South African Class GDA 2-6-2+2-6-2

Class GDA no. 2255, Stanger Depot, 8 September 1966

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	Beyer, Peacock and Company
Builder	Linke-Hofmann Werke AG
Serial number	3115-3119
Model	Class GDA
Build date	1929
Total produced	5

Specifications
Configuration	2-6-2+2-6-2 "Double Prairie" Garratt
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading dia	28.5 in (724 mm)
Driver diameter	46 in (1,168 mm)
Trailing dia	28.5 in (724 mm)
Wheelbase	Total: 58 ft 4 in (17,780 mm) Engines: 8 ft 6 in (2,591 mm) coupled 18 ft 9 in (5,715 mm) total
Length	65 ft 11 in (20,091 mm)
Height	12 ft 10.25 in (3,918 mm)
Frame	Bar frame, 30 ft 6 in (9,296 mm) between pivot centres
Axle load	13.65 long tons (13.9 t) on 5th driver
Adhesive weight	79.55 long tons (80.8 t)
Loco weight	207,500 lb (94.1 t) empty 119.85 long tons (121.8 t) w/o
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	5 long tons (5.1 t) as built
Water cap	2,300 imp gal (10,000 l) front 1,500 imp gal (6,800 l) rear
Firebox: • Firegrate area	40 sq ft (3.716 m²)
Boiler	5 ft 11.75 in (1,822 mm) inside diameter 10 ft 7.875 in (3,248 mm) inside length 7 ft 9.25 in (2,369 mm) pitch
Boiler pressure	180 psi (1,240 kPa)
Heating surface	1,750 sq ft (162.580 m²)
• Tubes	193 tubes 2 in (51 mm) diameter 32 tubes 5.5 in (140 mm) diameter 1,569 sq ft (145.765 m²)
• Firebox	181 sq ft (16.815 m²)
Superheater: • Heating area	370 sq ft (34.374 m²)
Cylinders	Four
Cylinder size	15 in (381 mm) bore 24 in (610 mm) stroke
Valve gear	Walschaerts

Performance figures
Tractive effort	31,690 lbf (141 kN) at 75% pressure

Career
Operators	South African Railways
Class	Class GDA
Number in class	5
Numbers	2255-2259
Delivered	1929
First run	1929
Withdrawn	1972

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The South African Railways Class GDA 2-6-2+2-6-2 of 1929 is an articulated steam locomotive.

In 1929 the South African Railways placed five Class GDA Garratt articulated locomotives with a 2-6-2+2-6-2 Double Prairie type wheel arrangement in branchline service.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Manufacturer

The Class GDA 2-6-2+2-6-2 Double Prairie type Garratt locomotive was built to the same specifications and was, for all intents and purposes, identical to the Class GD in its main dimensions.^[1]^[2]^[3]

It had the same tractive effort and was also superheated and had Walschaerts valve gear. The main differences were the use of bar frames instead of plate frames, differently shaped coal and water bunkers, and a round-top firebox instead of a Belpaire firebox. They were ordered from Linke-Hofmann Werke AG in Breslau, Germany in 1929 and numbered 2255 to 2259 upon delivery.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Service

The five locomotives were placed in service working out of Cape Town, where they were to join the Class GD on the Overberg branch, but they were found to be not satisfactory in service and ended up staged on a siding near the Cape Town sheds for a considerable time. When a question was raised in the local press enquiring the reason why these brand new locomotives were not being used, they were first moved to a less conspicuous location and shortly afterwards transferred to Natal.^[1]

The Natal shops managed to get the locomotives to perform satisfactorily and they were placed in branchline service, working around Stanger. In 1970 a pair was sent to Port Elizabeth, where they worked local goods trains until they were all withdrawn by 1972.^[1]^[3]

Preservation

One locomotive was preserved, no. 2257 which was plinthed at Grahamstown Station. Since the branchline via Grahamstown to Port Alfred fell into disuse, however, the historic station buildings as well as the plinthed locomotive were in a state of serious neglect by 2013.

Illustration

The main picture and the following photographs offer views of both sides of the Class GDA locomotive.

Class GDA no. 2257 in battleship gray livery, circa 1929

Class GDA no. 2259 on the Natal North Coast, May 1971

References

1 2 3 4 5 Holland, D.F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
1 2 3 South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0” & 3’6” Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended
1 2 3 4 Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 90–91. ISBN 0869772112.
↑ Hamilton, Gavin N., The Garratt Locomotive - Garratt Locomotives from Other Builders, retrieved 10 November 2012

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South African Class GDA (2-6-2+2-6-2).

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 2-6-0T NZASM 10 Tonner NZASM 14 Tonner NZASM 18 Tonner NZASM 19 Tonner NZASM 32 Tonner NZASM 40 Tonner PPR 26 Tonner PPR 35 Tonner Portuguese SAR 0-4-0ST 1903 SAR 0-4-0T no. 69 SAR Class A SAR Class B SAR Class C SAR Class C1 SAR Class C2 SAR Class D SAR Class E SAR Class F SAR Class G SAR Class H SAR Class H1 SAR Class H2 SAR Class J SAR Class K SAR Clayton Railmotor

3' 6" gauge Tender engines	CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 Beyer, Peacock CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 Kitson CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1879 CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1891 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0 1879 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0TT 1881 CGR 2nd Class 2-6-2TT 1875 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1883 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1884 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1889 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1898 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1901 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1903 CGR 4th Class 4-4-2 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1880 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1882 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1884 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1890 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1891 DSWA Eight-Coupled Tender 2-8-0 NGR Havelock NGR Class I SAR Class Exp 1 SAR Class Exp 2 SAR Class Exp 3 SAR Class Exp 4 SAR Class Exp 5 SAR Class Exp 6 SAR Class S SAR Class S1 SAR Class S2 SAR Class 1 SAR Class 1A SAR Class 1B SAR Class 2 SAR Class 2C SAR Class 3 SAR Class 3A SAR Class 3B SAR Class 4 SAR Class 4A SAR Class 5 SAR Class 5A SAR Class 5B SAR Class 6 SAR Class 6A SAR Class 6B SAR Class 6C SAR Class 6D SAR Class 6E SAR Class 6F SAR Class 6G SAR Class 6H SAR Class 6J SAR Class 6K SAR Class 6L SAR Class 6Y SAR Class 6Z SAR Class 7 SAR Class 7A SAR Class 7B SAR Class 7C SAR Class 7D SAR Class 7E SAR Class 7F SAR Class 8 SAR Class 8A SAR Class 8B SAR Class 8C SAR Class 8D SAR Class 8E SAR Class 8F SAR Class 8R SAR Class 8X SAR Class 8Y SAR Class 8Z SAR Class 9 SAR Class 10 SAR Class 10A SAR Class 10B SAR Class 10C SAR Class 10D SAR Class 11 SAR Class 12 SAR Class 12A SAR Class 12B SAR Class 13 SAR Class 14 SAR Class 14A SAR Class 14B SAR Class 14C SAR Class 15 SAR Class 15A SAR Class 15B SAR Class 15C SAR Class 15CA SAR Class 15E SAR Class 15F SAR Class 16 SAR Class 16A SAR Class 16B SAR Class 16C SAR Class 16D SAR Class 16DA SAR Class 16E SAR Class 17 SAR Class 18 SAR Class 19 SAR Class 19A SAR Class 19B SAR Class 19C SAR Class 19D SAR Class 20 SAR Class 21 SAR Class 23 SAR Class 24 SAR Class 25 SAR Class 25NC SAR Class 26 Red Devil

3' 6" gauge Articulated engines	CGR Fairlie CGR Kitson-Meyer SAR Class FC SAR Class FD SAR Class GA SAR Class GB SAR Class GC SAR Class GCA SAR Class GD SAR Class GDA SAR Class GE SAR Class GEA SAR Class GF SAR Class GG SAR Class GH SAR Class GK SAR Class GL SAR Class GM SAR Class GMA SAR Class GO SAR Class HF SAR Class KM SAR Class MA SAR Class MB SAR Class MC SAR Class MC1 SAR Class MD SAR Class ME SAR Class MF SAR Class MG SAR Class MH SAR Class MJ SAR Class MJ1 SAR Class U

2' 6" gauge	Cape Copper 0-6-0T 1871 Cape Copper Britannia Cape Copper Caledonia Cape Copper Clara Class Cape Copper Condenser Cape Copper Scotia Class Namaqua Copper Pioneer

2' & 600mm gauges	ACR Class NG-G16A CGR NG 0-6-0T CGR NG 4-6-2T CGR Type A 2-6-4T CGR Type C 0-4-0T DSWA Class Ha DSWA Class Hb DSWA Class Hc DSWA Class Hd DSWA Jung DSWA Zwillinge NGR Class N 4-6-2T SAR NG 0-4-0T 1899 SAR Class NG1 SAR Class NG2 SAR Class NG3 SAR Class NG4 SAR Class NG5 SAR Class NG6 SAR Class NG7 SAR Class NG8 SAR Class NG9 SAR Class NG10 SAR Class NG-G11 SAR Class NG-G12 SAR Class NG-G13 SAR Class NG-G14 SAR Class NG15 SAR Class NG-G16

Electric

Amcoal Class E38

Diesel

3' 6" gauge Diesel-electric	PRASA Class Afro 4000 SAR Class DS SAR Class DS1 SAR Class 31-000 SAR Class 32-000 SAR Class 32-200 SAR Class 33-000 SAR Class 33-200 SAR Class 33-400 SAR Class 34-000 SAR Class 34-200 SAR Class 34-400 SAR Class 34-500 SAR Class 34-600 SAR Class 34-800 SAR Class 34-900 SAR Class 35-000 SAR Class 35-200 SAR Class 35-400 SAR Class 35-600 SAR Class 36-000 SAR Class 36-200 SAR Class 37-000 Spoornet Class 39-000 TFR Class 35-800 TFR Class 39-200 TFR Class 43-000 TFR Class 44-000

2' gauge Diesel-electric	SAR Class 91-000

3' 6" gauge Diesel-hydraulic	SAR Class 61-000

3' 6" gauge Electro-diesel	Spoornet Class 38-000

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