Kenya-Uganda Railway class EC3

In 1939, the Kenya-Uganda Railway was the first one to order Garratts in the “Double Northern” layout, i.e. with the wheel arrangement 4-8-4+4-8-4. With their weight now being distributed over more axles, a more powerful locomotive could be carried on metre gauge lines compared to the 4-8-2+2-8-4 “Double Mountain”. The drivers were now 54 inches compared to the 43 inches of their predecessors. They were designed to the maximum of the Indian metre gauge loading gauge, hence the low chimney and dome as shown on the works photo.

Later the chimneys and domes of the locomotives were made higher since the loading gauge on the KUR allowed for more space. Later, all were converted from coal to oil firing and additionally, all received Giesl ejectors in 1962. On the East African Railways, the former EC3 became class 57. Their withdrawals began in the early seventies and today, only No. 87 “Karamoja” is being preserved at Nairobi. The EAR class 58 was directly based on these locomotives.