Coutonu-Niger 4-6-0 Locomotives in French_West_Africa

Class 28 (Locobase 15840)

Data from "Re: Pinguely : tout (ou presque) sur ces petites bTcanes!" par SIXTIFS, 09 Mai 2013, 22:45, last accessed 4 May 2014 at [], original article M R Godfernaux, "Note sur les Chemins de Fer de L'Afrique Occidentale Francais," Revue General des Chemins de Fer, Vol XXXIII (1910). pp. 12- , especially p. 27.. Also see Jean du Taillis, "Le Chemin De Fer du Dahomey", Revue de geographie, Vol 53 (Juillet-Decembre 1903), p. 421-Works numbers were 214 in 1906, 223 in 1907.

These were the biggest locomotives on the Coutonou-Niger line that connected the French colonies of Dahomey (aka Benin) and Niger. Thirteen other tank engines served the line, 9 six-coupleds of 30 tonnes (66,139 lb) each and each capable of pulling 140 tonnes (154 short tons) for 60 km (37.3 miles) between water stops and 4 four-coupleds weighing 18 tonnes each.

The railroad grew steadily in the first decade of the 1900s. Godfernaux offered a table in which the route km increased from 103 in 1904 to 268 km in 1908. Passenger counts rose 572% to 106,967 and passenger km increased from 605,477 to 4,220,082 or 690%. Ton-kilometers grew 1,196% to 1,241,644. Despite these gains, earnings per km remained static from 1905-1908 and while the yearly deficit per route km decreased 30%, it still came to 3,672 francs.