The EAR 56 class was a class of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt-type articulated steam locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock & Co. in Gorton, Manchester, England, in 1949. The six members of the class were ordered by the Kenya-Uganda Railway (KUR) immediately after World War II, and were a slightly modified version of the KUR's existing EC5 class.[2]

East African Railways 56 class
No. 5604 at Dar es Salaam depot, Tanzania, in 1968
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Beyer, Peacock & Co. Serial number 7280–7285 Build date 1949 Total produced 6
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-2+2-8-4 (Garratt)  • UIC (2′D1′)(1′D2′) h4 Gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) Driver dia. 48 in (1,219 mm) Adhesive weight 88 long tons (89 t) Loco weight 146.8 long tons (149.2 t) Fuel type Oil Fuel capacity 2,382 imp gal (10,830 l; 2,861 US gal) Water cap. 4,200 imp gal (19,000 l; 5,000 US gal) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 48.8 sq ft (4.53 m2) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Heating surface 2,287 sq ft (212.5 m2)  • Tubes  1,753 sq ft (162.9 m2)  • Firebox 164 sq ft (15.2 m2) Superheater: ​  • Type Inside  • Heating area 370 sq ft (34 m2) Cylinders 4 (Garratt) Cylinder size 16 in × 24 in (406 mm × 610 mm) Valve gear Walschaerts Loco brake Westinghouse type Train brakes Westinghouse type
Performance figures Tractive effort 43,520 lbf (193.59 kN)
Career Operators East African Railways (EAR) Class EC6 class 56 class Number in class 6 Numbers EC6 class: 122–127 56 class: 5601–5606 First run 1949 Disposition All scrapped
[1]

By the time the new locomotives were built and entered service, the KUR had been succeeded by the East African Railways (EAR), which designated them for a very short time as its EC6 class, but then, as part of a comprehensive reclassification of all of its locomotives, redesignated them as its 56 class.[2]

Class list

The builder's and fleet numbers of each member of the class were as follows:[3]

See also

• Rail transport in Kenya
• Rail transport in Tanzania
• Rail transport in Uganda

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Media related to EAR 56 class at Wikimedia Commons