Central Mexicano / Nacional Mexicano / Nacional de Mexico 2-6-0 Locomotives in Mexico


Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class 43 (Locobase 9623)

Data from Catalogue Descriptive of Simple and Compound Locomotives built by Brooks Locomotive Works, Dunkirk, NY (Buffalo, NY: Matthew-Northrup Company, 1899).

Builder info from B.Rumary, 25 Kingscombe, Gurney Slade, Radstock, BA3 4TH, ENGLAND and Jeremy Lambert as supplied by Allen Stanley in March 2004.

Works number was 3182.

This substantial Mogul had an "Improved Belpaire" boiler with a large cab.


Class D-010 / E-02 (Locobase 11888)

Data from NdeM 1926ca Locomotive Diagrams supplied in December 2010 by Allen Stanley. Works number was 62094 in September 1920.

This was a relatively large three-foot gauge Mogul in most respects. It had a wide (47 1/4"/1,200 mm), shallow firebox and three large domes (sand-steam-sand) along the top of the boiler.

It served the NdeM for almost 30 years before being retired in September 1948.


Class D-2 / E-4 (Locobase 11923)

Data from NdeM 1950 Locomotive Diagrams Standard Gauge supplied in December 2010 by Allen Stanley. Don Ross's photo website ([]) includes captions under two E-4s, then numbered 657-658, that give the month-year of production as November 1903; the works numbers for these two were 28303-28304.

As delivered, the class had spacious Harriman cabs and quite orthodox lines for a light Mogul. The two equal-sized sand domes sat between the stack and the larger steam dome.

The Nacional de Mexico (NdeM) took over the FCM in 1908 and in 1910 renumbered the class 115-128 and designated them class D-14. In 1930, the class was redesignated E-4 and their road number range shifted to 654-667.


Class ER-7 (Locobase 11924)

Data from NdeM 1950 Locomotive Diagrams Standard Gauge supplied in December 2010 by Allen Stanley. Superheater area is estimated based on installations of similar number, flue count and diameter, and flue length.

Locobase suspects that this quintet was originally supplied as a continuation of the D-2 series of Moguls first delivered in 1904 and described in Locobase 11923. Thus, the engines had 20" x 26" cylinders in a saturated boiler pressed to 200 psi.

Sometime later, the Nacional de Mexico (NdeM) superheated the class. Adopting one of the two main philosophies of such conversions, the shops took advantage of the hotter, drier steam to reduce the boiler pressure as well as the cylinder volume.

Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media

Class43D-010 / E-02D-2 / E-4ER-7
Locobase ID9623 11888 11923 11924
RailroadCentral Mexicano (NdeM)Nacional de Mexico (NdeM)Central Mexicano (NdeM)Nacional Mexicano (NdeM)
CountryMexicoMexicoMexicoMexico
Whyte2-6-02-6-02-6-02-6-0
Number in Class11145
Road Numbers43208/167130-143/ 654-667/ 670-674
GaugeStd3'StdStd
Number Built11145
BuilderBrooksAlco-CookeAlco-CookeAlco-Cooke
Year1899192019031906
Valve GearStephensonWalschaertStephensonStephenson
Locomotive Length and Weight
Driver Wheelbase (ft / m)10 / 3.05 8.42 / 2.5715 / 4.5713.33 / 4.06
Engine Wheelbase (ft / m)18.08 / 5.5117.04 / 5.1923.79 / 7.2521.25 / 6.48
Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase 0.55 0.49 0.63 0.63
Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m)46.37 / 14.1343.35 / 13.2156.08 / 17.0953.33 / 16.25
Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg)
Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg)132,000 / 59,87461,993 / 28,120142,370 / 64,578118,000 / 53,524
Engine Weight (lbs / kg)156,300 / 70,89777,491 / 35,149168,370 / 76,371135,000 / 61,235
Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg)91,300 / 41,41362,502 / 28,350141,120 / 64,01187,800 / 39,825
Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg)247,600 / 112,310139,993 / 63,499309,490 / 140,382222,800 / 101,060
Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML)4500 / 17.052900 / 10.986000 / 22.733500 / 13.26
Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) 8.50 / 81000 / 37853199 / 12,1081750 / 6624
Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m)73 / 36.5034 / 1779 / 39.5066 / 33
Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort
Driver Diameter (in / mm)55 / 139738 / 96563 / 160055 / 1397
Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa)180 / 12.40160 / 11200 / 13.80180 / 12.40
High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm)20" x 26" / 508x66015" x 20" / 381x50820" x 26" / 508x66019" x 24" / 483x610
Tractive Effort (lbs / kg)28,931 / 13122.9016,105 / 7305.1128,063 / 12729.1824,102 / 10932.50
Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) 4.56 3.85 5.07 4.90
Heating Ability
Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm)320 - 2" / 51130 - 2" / 51303 - 2" / 51122 - 2" / 51
Flues (number - dia) (in / mm)21 - 5.375" / 137
Flue/Tube length (ft / m)11.59 / 3.5314.33 / 4.3713 / 3.9611.79 / 3.59
Firebox Area (sq ft / m2)165 / 15.3366 / 6.13144 / 13.38129.30 / 12.01
Grate Area (sq ft / m2)24.60 / 2.2918.37 / 1.7144 / 4.0927.60 / 2.57
Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2088 / 194.05976 / 90.712206 / 205.021231 / 114.41
Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2)250 / 23.23
Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2)2088 / 194.05976 / 90.712206 / 205.021481 / 137.64
Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume220.95238.63233.44156.22
Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information)
Robert LeMassena's Power Computation4428293988004968
Same as above plus superheater percentage4428293988005813
Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area29,70010,56028,80027,231
Power L15086323665028643
Power MT254.83345.24302.05484.44

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