East African Railways & Harbours

Steam Engines at Nairobi in the 1950s

Iain Mulligan

11 Class Tank switches in Nairobi Centre Yard - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

13 Class Tank at Nairobi West.  - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

23 Class - a rare visitor to Nairobi, freshly turned out from the paintshop.  - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

28 Class at Nairobi MPD takes on furnace fuel oil. - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

The 28 Class were the largest non-articulated locomotives on the system. Here 2804 Kilifi is prepared for service at Nairobi Shed. Built by Messrs R Stevenson in 1928, they were originally designated the EA Class by the KUR&H. With their 4ft 3in driving wheels, these 2-8-2s looked far more like the locomotives built for the UK home market and looked distinctly un-African.  - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

29 Class 2924 Nandi prepares to depart Nairobi West with Train 521 pick-up goods (freight) for Nakuru.  - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

This 52 Class has still to have the rear tender painted and lined out. All EAR&H locomotives were maintained to the highest standards and were always beautifully turned out. The 52 Garratt had a number board illuminated on the side of the headlight which is clearly visible in this photograph.  - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

54 Class 5407 - the second most powerful class of locomotive in East Africa. Not usually seen in Nairobi, the locomotive was in the workshops for repairs - note the front tender paint variation.  - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

54 Class 5407 at Nairobi. Formerly the KUR EC4 Class, seven of these powerful Garratts were received in 1944. Despite their impressive tractive effort, the 54s were not a success and were demanding on maintenance and unpopular with footplate crews.  - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

55 Class 5509, ex-Burma Railways visits Nairobi from Voi.  - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

Another view of 55 Class 5509.  - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

Coal burning 56 Class Garratt still bearing its KUR&H Number. The first of the batch of KUR&H EC6 Class, this locomotive naturally became 5601. Six of these locomotives were delivered in 1949 pending the arrival of the 58s. After service on the Kenya-Uganda Section, they were banished to Tanganyika to replace the ex-Burma 55 Class which ended up in the Kenya-Uganda Section. PHOTO - EAR&H Magazine

 

60 Class 6019, Sir Philip Mitchell - a former Governor of Kenya - gets under way passed the Nairobi Carriage Sidings with Train No 1 Up - the Uganda Mail. The passenger car in the siding in front of the locomotive is an aluminium 1st Class car which remained unpainted until after 1958.  - PHOTO Iain Mulligan

East African Railways and Harbours