Royal State Railways 2-4-2 Locomotives in Thailand

Class unknown (Locobase 14259)

Data from narrowmind.railfan.net and elevation and photograph from Railways of Thailand as advertised at [], supplemented by DeGolyer, Vol 78, pp. 376+. Works number was 58684 in September 1925.

Steam motors were tried in many countries as a way of supplying passenger service along long, lightly traveled routes without incurring the costs of a standard locomotive and train. Few if any others than this Thai latecomer were superheated.

Like most others, the vehicle resembled a rail car. Ahead and behind the drivers were axles fixed in pedestals. These four wheels each had a diameter of 712 mm (28") and enjoyed a 4-mm lateral play. The four-wheel truck at the rear of the car pivoted like a typical bogie. The car had controls and pilots (i.e., anti-cattle guards) at each end.

A sign that Thai regulations were a bit less stringent could be found in the description of the coupling components, all of which were to be "forged from the best selected, thoroughly cleaned, hammered scrap iron." Note too the actual link: "Greatest care must be taken in selecting the material for the hook."