FCAF class KM

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FCAF class KM
FCAF No. 2 in 2005
FCAF No. 2 in 2005
Numbering: 2, 5
Number: 2
Manufacturer: Carupa, Girdlestone
Year of construction (s): 1994, 2006
Type : B'B 'n4 (h4)
Gauge : 500 mm
Service mass: approx. 9 (10) t
Friction mass: approx. 9 (10) t
Wheel set mass : approx. 2.3 (2.5) t
Train brake: Air brake

The two locomotives of the class KM of Southern Fuegian Railway (FCAF) are Garratt locomotives for 500mm narrow gauge. The locomotives built in 1994 and 2006 are new designs and not replicas of older locomotives.

history

Locomotive 2 in blue paint (2009)

The locomotive, built in 1994, is considered the first steam locomotive to be built entirely in Argentina and is - apart from the park railway and miniature locomotives - the first Garratt built since the last specimens of the South African NGG 16 class built in 1968 .

The first of the two locomotives was originally a scaled-down version of the Tasmanian class K built for 610 mm gauge , the first Garratt ever; however, the weight of about 9 t (compared to about 33 t for class K) was significantly lower. As with the K class, the cylinders are located on the inside of the motor bogies - a very unusual design detail for Garratts that had not been repeated since the K class. However, the composite effect of class K was not adopted, so that all four cylinders are the same size.

The locomotive has modern design features such as roller bearings on the axles, welded cylinders and boilers, and oil firing.

In 2001 it underwent a major renovation with the aim of improving its performance and economy. This renovation took place under the direction of Livio Dante Porta . The many changes included flow-optimized steam pipes with larger cross-sections, improved insulation and a Lempor induced draft system .

Outwardly, the driver's cab, which is raised for reasons of comfort, and the boiler, which is 300 mm higher, stand out. In addition, the angular water tanks borrowed from class K were replaced by rounded tanks with increased volume. Therefore, apart from the unusual cylinder arrangement, there is hardly any resemblance to the Tasmanian class K.

The performance of the locomotive was significantly increased by the conversion; the number of wagons handled by the locomotive has more than doubled. The locomotive, originally called Nora , was given the new name Ing. LD Porta , and KM was chosen as the new class designation .

The picture shows the machine in 2005 in the red paintwork that it received during the conversion. A little later it was painted dark blue. The steam pipes next to the standing boiler, which were still provisionally laid, have also been changed.

The second locomotive

In 2006 Phil Girdlestone built a second Garratt in South Africa for the FCAF. It was partly created from components for a second example that was planned when the first locomotive was built. The more powerful boiler is new, and in addition to a Belpaire standing boiler, it now also has a superheater . The water tanks have a larger volume than the number 2, and there is also a third water tank under the boiler to adjust the friction weight to the greater power.

The new locomotive was given the track number 5 and the name Ing. HR Zubieta . It is a little heavier and, because of the extended smoke chamber caused by the superheater, a little longer than locomotive No. 2, and the water tanks have a different shape.

It is planned to convert locomotive No. 2 to a Belpaire superheated steam boiler; an existing replacement boiler will be converted accordingly. Both locomotives will then be largely identical.

Remarks

  1. ↑ More precise technical data are not available; in particular, the locomotives have not yet been accurately weighed.
  2. ↑ Figure in its original form

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