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

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The South African Railways Class GEA 4-8-2+2-8-4 of 1946 is an articulated steam locomotive.

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][2][3]

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][2][3][4]

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][2][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.^[3][4]

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.^[2][4]

Number 4009 was at one time used as an experimental spark-arresting locomotive, nicknamed "Renoster".^[4]

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][3][4]

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.^[4]

• No. 4003 went to Dunns Locomotive Works, for hire in the Witbank area.
• No. 4020 went to Dunns Locomotive Works and was initially used at Enyati Colliery and later at Vryheid Coronation Colliery.
• No. 4023 went to Vryheid Coronation Colliery as number 6.
• No. 4024 went to Dunns Locomotive Works, for hire in the Witbank area.
• No. 4027 went to Dunns Locomotive Works for use at Enyati Colliery.
• No. 4031 went to Vryheid Coronation Colliery as number 5.

Illustration

• 

  No. 4027, c. 1950, probably at Voorbaai near Mosselbaai, Western Cape

• 

  No. 4013 working a passenger train up the Montagu Pass, 15 August 1973

• 

  No. 4023 taking water at Camfer at the northern end of the Montagu Pass, Western Cape, 2002

• 

  Rear end view of no. 4023 "Peacock", TFR Museum, George, 15 April 2013

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South African Class GEA (4-8-2+2-8-4).

Locomotives of South Africa Steam 7' ¼" gauge East London Harbour 0-4-0 Table Bay Harbour 0-4-0ST Table Bay Harbour 0-4-0T Table Bay Harbour 0-4-0WT 4' 8½" gauge Cape 0-4-0T Blackie Cape 0-4-2 Cape 2-4-0T CGR 0-4-0ST Aid Natal 0-4-0ST Durban Natal 0-4-0WT Natal Natal 4-4-0T Perseverance 3' 6" gauge Tank engines CGR 0-4-0ST 1873 CGR 0-4-0ST 1874 CGR 0-4-0ST 1881 Coffee Pot CGR 0-6-0ST 1902 CGR 0-6-0T 1876 Back-to-Back CGR 2-6-0ST 1900 CGR 2-6-0ST 1902 CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1875 CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1876 CGR 1st Class 2-6-0ST 1876 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0T 1875 CGR 2nd Class 4-4-0T 1882 CGR 3rd Class 2-6-0T CGR Railmotor CSAR Class C CSAR Class E CSAR Rack CSAR Railmotor DSWA Eight-Coupled Tank 2-8-0T Durban's Congella Durban's Edward Innes Durban's John Milne Durban's Sir Albert Port Elizabeth Harbour 0-4-0ST Kowie Railway 0-6-0T Kowie Railway 4-4-0T Metropolitan & Suburban 4-6-2T NGR 2-6-0T Durban & Pietermaritzburg NGR Class I 2-6-2T NGR Class K 0-4-0ST NGR Class K 0-6-0ST NGR Class K 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