Beyer-Garratt South African Railways Locomotive

Beyer-Garratt articulated steam locomotive, Class GL, made by Beyer, Peacock & Co. Ltd, Manchester, 1929 and used by South African Railways as locomotive no. 2352.

Built by Beyer, Peacock and Company in Manchester for South African Railways, at 214 tons, 2352 was designed to pull heavy coal trains, weighing as much as 2,000 tons each, on lines running through hilly terrain. The engine was large and powerful, but its weight was spread over 14 sets of wheels so it could travel over lightly laid track, and the articulated design and narrow gauge allowed it to bend around tight turns. In this articulated design, the boiler and fire-box are supported at each end, pivoted on bogie wheels with the weight supported by the driving wheels.

While smaller Garratts were used on passenger trains, the enormous 2352 spent its career mostly hauling coal, but it did pull at least one passenger train. In 1947, King George VI and the Royal Family began a two-month tour of South Africa aboard the ivory painted carriages of the 'White Train'. 2352 pulled the royal train for part of the trip through eastern South Africa.

Until the fall of the racist Apartheid system in the 1990s, South African Railways imposed strict racial segregation on its trains. There were separate carriages for passengers of different races, with the best facilities reserved for white people. 2352 was acquired from South African Railways for the museum collection in 1984.