After the purchase of the 4-6-0T tank locomotives with the numbers 51 to 65, the Paris belt railway needed even more powerful locomotives that were primarily intended to pull freight trains. The requirements stipulated that freight trains weighing 550 tonnes should be pulled on a gradient of one percent and 430 tonnes at 1.5 percent. At times of high passenger traffic volumes, additional passenger trains were to be pulled.

This time again tank locomotives with a front bogie and without trailing axles were ordered. The five locomotives therefore had a 4-8-0T wheel arrangement and a four-cylinder compound engine. While this was still implemented in a tandem arrangement on the locomotives with numbers 51 to 65, the design customary in France according to De Glehn was used here. The high-pressure cylinders were on the outside at the height of the rear axle of the bogie and drove the second coupled wheel set, while the low-pressure cylinders were inside the bogie and drove the first coupled wheel set.

Since all the cylinders were inclined and mounted higher up and the water tanks started behind the bogie, the easy accessibility of the cylinders for maintenance was ensured. The leading bogie made it possible to move passenger trains at 70 km/h without sacrificing smooth running. The ability of the coupled axles to negotiate curves was realized without movable axles by weakening the wheel flanges of the second and third axles.

Ambalema-Ibagué No. 10, built by Baldwin

Gustavo Arias de Greiff: La Segunda Mula de Hierro

Pacífico type by Kitson

Gustavo Arias de Greiff: La Segunda Mula de Hierro

Norte type by Baldwin

Gustavo Arias de Greiff: La Segunda Mula de Hierro

When several Colombian railways were unified under state control in 1924, P.C. Dewhurst designed a standard locomotive to be used on lines with three foot and meter gauge. They were 4-8-0 or twelve-wheelers, also called “Docerruedas”. They were produced between 1924 and 1951 by a total of seven manufacturers from the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Belgium and Czechoslovakia.

All had drivers with a diameter of 40 inches (1.245 mm) and a cylinder stroke of 22 inches (559 mm). The cylinder diameter varied from 17 to 18 1/4 inches (432 to 464 mm). To enable running through tight curves, the first driving axle had no flanges and the last one had an axlebox that allowed lateral movement and was self-centering. Also the bogie allowed ample lateral movement.

In total, 108 of these were delivered to several Colombian Railways which later became part of FCN. With more than 60, the Pacífico got the most. One picture shows number 37, one of the Kitson locomotives delivered to the Pacífico. It was named “Pedro del Ospina” and was one of the lightest at 111,000 pounds (50.3 t). Ambalema-Ibagué No. 10 was built by Baldwinin 1947 and had a weight of 131,500 pounds (59.6 t).

In 1915, the Great Southern & Western had number 900 built in Inchicore as a banker locomotive for the incline between Kingsbridge and Clondalkin. It had a 4-8-0T wheel arrangement, making it the only Irish broad gauge locomotive to have four coupled axles. It had inside cylinders, a Belpaire firebox and some common parts with the classes 362 and 368.

Locomotive Magazine, November 1918

In 1924 an identical locomotive was built with the number 901. In reality, however, it turned out that they easily derailed in marshalling yards with tight curves. Number 900 was soon rebuilt into a 4-6-2T by removing the coupling rods to the last axle, but this did not have the desired effect. It was withdrawn in 1928 and the 901 in 1931 because they did not perform roles for which there were no other suitable locomotives.

The largest tank locomotives on the São Paulo Railway at the time had a 4-8-0T wheel arrangement and were called “Jumbos”. They were supplied by Avonside and were obviously intended for another railway company. So they came to this railway company in 1882 after they had been re-gauged to 5 feet and 3 inches. The first driving axle had no wheel flanges to improve running characteristics in curves.