Great Indian Peninsula 2-8-4 Locomotives in India

Class Y (Locobase 6746)

Data from [] (visited 11 Aug 2005). See also "New Locomotives for the Great Indian Peninsula Ry," The Locomotive Magazine, Vol XII (15 May 1906), p. 73

The diagram shows the classic Belpaire firebox on this big engine, which was produced to tackle the increased train loads scaling the famous Bhore Ghat inclines. The Ghat range separates Central India from Bombay (later renamed Mumbai) and at the time of the construction of the GIPR, the only possible way to scale them was to saw back and forth up the incline through the use of reversing stations (or switchbacks).

A tank engine lent itself to this duty because it was easier to operate in both directions and this class was seen as the largest possible exemplars of such haulers. They were rated at 350 tons moving at 10 mph up the 1 in 37 (2.7%) grade and the LM report predicted that "...this ability to deal with a heavy load unaided will obviate the necessity for a considerable amount of 'double heading' now resorted to to cope with the traffic."