Manila Railroad Kitson-Meyer Locomotives in Philippines

Class 161 (Locobase 3631)

Data from Wiener (1930). See also [], last accessed 22 November 2011 and "Articulated Locomotives," The Locomotive, Volume XXII, No 290 (14 October 1916), p. 196.

A Kitson-Meyer design with the cylinders at the extremes of the locomotive (forward cylinders leading the drivers, trailing cylinders behind their drivers). Other than noting that they had Robinson superheaters, Wiener tersely notes, "they call for no comment."

Seems harsh and fortunately the mainline site discloses that they were bought for 71,000 Philippine dollars each to operate on the heavy grade from Taytay to Antipolo. Like the 2-6-0+0-6-2 Kitson Meyer of the Colombian National Railways, this design had three tube sizes (5.25", 1.875", 1.5").

Neither the Antipolo line nor the engines were very successful. The line was closed in 1917 because no locomotive could reliably work the "sharp curves and steep grades". The 161s had three strikes against them: "[T]hey operated at low speed, were expensive to maintain, [and were] excessive coal consumers." A 1916 Philippine Supreme Court decision concerning the duty owed on their importation noted in its decision that the first engine operated on Antipolo for about a month and a half, after which it did regular service on the Manila-San Pablo-Lucena run. [Manila Railroad Company v. Insular Collector of Customs, 34 Phil., G.R. No. L-10624, March 24, 1916]

The quartet was retired in 1925.

Class unknown (Locobase 3266)

Data from Tufnell (1986); and "Kitson-Meyer Locomotive for the Manila Railways", Locomotives Manufactured by Messrs Kitson & Co Ltd, Leeds. Works numbers were 4972-4975.

These Kitson Meyer engines were specified by Locomotive Superintendenct RD Deacon to serve a line planned for Damortis and Baguio. The line was never completed, says Tufnell.

According to the Philippine Railways website -- [] --, "The four Kitson 2-6-6-2 Tank Locomotives purchased in 1914 at a cost of just over P71,000 each for the heavy grade from Taytay to Antipolo were retired in 1925. The reason being that they operated at low speed, were expensive to maintain, excessive coal consumers and the old Antipolo Line was no longer operating. Actually the Antipolo line was completed in 1908 and closed in 1917 due to difficulty operating with the sharp curves and steep grades."