The Rede de Viação Cearense was in service in the Ceará and Paraíba regions of eastern Brazil. On the meter-gauge network, the axle load was only allowed to be ten tons and at the same time only wood was available as fuel. After locomotives with a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement had already been delivered by BMAG (formerly Schwartzkopff) in 1936, the six 4-6-2 machines were ordered from there again in 1940. In order to still be able to install a powerful boiler, BMAG used modern welding technology to save weight.

In 1865, the São Paulo Railway received three passenger locomotives with a 2-4-0 wheel arrangement from Sharp, Stewart & Co. It was only shortly before the turn of the century that their frame was lengthened to accommodate a leading bogie. The picture clearly shows that the frame protrudes a little further over the smokebox. They had inside cylinders measuring 16 by 22 inches and driving wheels a relatively modest five foot in diameter.

The numbers 13 and 14 of the São Paulo Railway were two 0-6-0 freight locomotives that were built in 1867 as tender locomotives. When they were transferred to the shunting service towards the end of the century, they were rebuilt into saddle tank locomotives. This had a positive effect on this task, since the adhesive weight increased due to the supplies.

Similar to numbers 13 and 14, numbers 15 to 18 were built by Avonside in 1867 as tender locomotives and later rebuilt to saddle tank locomotives. Compared to the other two machines, they had a leading axle and a shorter wheelbase between the driving axles. Thanks to a smaller coal bunker, they even came to a shorter overall length.

After the 4-4-0 locos numbers 9 through 11 were originally built with a 2-4-0 wheel arrangement and later rebuilt, in 1876 numbers 19 and 20 were the first 4-4-0 locos the São Paulo Railway received from the factory in this form. They came from Avonside and had equalizing beams on the driving axles. 

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.

In 1884, the São Paulo Railway received three tank locomotives from Nasmyth, Wilson & Co., which had a 0-6-4T wheel arrangement. Since the number 1 had already been scrapped, they were given the numbers 1, 23 and 24. It was unusual that these locomotives, in the style of the later “Cab Forward” locomotives, always ran with the coal bunker first to keep the smoke gases away from the crew. The drawing shows that the cowcatcher and the headlight were also mounted on this side.

The British-controlled São Paulo Railway procured ten Consolidation freight locomotives in 1909, designed by chief engineer Charles H. Fox and manufactured by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow. The tracks, which were very good by South American standards, allowed a heavy locomotive with an axle load of 16 and a half long tons. 

Thus, the generously dimensioned boiler with Belpaire firebox immediately catches the eye. A Schmidt-type superheater was used, which was not standard on British locomotives at the time. Likewise, the valve gear was reversed by steam pressure and there were special bypass valves between the cylinders, which reduced the back pressure when taxiing with the regulator closed.

On its 40 km line from the port near Rio de Janeiro to Teresópolis, the Estrada de Ferro de Teresópolis had a 10 km section with the Riggenbach rack system and a gradient of up to 15 percent. For this section, the Swiss SLM built a rack locomotive in 1923 that got the running number 21.

It had two carrying axles in the frame with the rack drive between them. The two rack wheels were connected to the cylinders with a gear ratio of 1 to 2.21. At the rear end there was an additional Bissel axle. The boiler was inclined to match the average gradient of the track and to ensure an even water level.

The first superheated Pacifics the meter gauge Leopoldina received were numbers 306 to 315. They were delivered by Beyer, Peacock & Co. in 1925. Ten and eight more followed in 1927 and 1928, respectively, bringing the total to 28.

They had a Belpaire firebox that burned wood. Despite the small driving wheel diameter of only five feet, they were used for express and night trains. Their use in this role only ended with the introduction of diesel traction. Number 327 has been preserved to this day and pulled tourist trains in different regions.