Rhodesia Railways 15th class

The vehicles of categories 15 and 15A of the former Rhodesian Railways (RR ) and the Zambia Railways ( ZR ) and the National Railways of Zimbabwe ( NRZ) are articulated type locomotives Garratt.

With 74 built, those locomotives were after the class GMA / GMAM the SAR (120 ) the Garratt -Type with the second largest number of items. Some of the locomotives are still in service today.

Development and delivery series

The locomotives have called the wheel arrangement ( 2'C2 ') ( 2'C2 '), also called " Double Hudson " or "Double Baltic". However, this wheel arrangement is well suited for higher speeds in both directions combined with a large water and fuel storage. However, it was only applied to one other Garratt -Type, the locomotives No. 250-259 of the Sudan Railways, which were also for 15 years as class 17 at the RR in use before they were in turn sold to the CFM.

The class 15 was largely based on the class 16 - wheel arrangement ( 1'D1 ') ( 1'D1 ') - whose relatively good running had come up even at higher speeds the desire for a suitable also for passenger trains on main lines locomotive with larger driving wheels can. First, a ( 2'C1 ') ( 1'C2 ') was planned with the same number of axles as the class 16, but encouraged by the already mentioned locomotives of the Sudan Railways decided to run for an additional axis to carry larger inventories can. The central portion of the locomotives with the boiler was largely identical to the Class 16, the size of the driving wheels corresponded with 1447 mm of the Sudanese locomotives.

Initially four locomotives of Class 15 by Beyer - Peacock were procured; they received the course numbers 271-274. For the first time - and in contrast to Class 16 - these locomotives had a " streamlined " rounded front water tank, which later became a typical feature of modern Garratt locomotives. However, the rear bunker kept the hitherto usual angular shape.

The locomotives proved and fell mainly due to their high availability; they provided a service life of nearly 10,000 km in the month. The success led to the purchase of a further 70 locomotives of classes 15 and 15A, but not until after the Second World War.

In 1947, 10 locomotives supplied with the numbers 275-280 and 290-293, which differed from the first four by a modified, easier to manufacture shape of the front water tank. In addition, the rear water tank and coal bunker was now rounded. A further 20 locomotives with a again slightly modified form of the front water tank followed until 1948. In these also the carbon stock of 10 to 12.5 t had been increased. They were given the numbers 364-383.

The further deliveries 1949-1952 with a total of 40 specimens were designated as Class 15A. Externally almost identical to the last series of Class 15, the main difference was the increase of boiler pressure of 12.65 to 14 bar. The locomotives were given the numbers 384-423. The number 404 was umgenummert later in 424; the reasons for this lie in secret.

With the exception of the last 10 locomotives that were delivered from 1952 Franco -Belge as a sub-contractor for Beyer- Peacock, all came 15/15A by Beyer - Peacock itself

With the introduction of classes 17 and 18, the numbers 271-280 and 281-289 were given, the early machines of class 15 were umgenummert. The first four were numbered 350-353 and the next ten numbers 354-363, so that the class 15/15A now - with the exception of the number 404 - the number range 350-424 occupied.

Over the years, the assignment of the individual locomotives has changed to grades 15 or 15A, as the boiler with those of Class 16A could be exchanged with each other and also, which was a common practice in maintenance. So it is no longer possible, from the locomotive number close to the boiler pressure. The locomotives No. 352 and 353 from the first series as well as some locomotives of the second series were subsequently a front water tank, which corresponds to the third series.

Use

Original route of the class 15 was the international connection between Bulawayo via Francistown and Gaborone in Botswana to Mafikeng in South Africa. On this 775 km long route 15/15A which had practically the traction monopoly, ie the locomotives transported all types of trains. In continuous trains locomotives remained continuously on the train, and a second locomotive crews traveling in a company car.

The universally usable by shunting locomotives came up to the passenger train service on the other main routes used from Bulawayo to Salisbury and Victoria Falls as well as on the route between Gwelo and Malvernia in Mozambique. A few were also used in Northern Rhodesia.

1964 Northern Rhodesia became independent. In the consequent division of the country in Zambia and Southern Rhodesia, however, most locomotives of the class 15/15A remained in the south.

Reconstruction

Because of the rising after the oil crisis of 1978, oil prices decided the NRZ 1978, a reconstruction program for steam locomotives, because these could be operated with cheaper domestic coal. 1980-1983 the remaining Garratt locomotives were completely overhauled and modernized in certain respects, including through the installation of roller bearings. The task was entrusted to private companies, especially the RESSCO plants in Bulawayo.

Among the reconstructed locomotives were 34 from the class 15/15A, but no more from the first two series of delivery. Because the differences between the classes were 15 and 15A blurred anyway by the replacement of the boiler, was allowed to be omitted entirely the A and denoted henceforth all locomotives class 15 Because only a few locomotives in Zambia had remained and therefore, unlike the classes 16A and 20/20a, there were no major gaps in the numbering, kept the reconstructed locomotives of class 15 their old numbers. In addition, they were given names of birds and other animals.

Because of the difficult economic situation in Zimbabwe, the reconstructed steam locomotives remained in service longer than originally planned. It was not until the turn of the millennium, the end of steam operation was decided, and the locomotives were only used as long as it allowed the term of the boiler certificates and as long as no major damage occurred. The parked locomotives were then used as spare parts, but have not scrapped. From the Class 15 locomotives were last No. 386, 394 and 395 in use.

Contrary to planning have been or are ten locomotives 2006/2007 worked up again, though not, so that a further use, at least in shunting and in suburban and special trains is as thorough as possible in the early 1980s. Among them are four machines of class 15, No. 386, 395, 416 and 424 The work-up of five other Garratts is at least in the conversation; with this would be the Class 15 No. 394

Carbon track Hwange

Two locomotives of Class 15 were adopted by the NRZ and used for shunting and transfer to Thomson Junction NRZ station of the coal railway to Hwange (formerly Wankie ). They were given the numbers 11 and 12 (formerly NRZ numbers 423 and 370). Because of the poor availability of the diesel is still a regular these locomotives in use while the other is held ready in reserve.

Museum locomotives

At least four locomotives of the class 15/15A are currently museum or monument locomotives, including two of the first four from the year 1939:

• No. 350 (formerly No. 271 ) is, along with two other locomotives in Kadoma.
• No. 352 (formerly No. 273 ) has been available since 1976 in the station of Francistown in Botswana.
• No. 389 was transferred in 2011 to New Zealand, where it will be processed for use on tourist trains.
• # 401 is in the Railway Museum Livingstone in Zambia (see web link).

In the Railway Museum in Bulawayo is currently none of these locomotives.