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 .
East African Railways 56 class 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: • Grate area 48.8 sq ft (4.53 m2 ) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Heating surface: • Firebox 164 sq ft (15.2 m2 ) • Tubes 1,753 sq ft (162.9 m2 ) • Total surface 2,287 sq ft (212.5 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
Career Operators East African Railways (EAR)Class Number in class 6 Numbers EC6 class: 122–127 56 class: 5601–5606 First run 1949 Disposition All scrapped
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.
The builder's and fleet numbers of each member of the class were as follows:
Builder's number
EC6 class number
56 class number
Notes
7280
122
5601
7281
123
5602
7282
124
5603
7283
125
5604
7284
126
5605
7285
127
5606
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Staff writer (August 1958). " "56" Class Garratt Locomotive" (PDF) . East African Railways and Harbours Magazine . 3 (10). East African Railways and Harbours : 344. Retrieved 9 December 2014 .