Editing 4-8-4 (section)

===Brazil===
To meet the acute locomotive shortages in Brazil after the Second World War, 27 scaled down American {{nowrap|4-8-4}} Niágara locomotives were ordered by the Brazilian {{lang|pt|i=unset|Departamento Nacional de Estradas de Ferro}} (DNEF) from ALCO in 1946. These locomotives were supplied to the {{lang|pt|i=unset|[[Augusto Pestana (politician)#Congressman, founder of the Railway Company of Rio Grande do Sul and State Secretary|Viação Férrea do Rio Grande do Sul]]}} (VFRGS), which then purchased another fifteen directly from ALCO in 1947. They were designated the 1001 class. In 1956 and 1957, some of them were sold to [[Bolivia]]. The Baldwin Locomotive Works supplied similar {{RailGauge|1000mm|allk=on}} {{nowrap|4-8-4}} locomotives to the {{lang|pt|i=unset|Rede Mineira de Viação}} (RMV no. 601 to 604), the {{lang|pt|i=unset|Rede de Viação Paraná-Santa Catarina}} (RVPSC no. 801 to 806) and the {{lang|pt|i=unset|Noroeste do Brasil}} (NOB no. 621 to 623).<ref>{{cite web |title=Centro-Oeste |url=http://ar.geocities.com/centrooeste/pages/50ejjcGelsa.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027000448/http://ar.geocities.com/centrooeste/pages/50ejjcGelsa.htm |archive-date=2009-10-27 |url-status=dead |access-date=2008-11-26 }}</ref>

After his retirement from the {{lang|fr|i=unset|Société nationale des chemins de fer français}} ([[SNCF]]) in [[France]], French engineer [[André Chapelon]] was appointed as the chief designer of {{RailGauge|1000mm|allk=on}} {{nowrap|4-8-4}} locomotives at the French state-owned sales consortium {{lang|fr|i=unset|Groupement d'exportation de locomotives en Sud-Amérique}} (GELSA). In 1949, a contract was signed between DNEF and GELSA for the construction of 24 {{nowrap|4-8-4}} locomotives with a {{convert|13|t|LT ST|1|abbr=off}} axle load. The order also included 66 {{nowrap|2-8-4}} Berkshires. All ninety locomotives were delivered by January 1953.

The 24 class 242F Niágara locomotives were built by [[Société de Construction des Batignolles]] ({{ill|Batignolles-Châtillon|fr}}). They were two-cylinder simple expansion locomotives, designed to burn poor quality local coal with a low calorific thermal value, with coupled wheels of {{convert|60|in|mm|0|abbr=off}} diameter and a grate area of {{convert|58|sqft|m2|abbr=off}}. They were coupled to big tenders which a coal capacity of {{convert|18|t|LT ST|1|abbr=off}}. The [[Belpaire firebox]] included a combustion chamber and the boiler pressure was a high {{convert|18|atm|kPa psi|abbr=off}}. One member of the class was tested on the {{RailGauge|1000mm|allk=on}} [[Reseau Breton]] line in France before being shipped to Brazil.<ref>[http://thierry.stora.free.fr/techdat3_f.htm#Brazil Locomotives Compound "Type Français" - Informations Techniques page 3]</ref>

The DNEF allocated the locomotives to four of Brazil's state railways. Under Brazilian railway conditions, these modern locomotives were not popular with local railwaymen and were not used as much as had been hoped. Their maximum axle load of {{convert|13|t|LT ST|1|abbr=off}} restricted their usefulness, as did their long tenders. In some places the [[Railway turntable|turntables]] were too short to turn the locomotives and they had to be turned on [[Wye (rail)|triangles]]. In addition, the building specifications had called for a locomotive capable of a maximum speed of {{convert|80|km/h|mph|abbr=off}} and the ability to negotiate curves with a [[Minimum railway curve radius|minimum radius]] of {{convert|80|m|ft|abbr=off}}. This last point proved to be a source of contention when it was later discovered that the curves in some places were of less than {{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=off}} radius. As a consequence, the locomotives were involved in a number of derailments.

In the late 1960s, they were relegated down from first class passenger trains. Some locomotives, allocated to [[Southern Brazil]], were also tried in [[Bolivia]].