2-8-4 Steam Locomotives in Portugal

Class 0201 (Locobase 21308)

Data from "Locomotivas de Vapor de Via Larga", p 21, Posted by Guarda Freio at 18:01, 23 September 2018, at [], last accessed 25 January 2026 See also "Série 0201 a 0224 da CP" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 26 February 2026. Works numbers were 19813-19818, 19836-19853 in 1923.

Henschel produced this double dozen of big tank locomotives for Portugal as part of reparations required by the Versailles Treaty that ended World War I. The high cubic volume offered by their nearly square cylinder/stroke combination and four axles of small drivers together with a relatively high boiler pressure generated the highest starting tractive effort of any widely used Portuguese broad-gauge class.

The Belpaire firebox and grate provided plenty of room for fuel, superheater percentage indicated a high degree of superheat, and the heating surface to grate ratio sat in the preferred range. Axle loading restrictions combined with the engine's power to produce a low factor of adhesion.

The class's power proved itself in service. Referring to their ability to haul long, heavy trains away from harbor docks and piers, crews came to call the 0201s Limpa Cais (Quay cleaners).

Class 401/01201/0181 (Locobase 21309)

Data from "Locomotivas de Vapor de Via Larga", p 36, Posted by Guarda Freio at 18:01, 23 September 2018, at [], last accessed 25 January 2026 Works numbers were 19890-19899 in 1925.

Not long after Henschel produced the most powerful tank locomotives the CP ever owned, they filled an order for ten of the same wheel arrangement, but smaller.