South African Class GC 2-6-2+2-6-2

South African Class GC 2-6-2+2-6-2
Class GC no. 2182, circa 1924
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	Beyer, Peacock and Company
Builder	Beyer, Peacock and Company
Serial number	6187-6192 ^[1]^[2]
Model	Class GC
Build date	1924
Total produced	6
Specifications
Configuration	2-6-2+2-6-2 "Double Prairie" Garratt
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading wheel diameter	28.5 in (724 mm)
Driver diameter	42.75 in (1,090 mm)
Trailing wheel diameter	28.5 in (724 mm)
Wheelbase	Total: 56 ft 8 in (17.272 m) Engines: 8 ft (2.438 m) coupled 17 ft 8.25 in (5.391 m) total
Length	63 ft 3.75 in (19.298 m)
Height	12 ft 3 in (3.734 m)
Frame	Plate frame, 29 ft 8 in (9.042 m) between pivot centres
Axle load	11.8 long tons (12.0 t) on 5th driver
Weight on drivers	65.8 long tons (66.9 t)
Locomotive weight	159,488 lb (72.3 t) empty 96.8 long tons (98.4 t)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	7 long tons (7.1 t)
Water capacity	2,000 imp gal (9,100 l) front 1,000 imp gal (4,500 l) rear
Boiler	5 ft 2 in (1.575 m) inside diameter 11 ft 3.375 in (3.439 m) inside length 7 ft 4.375 in (2.245 m) pitch
Boiler pressure	180 psi (1,240 kPa)
Firegrate area	34 sq ft (3.159 m²)
Heating surface: – Tubes	149 tubes 2 in (50.8 mm) diameter 24 tubes 5.5 in (140 mm) diameter 1,266.2 sq ft (117.634 m²)
– Firebox	156.8 sq ft (14.567 m²)
– Total	1,423 sq ft (132.201 m²)
Superheater area	247 sq ft (22.947 m²)
Cylinders	Four
Cylinder size	14 in (356 mm) bore 23 in (584 mm) stroke ^[3]
Valve gear	Walschaerts ^[4]
Performance figures
Tractive effort	28,470 lbf (127 kN) at 75% pressure
Career
Operator(s)	South African Railways
Class	Class GC
Number in class	6
Number(s)	2180-2185
Delivered	1924-1925
First run	1924
Withdrawn	1962

The South African Class GC 2-6-2+2-6-2 of 1924 is a South African steam locomotive from the South African Railways era.

In 1924 and 1925 the South African Railways placed six Class GC Garratt articulated steam locomotives with a 2-6-2+2-6-2 Double Prairie type wheel arrangement in branchline service.^[1]^[3]^[4]

Manufacturer

The first locomotive to be built to the specifications of Colonel F.R. Collins after he was appointed as the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South African Railways (SAR) in 1922, was the Class GC 2-6-2+2-6-2 Double Prairie type Garratt. Six of them were built by Beyer, Peacock and Company (BP) in 1924. They were erected in the Durban shops and placed in service in 1924 and 1925, numbered in the range from 2180 to 2185. They were superheated, with Belpaire fireboxes, plate frames and Walschaerts valve gear.^[1]^[4]

Like its predecessor Class GB, the Class GC was also a branchline locomotive. It was a heavier and more powerful development of the Class GB and was very similar to the Class GK Garratts that had been acquired by the New Cape Central Railway (NCCR) in 1923.^[4]

Service

The locomotives were initially placed in service on the Natal South Coast line and while they later also worked on other branchlines, they spent their entire working lives in Natal until they were withdrawn from service in 1962.^[1]^[4]

Service illustrated

Class GC in Durban station on the Port Shepstone train, c. 1924

References

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South African Class GC (2-6-2+2-6-2)

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Holland, D.F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
↑ Hamilton, Gavin N., The Garratt Locomotive - Garratt Locomotives produced by Beyer, Peacock, retrieved 10 November 2012
↑ 3.0 3.1 South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0” & 3’6” Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended
↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 89. ISBN 0869772112.

Locomotives of South Africa

Steam

Brunel gauge	HBEL 0-4-0 HBTB 0-4-0T HBTB 0-4-0WT HBTB 0-4-0ST

Broad gauge	CGR Aid CGR Blackie CGR 0-4-2 CGR 2-4-0T NRC Durban NRC Natal NRC Perseverance

Cape gauge Tank	CGR Coffee Pot CGR 040 1873 CGR 040 1874 CGR 060 1876 CGR 060 1902 CGR 260 1900 CGR 260 1902 CGR 1st 040 1875 CGR 1st 440 1875 CGR 1st 040 1876 CGR 1st 260 1876 CGR 2nd 1882 CGR 3rd 1900 CGR RM CSAR C CSAR E CSAR Rack CSAR RM Dbn Congella Dbn Edward Innes Dbn John Milne Dbn Sir Albert HBPE 040 Kowie 060 Kowie 440 M&S 462 NGR Dbn & Pmb NGR I 262 NGR K 040 NGR K 060 NGR K 260 NZASM 10T NZASM 14T NZASM 18T NZASM 19T NZASM 32T NZASM 40T PPR 26T PPR 35T SAR RM SAR 0-4-0ST SAR 040 69 SAR A SAR B SAR C SAR C1 SAR C2 SAR D SAR E SAR F SAR G SAR H SAR H1 SAR H2 SAR J SAR K SWA 2-8-0T

Cape gauge Tender	CGR 1st 260 1876 BP CGR 1st 260 1876 K CGR 1st 260 1879 CGR 1st 440 1879 CGR 1st 1881 CGR 1st 1891 CGR 2nd 1875 CGR 3rd 1883 CGR 3rd 1884 CGR 3rd 1889 CGR 3rd 1898 CGR 3rd 1901 CGR 3rd 1903 CGR 4th 1880 CGR 4th 1882 CGR 4th 1884 CGR 4th 1897 CGR 5th 1890 CGR 5th 1891 NGR Havelock NGR I 260 Exp-1 Exp-2 Exp-3 Exp-4 Exp-5 Exp-6 SAR S SAR S1 SAR S2 SAR 1 SAR 1A SAR 1B SAR 2 SAR 2C SAR 3 SAR 3A SAR 3B SAR 4 SAR 4A SAR 5 SAR 5A SAR 5B SAR 6 SAR 6A SAR 6B SAR 6C SAR 6D SAR 6E SAR 6F SAR 6G SAR 6H SAR 6J SAR 6K SAR 6L SAR 6Y SAR 6Z SAR 7 SAR 7A SAR 7B SAR 7C SAR 7D SAR 7E SAR 7F SAR 8 SAR 8A SAR 8B SAR 8C SAR 8D SAR 8E SAR 8F SAR 8X SAR 8Y SAR 8Z SAR 9 SAR 10 SAR 10A SAR 10B SAR 10C SAR 10D SAR 11 SAR 12 SAR 12A SAR 12B SAR 13 SAR 14 SAR 14A SAR 14B SAR 14C SAR 15 SAR 15A SAR 15B SAR 15C SAR 15CA SAR 15E SAR 15F SAR 16 SAR 16A SAR 16B SAR 16C SAR 16D SAR 16DA SAR 16E SAR 17 SAR 18 SAR 19 SAR 19A SAR 19B SAR 19C SAR 19D SAR 20 SAR 21 SAR 23 SAR 24 SAR 25 SAR 25NC SAR 26 SWA 2-8-0

Cape gauge Articulated	CGR Fairlie CGR Kitson-Meyer SAR FC SAR FD SAR GA SAR GB SAR GC SAR GCA SAR GD SAR GDA SAR GE SAR GEA SAR GF SAR GG SAR GH SAR GK SAR GL SAR GM SAR GMA SAR GO SAR HF SAR KM SAR MA SAR MB SAR MC SAR MC1 SAR MD SAR ME SAR MF SAR MG SAR MH SAR MJ SAR MJ1 SAR U

2ft 6in gauge	CCC 1871 CCC Britannia CCC Caledonia CCC Clara CCC Condenser CCC Scotia NCC Pioneer

2ft & 600mm gauges	ACR NG-G16A CGR NG 060 CGR NG 462 CGR A CGR C NGR N SAR 040 1899 SAR NG1 SAR NG2 SAR NG3 SAR NG4 SAR NG5 SAR NG6 SAR NG7 SAR NG8 SAR NG9 SAR NG10 SAR NG-G11 SAR NG-G12 SAR NG-G13 SAR NG-G14 SAR NG15 SAR NG-G16 SWA Ha SWA Hb SWA Hc SWA Hd SWA Jung SWA Zwillinge

Diesel

-electric	SAR DS SAR DS1 SAR 31-000 SAR 32-000 SAR 32-200 SAR 33-000 SAR 33-200 SAR 33-400 SAR 34-000 SAR 34-200 SAR 34-400 SAR 34-500 SAR 34-600 SAR 34-800 SAR 34-900 SAR 35-000 SAR 35-200 SAR 35-400 SAR 35-600 SAR 36-000 SAR 36-200 SAR 37-000 SN 39-000 TFR 39-200 TFR 43-000 SAR 91-000 Afro4000

-hydraulic	SAR 61-000

Electro-diesel

SN 38-000

Electric

South African Class GC 2-6-2+2-6-2

Manufacturer

Service

Service illustrated

See also

References