Sudan Railways 250 class

The Sudan Railways 250 class was a class of ten 4-6-4+4-6-4 Garratt locomotives. It was one of only two classes of "Double Baltic" Garratts. – the other class being the Rhodesia Railways 15th class.

Sudan Railways 250 Rhodesia Railways 17th class
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Beyer, Peacock and Company Order number 1186, 1193 Serial number 6798–6801, 6870–6875 Build date 1936–1937 Total produced 10
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-4+4-6-4  • UIC 2′C2′+2′C2′ h4 Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Driver dia. 57 in (1,448 mm) Length 89 ft 11 in (27.41 m) Axle load 12 long tons 10 cwt (28,000 lb or 12.7 t) Adhesive weight 75 long tons 12 cwt (169,300 lb or 76.8 t) Loco weight 168 long tons 16 cwt (378,100 lb or 171.5 t) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 43 sq ft (4 m^2) Boiler pressure 200 psi (1.38 MPa) Heating surface:  • Tubes and flues 1,776 sq ft (165 m^2)  • Firebox 190 sq ft (17.7 m^2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 440.2 sq ft (40.9 m^2) Cylinders Four Cylinder size 16.75 in × 26 in (425 mm × 660 mm) Train brakes Vacuum
Performance figures Tractive effort 43,510 lbf (193.5 kN)
Career Operators Sudan Railways Rhodesia Railways Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique Class SR: 250 RR: 17th CFM: Numbers SR: 250–259 RR: 271–280 CFM: 921–930 Disposition Unknown, probably all scrapped

The ten locomotives were built in two batches by Beyer, Peacock and Company in 1936–1937. They were the only class of Garratts on the Sudan Railways and were numbered 250–259. They were used on Port Sudan to Atbara and Atbara to Wad Madani routes, until they were made redundant by diesel locomotives.

In 1949, they were sold to the Rhodesia Railways where they were numbered 271 to 280 and classified as 17th class. On the RR they were used alongside the 15th and 15A classes.

In 1964 all ten locomotive were sold to the Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique who numbered them 921 to 930. They were then used on the Beira Railroad from the port city of Beira to the Rhodesian (now Zimbabwean) border at Umtali (now Mutare).

They were still in use into the 1980s, but post-civil war, their fate is unclear; they are presumed all scrapped.

References

• Durrant, A. E. Garratt-Lokomotiven der Welt. Birkhäuser Verlag. ISBN 3-7643-1481-8.