South African Class GEA 4-8-2+2-8-4

South African Class GEA 4-8-2+2-8-4

No. 4023 "Peacock" at the TFR Museum, George, 15 April 2013
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Designer South African Railways
Builder Beyer, Peacock and Company
Serial number 7168-7217 [1][2]
Model Class GEA
Build date 1945-1947
Total produced 50
Specifications
Configuration 4-8-2+2-8-4 "Double Mountain" Garratt
Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading wheel
diameter		 28.5 in (724 mm)
Driver diameter 48 in (1,220 mm)
Trailing wheel
diameter		 34 in (864 mm)
Wheelbase Total: 80 ft 10 in (24.638 m)
Engines:
6 ft 4 in (1.930 m) bogie
13 ft 4.5 in (4.077 m) coupled
28 ft 4 in (8.636 m) total
Length 88 ft 5 in (26.949 m)
Height 13 ft (3.962 m)
Frame Bar frame, 37 ft 9 in (11.506 m) between pivot centres
Axle load 15 long tons (15.2 t) on 2nd, 3rd, 6th & 7th drivers as built
15 long tons (15.2 t) on 3rd driver with modified front tanks
Weight on drivers 116 long tons (117.9 t) as built
112.8 long tons (114.6 t) with modified front tanks
Locomotive weight 187 long tons (190.0 t) w/o as built
183.9 long tons (186.9 t) w/o with modified front tanks
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity 10 long tons (10.2 t) as built
Capacity increased on 4036 & 4049
Water capacity 3,800 imp gal (17,000 l) front
1,800 imp gal (8,200 l) rear
Boiler 6 ft 9 in (2.057 m) inside dia
11 ft 8.625 in (3.572 m) inside length
8 ft 6 in (2.591 m) pitch
Boiler pressure 200 psi (1,380 kPa)
Firegrate area 51.3 sq ft (4.766 m2)
Heating surface:
– Tubes		 282 tubes 2 in (50.8 mm) diameter
36 tubes 5.5 in (140 mm) diameter
2,328 sq ft (216.278 m2)
– Flues 27 sq ft (2.508 m2)
– Firebox 185 sq ft (17.187 m2)
– Total 2,540 sq ft (235.974 m2)
Superheater area 470 sq ft (43.664 m2)
Cylinders Four
Cylinder size 18.5 in (470 mm) bore
26 in (660 mm) stroke [1][3]
Valve gear Walschaerts [4]
Performance figures
Tractive effort 55,620 lbf (247 kN) at 75% pressure
Career
Operator(s) South African Railways
Class Class GEA
Number in class 50
Number(s) 4001-4050
Delivered 1946-1947
First run 1946
Withdrawn 1976

The South African Class GEA 4-8-2+2-8-4 of 1946 is a South African steam locomotive from the South African Railways era.

During 1946 and 1947 the South African Railways placed fifty Class GEA Garratt articulated steam locomotives with a 4-8-2+2-8-4 Double Mountain type wheel arrangement in service.[1][3][4]

Manufacturer

The Class GEA 4-8-2+2-8-4 Double Mountain type Garratt locomotive was the first post-World War II locomotive to be introduced on the South African Railways (SAR). It was designed by Dr. M.M. Loubser, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the SAR from 1939 to 1949, and although it was a development of the Class GE 2-8-2+2-8-2 locomotive, it bore little resemblance to the older locomotive. It embodied the latest SAR practices, with a boiler that was designed to be interchangeable with that of the earlier Garratt model, but it had a bar frame as well as a round-topped firebox instead of the earlier Belpaire firebox. The Class GEA was the first South African Garratt to have streamlined water tanks and coal bunkers, and its engine units were radically different with an expanded wheel arrangement.[1][3][4][5]

An order for fifty locomotives was placed with Beyer, Peacock and Company (BP) in 1945, the largest single Garratt order ever placed with BP. When they were delivered during 1946 and 1947, they were erected at the Uitenhage shops and numbered in the range from 4001 to 4050.[1][3][4][5]

The locomotives were superheated and had Walschaerts valve gear. They were the only post-war Garratts on the SAR to be without mechanical stokers and also one of the largest designs of Garratt to be hand fired. They were designed for goods traffic on light 60 pounds per yard (30 kilograms per metre) rail on branchlines.[4][5]

Modifications

Visible differences between locomotives within the class included three bunker variations. At least two locomotives, numbers 4036 and 4049, were modified circa 1952 by having their coal capacity increased. It does not appear as if these two locomotives were ever officially reclassified to identify them as mainline locomotives, although they are referred to as Class GEAM in an annotation in the South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book.[3][5]

Number 4009 was at one time used as an experimental spark-arresting locomotive, nicknamed "Renoster".[5]

Service

South African Railways

Some teething troubles were experienced when they were first placed in service, but these were solved and they proved themselves as fine performers. They started their service lives working goods traffic on the lines from Johannesburg to Zeerust in the Western Transvaal.[1]

In the Cape Province they worked from Voorbaai to Oudtshoorn across the Montagu Pass and, in the opposite direction, to Riversdale. Some were later transferred to Natal to work on the North Coast line, based at Stanger and Empangeni, and on the Eshowe and Nkwalini branches. They also worked on the Franklin branch and the Overberg line from Cape Town across Sir Lowry’s Pass to Caledon. The Class GEA was withdrawn from service by 1976.[1][4][5]

Royal visit, 1947

Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret on the footplate of Class GEA no. 4024

During 1947 King George VI, as "King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the British dominions beyond the seas," accompanied by Queen Elizabeth and the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, visited the British territories in Southern Africa, beginning in South Africa in February.[6]

Transport during the Royal Visit was aboard the Royal Train of the SAR, later to become the White Train and used by the Governor General of South Africa during the remaining years of the Union era, and by the State President in the Republican era. During the Royal Visit, only selected British-built locomotives were used as motive power for the Royal Train. One of these was Class GEA number 4024.

Industrial

Six Class GEA locomotives were sold into industrial service.[5]

Service illustrated

The main picture shows Class GEA no. 4023 taking water at Camfer on the Montagu Pass in 2002, while the folllowing serve to display the locomotive from all sides.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Holland, D.F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 103–105. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
  2. ↑ Hamilton, Gavin N., The Garratt Locomotive - Garratt Locomotives produced by Beyer, Peacock, retrieved 10 November 2012
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0” & 3’6” Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 91–92. ISBN 0869772112.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Durrant, A E (1989). Twilight of South African Steam (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, London: David & Charles. pp. 39, 112. ISBN 0715386387.
  6. ↑ Monarchy of South Africa