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Meyer articulated Locomotives[Inhalt]
Cape Government Railways Kitson-Meyer
Beira, Mashonaland & Rhodesia and Central South African Kitson-Meyer and South African class KM
South Africa | 1903
4 produced
CGR No. 800 on a factory photo with serial number 4197 written on it
CGR No. 800 on a factory photo with serial number 4197 written on it

In 1903, Kitson presented their variant of the Meyer locomotive in South Africa in which the running gears were further apart and both had the cylinders at the rear. Thus, as with the Garratt, a large firebox could be placed in between. This design, named “Kitson-Meyer”, was offered for testing to the GCR, the Beira and Mashonaland Railway and the CSAR.

The coal bunker with a capacity of seven long tons was on these machines on the main frame behind the cab and the exhaust steam from the rear cylinders was channeled through this into an auxiliary chimney. On the four-axle tender were another six long tons of coal and 3,000 gallons of water.

The CGR received one locomotive, the B&MR two and the CSAR one. With a total of six driving axles, they could pull about one third more than locomotives with four driving axles. However, it quickly turned out to be a disadvantage that the exhaust steam from the rear cylinders did not escape through the smokebox. Thus, the boiler steamed poorly.

The CGR later increased the tender's water capacity to 4,000 gallons at the expense of coal capacity, but of course this did not improve boiler performance. Although they were to become the KM class at the SAR, the CGR and B&MR locomotives were retired in 1912. Only the CSAR loco was able to remain in service for a few more years after modifying the cylinders and reducing the boiler problem.

General
Built1903
ManufacturerKitson & Co.
Axle config0-6-0+0-6-0 (Kitson-Meyer) 
Gauge3 ft 6 in (Cape gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length66 ft 5 1/4 in
Wheelbase34 ft
Rigid wheelbase8 ft 6 in
Total wheelbase58 ft 4 1/2 in
Service weight186,246 lbs
Adhesive weight186,246 lbs
Total weight271,168 lbs
Axle load33,378 lbs
Water capacity3,603 us gal
Fuel capacity29,120 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area34 sq ft
Firebox area136 sq ft
Tube heating area1,727 sq ft
Evaporative heating area1,863 sq ft
Total heating area1,863 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter48 in
Boiler pressure180 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylindersfour, 16 x 24 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power900 hp (671 kW)
Optimal speed15 mph
Starting effort39,168 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
freight
Kitson-Meyer
tank locomotive
last changed: 07/2023
Ferrocarriles Nacionales No. 57 and 58
Colombia | 1935
2 produced
works photo Robert Stephenson & Co.

The location of the Colombian capital Bogotá in the middle of the Andes meant that the 132 km Girardot-Tolima-Huila line started at Girardot at an altitude of 330 meters (1,083 ft), followed the Rio Bogotá and reached the capital's suburbs at 2,620 meters (8,596 ft). This led to gradients of 4.5 percent with curve radii of up to 72 meters (236 ft). Since the Kitson-Meyer locomotives already in use there with six driving axles were soon no longer sufficient, the now nationalized railway tendered the development of even more powerful locomotives in 1934.

The need to accommodate extremely powerful locomotives on the three foot gauge again led to articulated locomotives, this time with eight driving axles. In addition to the Baldwin-supplied No. 72 simple MalletKitson-Meyer developed the No. 57 of their design. As the size of the locomotive was beyond the factory's capacity, it was manufactured by Robert Stephenson & Co. in Darlington.

Number 57 therefore had the wheel arrangement 2-8-0+0-8-2T and, in accordance with the Kitson-Meyer design, had the firebox between the bogies. The water supplies consisted of a total of 11,340 liters on the two sides of the boiler and 6,804 liters on the rear bogie. This ensured an even weight distribution that hardly changed even as the amount of water dwindled. Since there was an oil refinery in their working area, it was fired with oil. 5,000 liters of it were also stored on the rear bogie

Schematic drawing with dimensions
Schematic drawing with dimensions
Die Lokomotive, April 1944

Since the locomotive apparently performed well in the first tests, a second one was promptly ordered. The number of the Baldwin machine originally intended as number 58 was rewritten to 72 and the second locomotive was given the number 58. Both were in service until 1959.

General
Built1935
ManufacturerRobert Stephenson & Co.
Axle config2-8-0+0-8-2T (Kitson-Meyer) 
Gauge3 ft 0 in (Three feet)
Dimensions and Weights
Rigid wheelbase10 ft 1 1/2 in
Service weight291,760 lbs
Adhesive weight259,840 lbs
Axle load32,480 lbs
Water capacity4,793 us gal
Fuel capacity1,321 lbs (oil)
Boiler
Grate area51 sq ft
Evaporative heating area2,567 sq ft
Superheater area640 sq ft
Total heating area3,207 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter37.5 in
Boiler pressure210 psi
Expansion typesimple
Cylindersfour, 17 3/4 x 20 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power2,000 hp (1,491 kW)
Optimal speed21 mph
Starting effort59,988 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
freight
Kitson-Meyer
narrow gauge
last changed: 06/2022
French Northern Railway No. 6.121 to 6.168
Chemins de fer de ceinture No. 6001 to 6038, French Eastern Railway No. 6101 to 6113 and French State Railway 031+130 TA and TB
France | 1905
99 produced
Railway and Locomotive Engineering, October 1906

The Nord had to haul large quantities of coal from Lens in the Pas-de-Calais region directly to Paris, forming trains weighing more than 950 tons. These were pulled by locomotives with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement, which achieved a high average speed on most of the route with a maximum incline of 0.6 percent. On the section between Hirson and Valenciennes, however, the gradient was 1.2 percent, where these locomotives were no longer sufficient.

A freight locomotive was now required that could transport the 950 tonnes on the steep section. Since the maximum axle load of less than 15 tons required many coupled axles, sufficiently large wheels were required for 80 km/h and curves with a radius of 90 meters or more still had to be negotiated, an articulated running gear was necessary. The solution to these requirements was developed by Gaston Du Bousquet and was based on the Meyer design.

Sectional drawing with dimensions
Sectional drawing with dimensions
Die Lokomotive, May 1909

The locomotive stood on two bogies, of which the rear one held the high-pressure cylinders and the front one the low-pressure cylinders. The cylinders were each on the inboard side to allow shorter steam paths between the cylinder groups. To circumvent the difficulties of moving steam pipes, the connecting tubes were made of rubberized canvas. To start off, the low-pressure cylinders could be supplied with live steam at a pressure of eight bars, which provided a very high starting tractive effort. In contrast to most articulated locomotives, the non-driving axles were on the inside of the bogies

In 1905, initially two prototypes were built, which reached speeds of up to 84 km/h on test drives. On a gradient of one percent they could reach 20 km/h with 1,000 tonnes, at 1.3 percent the same speed was still possible with 800 tonnes. In three batches, 46 more engines were built for the Nord. Since the good performance soon became famous, 13 identical engines for the Est and 38 for the Ceinture were built from 1910 onwards. Similar locomotives were built for the Beijing-Hankou Railway and for the Andalusian Railways.

Although the locomotives had been developed with a split chassis due to the tight curves, they soon had to fear competition from simpler tank locomotives with a 2-10-2 wheel arrangement. However, they were able to remain in service for a long time and were designated by the SNCF as 031+130 TA and TB. They were finally replaced by other engines by 1952, again by tank locomotives with an 2-10-2 wheel arrangement of the Est series T 151-751 to 780. In the meantime, there had been rebuilds on individual engines, including new superheatersKylchap blast pipes and new injectors

General
Built1905-1913
ManufacturerNord, Épernay, Bâtignolles-Châtillon, Cockerill
Axle config0-6-2+2-6-0T (Du Bousquet) 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length53 ft 1 3/8 in
Wheelbase41 ft 3 11/16 in
Rigid wheelbase11 ft 4 5/8 in
Empty weight171,960 lbs
Service weight224,871 lbs
Adhesive weight171,960 lbs
Axle load28,660 lbs
Water capacity3,381 us gal
Fuel capacity11,023 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area32.3 sq ft
Firebox area129.2 sq ft
Tube heating area2,503.3 sq ft
Evaporative heating area2,632.4 sq ft
Superheater area792.8 sq ft
Total heating area3,425.2 sq ft
Power Plant
Driver diameter57.3 in
Boiler pressure232 psi
Expansion typecompound
Cylindersfour, HP: 15 3/4 x 26 3/4 in
and LP: 24 13/16 x 26 3/4 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power1,475 hp (1,100 kW)
Optimal speed29 mph
Top speed56 mph
Starting effort32,594 lbf
with start valve39,113 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
freight
tank locomotive
Du Bousquet
last changed: 09/2022
Saxon IV K
German Reichsbahn class 9951-60
Germany | 1892
96 produced
No. 107, the fifth machine built, on a Hartmann factory photo
No. 107, the fifth machine built, on a Hartmann factory photo

With 96 examples, the IV K was the most numerous narrow-gauge steam locomotive in Germany. Its special feature is the design based on the Meyer design with two bogies, which was due to the requirements for increased tractive effort. Since the six-coupled locomotives of classes I K and III K that had been used up to that point were no longer sufficient for all operations, the answer was a new locomotive with four coupled axles. In order to achieve good negotiation of curves, the special arrangement of the chassis was used.

In contrast to the Mallet, both parts of the chassis of this type of locomotive were designed as swiveling bogies. Furthermore, the cylinders were on the inside of the bogies, but this was also a compound engine. Due to the arrangement of the cylinders, shorter tubes were sufficient. Otherwise, the IV K shared some assemblies with the III K, which is partly recognizable. The model was immediately convincing, which is why production ran from 1892 to 1921. It was used on all narrow-gauge lines in the Saxon network.

After two locomotives were lost during World War I and three more had to be handed over to Poland, the Reichsbahn took over the rest as class 9951-60. There they also came to the Rügen Light Railway and the Prignitz Light Railway.

After a few units had already been taken out of service in the meantime, another 57 units came to the Reichsbahn of the GDR. There the plan was to replace them in the 1960s with the newly developed diesel locomotives V 3648. However, since the axle loads on these were far above the permitted level and they were therefore not produced in series, the steam locomotives had to remain in use. Only the oldest locomotives were retired during this time. In the period that followed, all remaining locomotives received a thorough modernization, which included, among other things, a new, welded boiler and a welded frame. So it turned out that after the German reunification there were still 13 units in active service. After two of them had been sold, Deutsche Bahn AG took over eleven more in 1994. However, these were no longer used as planned.

Variantlight variantheavy variant
General
Built1892-1921
ManufacturerHartmann
Axle config0-4-0+0-4-0T (Günther-Meyer) 
Gauge2 ft 5 1/2 in
Dimensions and Weights
Length29 ft 6 5/16 in
Wheelbase20 ft 4 1/8 in
Rigid wheelbase4 ft 7 1/8 in
Empty weight47,840 lbs49,383 lbs
Service weight59,084 lbs62,832 lbs
Adhesive weight59,084 lbs62,832 lbs
Axle load14,771 lbs15,873 lbs
Water capacity634 us gal
Fuel capacity1,874 lbs (coal)2,249 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area10.4 sq ft
Firebox area43.8 sq ft
Tube heating area492.3 sq ft
Evaporative heating area536.2 sq ft
Total heating area536.2 sq ft
Variantlight variantheavy variant
Power Plant
Driver diameter29.9 in
Boiler pressure174 psi218 psi
Expansion typecompound
Cylindersfour, HP: 9 7/16 x 14 15/16 in
and LP: 14 9/16 x 14 15/16 in
four, HP: 9 7/16 x 14 15/16 in
and LP: 15 3/4 x 14 15/16 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Indicated power207 hp (154 kW)
Optimal speed14 mph11 mph
Top speed19 mph
Starting effort9,295 lbf12,143 lbf
with start valve11,154 lbf14,572 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
passenger
freight
tank locomotive
narrow gauge
Meyer
last changed: 04/2022
Saxon I TV
German Reichsbahn class 980
Germany | 1910
18 produced
Die Lokomotive, April 1913

With the Windberg railway, the Saxon State Railways operated a branch line near Dresden that combined a gradient of 2.5 percent with curve radii from 85 meters. Since the two-axle locomotives around the turn of the century were no longer powerful enough for the rapidly growing excursion traffic and the increasing quantities of coal transport, a more powerful tank locomotive was procured especially for this route.

Based on the IV K narrow-gauge locomotive, a larger Meyer-type locomotive with two bogies and a compound engine was developed. As in the prototype, there were two low and two high-pressure cylinders in the middle of the locomotive, which drove the front and rear wheel sets. To reduce rolling movements, the bogies were coupled to each other.

98 001 in August 1983 in Freital-Hainsberg
98 001 in August 1983 in Freital-Hainsberg
Wassen

Between 1910 and 1914, 18 examples were delivered, which were nicknamed “Windberglok” and “Kreuzspinne” (cross spider). Another locomotive was delivered to the Oberhohndorf-Reinsdorf coal railway and came to her sisters in 1940, when they were already owned by the Reichsbahn.

In 1925 the latter still took over 15 and gave them the numbers 98 001 to 98 015. The classification as class 98 marked them as local railway locomotives, although they were larger and heavier than most of this type. This can be explained by the fact that the development was carried out specifically for a single branch line and the focus was on suitability for small curve radii.

After the Second World War, most of the locomotives remained in service with the new Reichsbahn and were also used to transport uranium ore. Their life ended in 1967 when a diesel locomotive, the V 60, was ready that was also suitable for the tight curves. Today only road number 98 001 is preserved and exhibited in a museum.

Variantfirst batchthird batch
General
Built1910-1914
ManufacturerHartmann
Axle config0-4-4-0T (Double Fairlie) 
Gauge4 ft 8 1/2 in (Standard gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length38 ft 1 5/8 in
Wheelbase25 ft 3 1/8 in
Rigid wheelbase13 ft 1 1/2 in
Empty weight105,381 lbs111,113 lbs
Service weight130,073 lbs136,686 lbs
Adhesive weight130,073 lbs136,686 lbs
Axle load33,951 lbs
Water capacity1,321 us gal
Fuel capacity4,850 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area17.2 sq ft
Firebox area73.2 sq ft
Tube heating area995.7 sq ft
Evaporative heating area1,068.9 sq ft
Total heating area1,068.9 sq ft
Variantfirst batchthird batch
Power Plant
Driver diameter49.6 in
Boiler pressure188 psi
Expansion typecompound
Cylindersfour, HP: 14 3/16 x 24 13/16 in
and LP: 22 7/16 x 24 13/16 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Indicated power532 hp (397 kW)
Optimal speed15 mph
Top speed31 mph
Starting effort23,008 lbf
with start valve27,610 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
freight
passenger
tank locomotive
Meyer
secondary line
last changed: 01/2022
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