The location of the Colombian capital Bogotá in the middle of the Andes meant that the 132 km Girardot-Tolima-Huila route started in Girardot at an altitude of 330 meters, followed the Rio Bogotá and reached the capital's suburbs at 2,620 meters. This led to gradients of 4.5 percent with curve radii of up to 72 meters. Since the Kitson-Meyer locomotives already in use there with six coupled 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 coupled axles. In addition to the Baldwin-supplied No. 72 simple Mallet, Kitson-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

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.

When purchasing more powerful locomotives for the Girardot-Tolima-Huila route, an example from Baldwin in the USA was supplied in addition to the British locomotive with the number 57. While the competitor was a Kitson-Meyer locomotive, Baldwin's locomotive belonged to a design developed in the USA.

In the meantime, locomotives with a chassis similar to a mallet had become established there for very heavy trains, but instead of the compound engine, they only had two large cylinders with simple steam expansion on both engine groups. Since these weren't real mallets, the term “articulated” was commonly used instead. Baldwin also carried out the design for Colombia in this design, but as a tank locomotive. In contrast to the competitor engine, this one only had the oil reservoir behind the driver's cab, while the water reservoirs were completely in front of it.

Since the British engine was reordered promptly and was to be given the number 58, Baldwin renumbered the machine to number 72 when it was commissioned. This was soon followed by a further renumbering to 171. After the locomotive had pulled freight and passenger trains for a period that could not be determined, it was destroyed when the boiler explosion. This was probably due to the fact that the water level was too low for the descent on the steep route and the roof of the firebox was no longer covered with water.

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).