KUR EC5 class

The KUR EC5 class was a class of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt-type articulated steam locomotives built during the latter stages of World War II by Beyer, Peacock & Co. in Gorton, Manchester, England, for the War Department of the United Kingdom. The two members of the class entered service on the Kenya-Uganda Railway (KUR) in 1945. They were part of a batch of 20 locomotives, the rest of which were sent to either India or Burma.^[1]

One of the two war department locomotives

Kenya-Uganda Railway EC5 class Tanganyika Railway GB class East African Railways 55 class
5505 at the Nairobi Railway Museum, 2012
Type and origin Power type Steam Build date 1945 Total produced KUR EC5 class: 2 TR GB class: 4 EAR 55 class: 2+4+5
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-2+2-8-4 (Garratt)  • UIC (2′D1′)(1′D2′) h4 Gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)

The following year, 1946, four locomotives from that batch were acquired by the Tanganyika Railway (TR) from Burma. They entered service on the TR as the TR GB class.^[1]

In 1949, upon the merger of the KUR and the TR to form the East African Railways (EAR), the EC5 and GB classes were combined as the EAR 55 class. In 1952, the EAR acquired five more of the War Department batch of 20 from Burma, where they had been Burma Railways class GD; these five locomotives were then added to the EAR 55 class, bringing the total number of that class to 11 units.^[1]

Class list

The builders and fleet numbers of each member of the EAR 55 class were as follows:^[2][3]

Builders number WD number KUR number BAR number WD (India) number BR number TR number EAR number Notes 7158 74242 120 – – – – 5501 7159 74243 121 – – – – 5502 7150 74234 – 690 422 851 750 5503 7151 74235 – 691 423 852 751 5504 7157 74241 – 697 – 853 752 5505 Preserved at Nairobi Railway Museum. 7146 74230 – 686 – 854 753 5506 7155 74231 – 687 – 855/865 – 5507 7154 74232 – 688 – 856/866 – 5508 7149 74233 – 689 – 857/867 – 5509 71?? 74238 – 694 – 858/868 – 5510 7148 74239 – 695 – 859/869 – 5511

See also

• Trains portal
• Kenya portal
• Tanzania portal
• Uganda portal

• History of rail transport in Tanzania
• Rail transport in Kenya
• Rail transport in Uganda