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
2-8-8-2 still used on steel mill lines and other railroads until 1983. Other equivalent classifications are: UIC classification: 1DD1 (also known as German classification and Italian classification) French classification: 140+041 Turkish classification: 45+45 Swiss classification: 4/5+4/5 The first 2-8-8-2 was built in 1909 by Baldwin, who sold two to the Southern Pacific Railroad (classified MC-1), and then three each to the Union Pacific Railroad and UP-owned Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. Baldwin conceived the type as an expansion of the 2-6-6-2 permitting a greater tractive effort. The next order for the type was from the Southern Pacific; these differed in being