KUR class EC3
| KUR class EC3 EAR class 57 |
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|---|---|
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| Numbering: | KUR: 77-88 EAR: 5701-5712 |
| Number: | 12 |
| Manufacturer: | Beyer-Peacock |
| Year of construction (s): | 1939-1940 |
| Retirement: | 1970s |
| Type : | (2'D2 ') (2'D2') h4 (Garratt) |
| Gauge : | 1000 mm ( meter gauge ) |
| Length over coupling: | 29,988 mm |
| Service mass: | 189 t |
| Friction mass: | 89.4 t |
| Wheel set mass : | 11.2 t |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1,371 mm |
| Cylinder diameter: | 406 mm |
| Piston stroke: | 660 mm |
| Boiler overpressure: | 152 N / cm² |
| Grate area: | 4.51 m² |
| Radiant heating surface: | 17.65 m² |
| Tubular heating surface: | 165.2 m² |
| Superheater area : | 34.3 m² |
| Water supply: | 27.3 m³ |
| Fuel supply: | 11.5 t coal / 10.8 m³ heating oil |
| Train brake: | Air brake |
The locomotives of the class EC3 of the Kenya-Uganda Railway (KUR) were steam locomotives of the Garratt type .
history
As early as 1926, the KUR had purchased the world's first Garratts with the EC class with the (2'D1 ') (1'D2') wheel arrangement, and the EC3 machines ordered in 1939 were also with the (2'D2 ') ( 2'D2 ') the first of its kind. The additional axles, an increased axle load and the full utilization of the clearance profile led to a significant increase in performance compared to the earlier KUR-Garratts. With the coupling wheels enlarged from 1092 to 1371 mm, the locomotives were also faster than their predecessors.
Originally the KUR locomotives were built according to the Indian meter gauge clearance profile , which limited the height to 3810 mm. After increasing the permissible height to 4114 mm, the steam dome and chimneys of the EC3 were enlarged accordingly and thus towered over the not raised driver's cab, which gave the locomotives somewhat unbalanced proportions. The EAR class 58 , which is based on the EC3 , was built according to the new profile and therefore also equipped with a higher driver's cab, which distinguishes the two series.
After the KUR was incorporated into the East African Railways (EAR) founded in 1948 , the EC3 received the class designation 57 and the numbers 5701-5712. In 1962, all 12 machines were equipped with a Giesl ejector to improve performance and economy.
The class was retired in the early 1970s. Some boilers and cylinders were still used to maintain the EAR class 58, which was retired a few years later.
An EC3, No. 87 of the KUR and later 5711 of the EAR, has been preserved. It is inoperable in the Nairobi Railway Museum .
technology
The EC3s were the first Garratts to have the wheel arrangement (2'D2 ') (2'D2'), i.e. they had 2 × 4 coupling axles and 4 two-axle running bogies . Worldwide only two other series had this wheel arrangement: the EAR class 58, which is based directly on the EC3, and the standard gauge and significantly heavier class AD60 of the Australian New South Wales Government Railways .
In contrast to the predecessor types, the third coupling axle was driven on the EC3; at Beyer-Peacock this became the standard for Garratts with 2 × 4 coupling axles. The EC3 were the first East African Garratts with bar frames; the running axles were equipped with roller bearings , but not the coupling axles. The locomotives were originally designed for coal firing, but were later converted to oil firing.
The EC3 were prepared for a simple conversion to the Cape Gauge , which is widespread in southern Africa , and the higher Janney couplings used there, since the two networks were expected to grow together at this time. However, there was never any renovation; the route network in Kenya and Uganda is meter gauge to this day.
literature
- AE Durrant: Garratt locomotives of the world . Birkhäuser Verlag ISBN 3-7643-1481-8
- R. Ramaer: Steam Locomotives of the East African Railways . David & Charles ISBN 0-7153-6437-5
