FRENCH COMPOUND LOCOMOTIVES' HOMEPAGE



Chapelon's designs for the G.E.L.S.A.

  On october the 27th. 1949, a deal was signed between the D.N.E.F. (Brazil) and the GELSA for the building of 90 locomotives. The initial major specifications included in the deal metionned among other things that the machines might develop a tractive effort of 10 metric tons for the 2-8-4s and 13 m. tons for the 4-8-4s, that the minimum radius of the curves used on the tracks was of 80 meters - and this particular point was the main source of the problems encountered with these locomotives in Brazil as, according to the informations on hand, some curves were of a radius of less than 50 meters and that of course these locomotives, the 4-8-4s especially, sometimes left the rails when passing on those and that the maximum speed had to be of 50 mph (80 kph) for the 4-8-4 and of 38 mph (60 kph) for the 2-8-4.

The 4-8-4s were built by the company Batignolles-Châtillon, the 2-8-4s being dispatched int three batches: 1 built by Schneider, the second by the Société Française de Constructions Mécaniques (ex. Cail co.) and the third by the Compagnie Fives-Lille.


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copyright 1997 - 2002 by T. Stora. All rights reserved. Reproduction, translation, total or partial on any media absolutely forbidden without preliminary permission and agreement.