The Bulletins

A sample of the old EFCB Bulletins


To complement the article, I transcribe some Personal Bulletins of former EFCB , that give us an idea of how it was difficult the operation of the Texas locomotives in the line of the Sertão. To the whole, they are 167 Bulletins as these, here transcribed partially for not prolongating the article too much. They constitute an important source of information on Texas of the EFCB. Soon I will return to the subject, bringing more data picked in the area of the Nova Era branch and in the own Bulletins.

BULLETIN N. 67
At the 05:30 AM of March 9, 1952, the train MEW-43, tracionado for the locomotive 1666, driven by Guilherme Lélis, had the wagon F113 derailed when passing for the km 837 + 700m, traveling 100 meters in this situation. The same was loaded with 500 sacks of rice that it proceeded from Belo Horizonte to Montes Claros and it was put in 1st place in a composition of 19 cars.
The railway sleepers' spacing is of 0.60 meters, in bad conservation state in a passage of 100 meters for each side. The ballast is of mixed gravel. There were damages in the preaching in an extension of 70 meters. It was not found ironwork parts in the line nor there were personal damages.
Delay was just verified for train K7 (20 minutes).

BULLETIN N. 107
At the 10:00 PM of April 29, 1952, the train MEW-41, leaded by the locomotive 1662, driven by H. da Costa, had the wagon GM241 derailed when passing for the km 807 + 302m, straight line passage. The wagon was put back to the line with the help of crew of Corinto shops and it was added in 4th place in the composition. The railway sleepers' spacing in the place is 0.60 meters, and the same was in bad condition in a passage of 100 meters for each side. The ballast is made of stone. There were 112 damaged railway sleepers in the accident, that didn't harm the traffic of the trains. Just the trick of the wagon suffered mishap. It was not found any ironwork parts in the line, and the cause was the fracture of the rail marks B. Douwlaes Estel D.P.II 1880.
There were verified delays in the following trains: K8 (7 hours and 27 minutes); N7 (3 hours and 49 minutes); MEH-82 (3:00 hours), and for the own derailed train (16 hours and 50 minutes).

BULLETIN N. 232.
At the 11:40 PM of December 09, 1952, the train CEC-44, with the locomotive 1664 driven by Pedro Velozo, had the wagon A199 derailed in the km 838 + 250m. The same train was loaded with vegetable coal from Várzea da Palma to Siderúrgica, traveling 40 meters after the derailment. The wagon was put back on the rails by the crew of Corinto shops, and the referred wagon was put in 12nd place in the composition.
The railway sleepers' spacing in the place is of 0.60 meters, being in bad conservation state in 100 meters for each side. The ballast is made of broken stone. There were not personal damages, nor for the rolling stock material. It was not found fallen ironwork parts in the line and it still was not discovered the cause of the accident.

BULLETIN N. 80
At the 10:50 PM of December 12, 1954, the locomotive 1663, of the train C-94, driven by João Baptista Efigênio, derailed the front truck of the tender when running in km 648, traveling 100 meters in this situation. The derailment felt happened in a curve with 138,93 meters of radius, with super elevation of 9, in a descent grade. In the place, the railway sleepers' spacing is of 0.50 meters, being in bad state in a passage of 100 meters for each side. The ballast in that place is made of stone number 3, and the rail is of the type B, and 10.7 meters were fractured and 100 meters with mishap in the preaching. The locomotive suffered light mishaps, and there was not fall of ironworks parts. There also were not personal damages.
The locomotive was put back to the rails at 02:40 AM, being the line totally unblocked at 03:40 AM.
The verified delays on the trains were: S14 (4 hours and 28 minutes); N6 (3 hours and 48 minutes); R5 (4 hours and 10 minutes).
It was verified that the rail fractured in the moment of the passage of the own locomotive.


The following friends Collaborated to this article:
Jairo Mello (Teresópolis, RJ)
José Augusto Neto (in memorium - Belo Horizonte,MG)
José Expedito Assunção (Vespasiano, MG)
José Mauro Cardoso (Ipatinga, MG)
Gustavo Henrique (in memorium — Itabira, MG)