Ponferrada a Villablino 2-6-2 Locomotives in Spain

Class 1 (Locobase 14651)

Data from DeGolyer, Vol 60, pp. 317. See also Club Ferroviari Vaporista de Mallorca (CFVM) website -- [], last accessed 8 June 2007 -- and the WEFER [], last accessed 9 June 2007.

Both Spanish websites explain that the 2-6-2T layout was chosen because the Minero Sider+rgica de Ponferrada, owners of the P-a-V wanted a locomotive that could run comfortably in either direction, particularly as the railway had not even one turntable.

The locomotives all were built in 1919 in Philadelphia in three batches and repeated most of the dimensions of the Brazilian National 2-6-2T shown in Locobase 15187:

Works # Road number Name

52625 1 Francisco Camb=

52626 2 Conde de los Gaitanes

Then the next 4:

52656 3 MarquTs de Aldama

52657 4 Ortiz Muriel

52658 5 Villabaso

52659 6 Landaluce

And the last 4:

52681 7 Arana Lupardo

52682 8 Ponferrada

52683 9 Wagner

52684 l0 Villablino

Although the design was satisfactory in many respects, the management soon concluded that it burned too much coal for the work it was doing. So the railway fitted superheaters of its own to each of them. See Locobase 8516 for the happy outcome.

Class 1-superheated (Locobase 8516)

Data from the Club Ferroviari Vaporista de Mallorca (CFVM) website -- [], last accessed 8 June 2007 -- and the WEFER [], last accessed 9 June 2007.

As noted in Locobase 14651, the original saturated-boiler design didn't quite live up to expectations. So the Ponferrada shops installed a 14-flue system. In addition, the boiler had the 71 tubes (ca 2" in diameter) and 12 tubes measuring 38 mm (1 1/2"). Locobase doesn't know why there were two different tube diameters. In any case the new engines had just about as much combined heating surface area as the originals, a relatively unusual result.

The authors of the excellent CFVM article on the Baldwins say they were surprised that the MSP put such emphasis on coal consumption figures. One possibility, they argue, that lower coal consumption meant fewer stops which in turn meant greater autonomy and shorter trip times, "...which no doubt would also have been very pleasing to the oppressed firemen." (Locobase's translation).

The result satisfied everybody - coal consumption went down and the drier steam proved more powerful. The next step was to devise inside-admission piston valves to replace the slide valves that were more prone to leak and deform under the higher temperatures of superheated steam. Considering all of the other alterations that ensued from an apparently simple decision, the railway's choice to undertake all of the changes itself was quite brave. And, say the authors, very successful, given that these were the last steam locomotives to operate in Spain, the last leaving service in 1988.