East African Railways Beyer-Garratt Locomotives in Kenya

Class 58 (Locobase 4331)

Data from Gavin Hamilton's excellent compilation of Garratt data posted at [] (6 September 2005); "'58' Class Locomotive" East African Railways and Harbours Magazine, Volume 3, No. 1 (February 1956), p. 22. Works numbers were 7290-7307 in 1949.

These were post-war Class 57 Mountain Garratts with 1/2" (12.7 mm) larger pistons and more heating surface. Water supplies were divided between the leading and trailing engine modules. The front engine's tank carried 3,600 US gallons and the rear engine module carried an additional 2,880 gallons under and behind the oil tank. Fuel rode only in the rear module.

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Class 59 (Locobase 693)

Data from Gavin Hamilton's excellent compilation of Garratt data posted at [] 6 September 2005); and "'59 class", East African Railways and Harbours Magazine, Volume 2, No 3 (June 1955), p. 89. See also Archie Morrow in the [], visited November 2002). Works numbers were 7632-7658, 7700-7706 in 1959. Named after mountains in East Africa.

These were among the largest Garratts built for service anywhere, possessing relatively huge grates (even though they were oil-fired). Class 59s ran from Mombasa at sea level to Nairobi, which is more than a mile above sea level. Freight trains totalling 1,200 tons could be pulled on a ruling grade of 1 in 66 (1.5%) behind these behemoths, which ran on a metre gauge and had a track radius of only 290 ft.

Archie Morrow, a transplanted Irish engine driver, wrote of his experiences in East Africa and included this illustrative anecdote: "One Up and Two Down were the upper class express passenger trains that ran daily between Mombasa and Nairobi, both leaving at 1800 and arriving at 0800 after crossing halfway. These two trains were worked by the six senior drivers at Nairobi shed. On one occasion, due to a derailment, Two Down did not arrive in Mombasa in time for the engine to work One Up and we were called in to fill the breach. I felt quite chuffed the next morning rolling into Nairobi on time with thirty five coaches on my drawbar and no complaints of passengers having been thrown out of bed or diners having hot soup in their laps."

The 59s were named for East African mountains, according to [] , they were:

5901 Mount Kenya

5902 Ruwenzori Mountains

5903 Mount Meru

5904 Mount Elgon

5905 Mount Muhavura

5906 Mount Sattima

5907 Mount Kinangop

5908 Mount Loolmalasin

5909 Mount Mgahinga

5910 Mount Hanang

5911 Mount Sekerri

5912 Mount Oldeani

5913 Mount Debasien

5914 Mount Londiani

5915 Mount Mtorwi

5916 Mount Rungwe

5917 Mount Kitumbeine

5918 Mount Gelai

5919 Mount Lengai

5920 Mount Mbeya

5921 Mount Nyiru

5922 Mount Blackett

5923 Mount Longonot

5924 Mount Eburu

5925 Mount Monduli

5926 Mount Kimhandu

5927 Mount Tinderet

5928 Mount Kilimanjaro

5929 Mount Longido

5930 Mount Shengena

5931 Ulguru Mountains

5932 Ol'donyo Sabuk

5933 Mount Suswa

5934 Menengai Crater

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Class 60 (Locobase 692)

Data from Gavin Hamilton's excellent compilation of Garratt data posted at [] . (6 September 2005); and "'60' class", East African Railways and Harbours Magazine, Volume 2, No 4 (August 1955), p. 129.

According to the museum website [] (accessed November 2002), the first 12 locomotives, 6001-1012, were built by Franco-Belge, the balance of the class, 6013-6029, by Beyer Peacock (7659-7666 and 7721-7725). They operated on Tanzania's Central Line between Dar-es-Salaam and Morogorol.

Originally named after various governors of the three colonies:

6001 Sir Geoffrey Archer Umoja

6002 Sir Hesketh Bell

6003 Sir Stewart Symes

6004 Sir Frederick Jackson

6005 Sir Bernard Bourdillon

6006 Sir Harold MacMichael

6007 Sir Mark Young

6008 Sir Wilfred Jackson

6009 Sir Edward Twining

6010 Sir Donald Cameron

6011 Sir William Battershill

6012 Sir Percy Girouard

6013 Sir Henry Belfield

6014 Sir Joseph Byrne

6015 Sir Robert Brooke-Popham

6016 Sir Henry Moore

6017 Sir John Hall

6018 Sir Charles Dundas

6019 Sir Philip Mitchell

6020 Sir Evelyn Baring

6021 Sir William Gowers

6022 Sir Andrew Cohen

6023 Sir Edward Northey

6024 Sir James Haye-Sadler

6025 Sir Henry Colville

6026 Sir Horace Byatt

6027 Sir Gerald Portal

6028 Sir H. H. Johnston

6029 Sir Edward Grigg

At independence, to no-one's surprise, these names were removed.