#2273
South African Class GL 4-8-2+2-8-4
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Beyer, Peacock and Company· from 1929· 1929 articulated steam locomotive
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2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Class GL 2351 (4-8-2+2-8-4) Princess Alice cr b: original version: 1930's Railway Circle (members Frank Garrison, Frank Holland, Bill Schutz and others) cropping & enhancement: Pechristener· Public domain
- 2. Class GL (4-6-2+2-6-4) Playing Cards: SAR Museum· Public domain
what is it?
The South African Railways Class GL 4-8-2+2-8-4 of 1929 was a class of articulated steam locomotive. In 1929 and 1930, the South African Railways placed eight Class GL Garratt articulated steam locomotives with a 4-8-2+2-8-4 Double Mountain type wheel arrangement in service. Built by Beyer, Peacock & Company in Manchester, England, they were originally designed to work on the Durban to Cato Ridge section of the Natal mainline.
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 97 years ago, in 1929.
- 27.6 m long: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 43 years (1929–1972).
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 1929–1930
- in service from
- 1929
- retired
- 1972
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 8
- kind
- Steam
- traction
- steam
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- Beyer, Peacock and Company
- operators
- Transnet Freight Rail, South African Railways and Harbours Administration
- top speed
- —
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 4-8-2+2-8-4 (Double Mountain)
- length
- 27.6 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q2204956, Wikipedia: South African Class GL 4-8-2+2-8-4 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.