#3223
EAR 59 class
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Beyer, Peacock and Company· from 1955· locomotive class
2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. 5907-Mount-Kinangop: Robert Mason· CC0
- 2. EAR 5902 left three quarter: East African Railways and Harbours· Public domain
what is it?
The EAR 59 class is a class of oil-fired 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt-type articulated steam locomotives. The 34 members of the class were built by Beyer, Peacock and Company in Manchester, England, for the East African Railways (EAR). They entered service in 1955–56, and were the largest, heaviest and most powerful steam locomotives to operate on any metre gauge railway in the world.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 71 years ago, in 1955.
- 31.1 m long: about 7 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 25 years (1955–1980).
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 1955
- in service from
- 1955
- retired
- 1980
- status
- retired
- number built
- 34
- kind
- Steam
- traction
- steam
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- Beyer, Peacock and Company
- operators
- East African Railways and Harbours Corporation
- top speed
- 69 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,000 mm metre gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt
- length
- 31.1 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1273854, Wikipedia: EAR 59 class (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.