Kenya Uganda Railway / Kenya-Uganda Railway Beyer-Garratt Locomotives in Kenya

Class EC/50 or EC1/51 (Locobase 695)

Data from Wiener (1930); and "Kenya-Uganda Railway-Design 1112", Beyer-Garrrat Patent Articulated Locomotives (Manchester, England: Beyer-Peacock & Company Limited, 1931), archived on flickr's Historical Railway Images at [], et seq, pp. 25-26. Works numbers were 6300-6303 in 1926. Later batches included 45-56 (works numbers 6429-6440), 57-64 (6516-6523), which came in 1928, and 65-66 (6637-6638) delivered in 1930.

This pioneer group of East African Mountain Garratts set the standard for KUR metre-gauge Garratt power. B-P proudly offered them as a "perfect practical example of the all-round advantages" gained by adopting this type ...[such as] a capacity of a narrow gauge line can be virtually doubled without capital expenditure on the existing rail and permanent way conditions."

Expansion of the KUR doubled itx route mileage and upgrades put 80 lb/yard (40 kg/metre) rail between Mombasa on the Red Sea and Nairobi, over which EC1s hauled passenger trains. Much of the system still used 50 lb/yard (25 kg/metre) rail and uncompensated 2% grades, over which a conventional eight-coupled superheated engine could haul 30 units totalling 200 tons. EC1s "enabled a load of 440 tons."

"Many of the locomotives are operated by African native drivers," B-P's 1931 guide stated, "and excellent mileage and service has been obtained from them."

EC1s; in East African Railways service they were grouped as Class 50 or Class 51 (65-66). They had larger tenders (6,300 US gallons or 23,846 litres), and an higher all-up weight of 291,200 lb (132,086 kg).

Class EC/52 (Locobase 696)

Data from Gavin Hamilton's excellent compilation of Garratt data posted at []

(6 September 2005)-later relocated to []; and "KUR EC2 class" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 2 September 2021and A[rthur] E[dward] Durrant, Garratt Locomotives of the World (revised edition) (Newton Abbott, UK: David & Charles, 1981), p. 179-180. Works numbers were 24070-24079 in 1931.

Durrant describes the procurement of this class of Double Mountain Garratts (which he described as "cuckoo-like interlopers") as "something of a mystery." Built by NBLC in Glasgow, the engines never appeared in that firm's advertisements although a pamphlet described them as "North British Articulated Locomotives." Judging that these were "Garratts pure and simple" and speculated that Beyer, Peacock's attorneys acquainted North British with their firm opinion that these engines violated patents originally awarded in 1909. As far as is known, North British didn't attempt to sell this design to any other prospects.

Names were:

67 5201 Busoga

68 5202 Kavirondo

69 5203 Mubendi

70 5204 Turkhana

71 5205 Nyeri

72 5206 Kiambu

73 5207 Nzoia

74 5208 Isiolo

75 5209 Nakuru

76 5210 Entebbe

Class EC3/57 (Locobase 697)

Data from Editorial Note from "The Railway Gazette" July 21, 1939, reprinted by permission on [] (visited 24 October 2003). Additional information from "4-8-4+4-8-4 Metre-gauge Beyer-Garratt Locomotives for the Kenya-Uganda Railways", reprinted from 21 July 1939 Railway Gazette (Manchester: Beyer, Peacock & Co, Ltd.), archived at [], last accessed 23 September 2011; and "'57' Class Locomotive" East African Railways and Harbours Magazine, Volume 2, No. 1 (February 1955), p. 22. Works numbers were 6905-6910 in 1939, 6970-6975 in 1940.

Double Northern Garratts that spread the weight over an unprecedented number of axles in order to provide as much tractive power as possible on 50-lb/yard (25-kg/metre) rail.

The Belpaire firebox included two arch tubes and two Nicholson thermic syphons. Each piston valve measured 9" (179 mm) in diameter. Because the leading driver in each set was flangeless, the rigid wheelbase for each was 10 ft (3.05 m).

These were later grouped as Class 57 in the East African Railways classification. Names were:

77 5701 Mengo

78 5702 Teso

79 5703 Uasingishu

80 5704 Narok

81 5705 Marakwet

82 5706 Wajir

83 5707 Chua

84 5708 Gulu

85 5709 Lango

86 5710 Budama

87 5711 Karamoja

88 5712 Kigezi

NB: Tube length is between sheets.

Class EC6/56 (Locobase 694)

Data from Gavin Hamilton's excellent compilation of Garratt data posted at [] (6 September 2005); and "56' class", East African Railways and Harbours Magazine, Volume 3, No 10 (December 1954), p. 344. Works numbers were 7280-7285 in 1949.

These Double Mountain Garratts were ordered for service on the Burma Railway. But the EAR&H, then known as the Tanganyika Railway, noted that they were "offered for sale as excess to requirements." The EAR bought the engines "to relieve the hard pressed motive power resources prevailing." Dubbed Class 56 when incorporated into the East African Railways..

Built with two fuel and water bunker sizes. The larger had 5,400 US gallons of water and boosted the engine weight to 322,560 lb. The Belpaire firebox's heating surface area included arch tubes. Locobase's specification reflects the later use of oil fuel.