Consolidation are steam locomotives that have two wheels on the leading bogie, eight driving wheels and no trailing bogie. For this reason, according to the "WHITE" classification for steam locomotives, they are coded 2-8-0. Consolidation was so called because several railroads adhered to the "LEHIGH VALLEY" system, at the time of construction of the first 2-8-0 for that railroad. They were built after 1866 and were mainly used for freight service due to their reduced diameter drive wheels. For this same reason they had great speed limitation. Our prototype was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works, however most major steam locomotive manufacturers have built thousands of Consolidations between 1866 and 1930. This is typical of the late 19th century and was used by almost all railroads, whether standard gauge, wide or narrow, around the world. The first Consolidation of the Central do Brasil Railroad were the 500 series and date from 1877 to 1915. This prototype specifically dates from January 1909 and operated freight trains until 1960, during the dieselization period.
Technical Characteristics
Runtime: 2-8-0 Consolidation
Manufacturer: Baldwin Locomotive Works
Nº EF Central do Brasil: 557
Baldwin Nº: 33167
Year of Manufacture: 1908
Entry into Service: Jan. 1909
Lowered: 1960
Locomotive Weight: 60,341 kg
Loaded Tender Weight: 32,659 kg
Total Weight: 93,200 kg
Distribution: Stephenson
Total Length: 18.3 m
Draw Force: 14,542 kg