Gold Coast Railways 4-8-2 Locomotives in Ghana
Class Details by Steve Llanso of Sweat House Media
Class 221 (Locobase 20928)
Data from "Goods Engine and Tender for the Gold Coastl Railway", Vulcan Foundry Locomotive Catalogue, No. 39 found on Flicker's Historical Locomotive Images website at [
]. (Many thanks to Jorge Cerezo Toledo for his 26 June 2021 email containing links to several sites including the Vulcan Catalogue referred to above.) Works numbers were 3737-3740 in 1924, 3805-3809 in 1938, and 5834-5848 in 1948.
Classic combination of Belpaire firebox, Walschaert outside constant-lead radial valve gear, and very British lines overall made for a successful goods engine on the Cape Gauge. Although similar to many other Cape Gauge Mountains, these engines had cylinders with an unusual diameter.
Over the 25 years, the 221 stud grew from 4 to 9 to 24.
| Principal Dimensions by Steve Llanso of Middle Run Media | |
|---|---|
| Class | 221 |
| Locobase ID | 20928 |
| Railroad | Gold Coast Railways |
| Country | Ghana |
| Whyte | 4-8-2 |
| Number in Class | 24 |
| Road Numbers | 221-229, 130-144/130-153 |
| Gauge | 3'6" |
| Number Built | 24 |
| Builder | Vulcan Foundry |
| Year | 1924 |
| Valve Gear | Walschaert |
| Locomotive Length and Weight | |
| Driver Wheelbase (ft / m) | 12.75 / 3.89 |
| Engine Wheelbase (ft / m) | 30.75 / 9.37 |
| Ratio of driving wheelbase to overall engine wheelbase | 0.41 |
| Overall Wheelbase (engine & tender) (ft / m) | 55.69 / 16.97 |
| Axle Loading (Maximum Weight per Axle) (lbs / kg) | |
| Weight on Drivers (lbs / kg) | 116,480 / 52,835 |
| Engine Weight (lbs / kg) | 164,976 / 74,832 |
| Tender Loaded Weight (lbs / kg) | 99,232 / 45,011 |
| Total Engine and Tender Weight (lbs / kg) | 264,208 / 119,843 |
| Tender Water Capacity (gals / ML) | 3000 / 11.36 |
| Tender Fuel Capacity (oil/coal) (gals/tons / Liters/MT) | |
| Minimum weight of rail (calculated) (lb/yd / kg/m) | 49 / 24.50 |
| Geometry Relating to Tractive Effort | |
| Driver Diameter (in / mm) | 45 / 1524 |
| Boiler Pressure (psi / kPa) | 180 / 1240 |
| High Pressure Cylinders (dia x stroke) (in / mm) | 19.25" x 24" / 489x610 |
| Tractive Effort (lbs / kg) | 30,238 / 13715.74 |
| Factor of Adhesion (Weight on Drivers/Tractive Effort) | 3.85 |
| Heating Ability | |
| Tubes (number - dia) (in / mm) | 151 - 2" / 51 |
| Flues (number - dia) (in / mm) | 21 - 5.25" / 133 |
| Flue/Tube length (ft / m) | 16.48 / 5.02 |
| Firebox Area (sq ft / m2) | 198 / 18.39 |
| Grate Area (sq ft / m2) | 32.14 / 2.99 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 1973 / 183.30 |
| Superheating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 347 / 32.24 |
| Combined Heating Surface (sq ft / m2) | 2320 / 215.54 |
| Evaporative Heating Surface/Cylinder Volume | 244.05 |
| Computations Relating to Power Output (More Information) | |
| Robert LeMassena's Power Computation | 5785 |
| Same as above plus superheater percentage | 6653 |
| Same as above but substitute firebox area for grate area | 40,986 |
| Power L1 | 10,163 |
| Power MT | 769.42 |