South African Class GL 4-8-2+2-8-4 South African Class GL 4-8-2+2-8-4 The South African Railways Class GL 4-8-2+2-8-4 of 1929 was an articulated steam locomotive. In 1929 and 1930, the South African Railways placed eight Garratt articulated steam locomotives with a 4-8-2+2-8-4 Double Mountain type wheel arrangement in service. Built at Beyer, Peacock and Company's Gorton Foundry, they were originally designed to work on the Durban to Cato Ridge section of the Natal mainline. The Class GL was eventually displaced to the route between Glencoe and Vryheid before spending their final working years operating on the line from Stanger to Empangeni. The Class GL had its
2-8-8-8-8-8-2 2-8-8-8-8-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a 2-8-8-8-8-8-2 has two leading wheels, five sets of eight driving wheels, and two trailing wheels. Because of its length, such a locomotive must be an articulated locomotive. It is not longer than a normal articulated; the fourth and fifth sets of drivers are located under the tender. Other equivalent classifications are: UIC classification: 1-D-D-D-D-D-1 (also known as German classification and Italian classification) AAR classification: 1-D-D-D-D-D-1 French classification: 140+040+040+040+041 Turkish classification: 45+44+44+44+45 Swiss classification: 4/5+4/4+4/4+4/4+4/5 The equivalent UIC classification is to be refined to (1'D)DDD(D1'). The Baldwin Locomotive Works