStd
Number Built2
BuilderKoechlin
Year1859
Valve Gear
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)12.80 / 3.90
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)12.80 / 3.90
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase1
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)104,279 / 47,300
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)156,224 / 70,862
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT)
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)43 / 21.50
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)47.20 / 1199
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)104.40 / 720
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)21.26" x 22.05" / 540x560
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)18,738 / 8499.42
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 5.57
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)222 - 2.087" / 53
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)15.75 / 4.80
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)101.18 / 9.40
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)20.34 / 1.89
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2012 / 186.90
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2012 / 186.90
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume222.08
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation2123
Same as above plus superheater percentage2123
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area10,563
Power L12283
Power MT193.06

All material Copyright © SteamLocomotive.com
Wes Barris