Egyptian State Railways 545 class
Encyclopedia
The Egyptian State Railways 545 class was a type of standard gauge
mixed traffic steam locomotive
on Egyptian State Railways (Egyptian Republic Railways after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952; now Egyptian National Railways
).
tender locomotives, of which 80 were of the 545 class. The initial order for 58 of this class was built in Britain in 1928. Of these, 40 came from the North British Locomotive Company
in Glasgow
, Scotland and 20 from Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. The design was very British in style, but in 1931 Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH
in Berlin
, Germany supplied ESR with another 20 to the same design.
Numbers 551, 568, 573 and 596 were rebuilt in 1939 with Caprotti valve gear
. Number 590 was damaged at El Daba in June 1942 and withdrawn from stock in September 1943.
In ESR service all members of the class were painted green. In August 1941 Palestine Railways started operating a through passenger service between Haifa and Cairo via El Kantara East and a newly-completed swing bridge at El Ferdan
; in 1942–43 number 560 had "The Orient Express" painted on the sides of its cab for hauling this service between Cairo and El Kantara East.
All standard gauge steam locomotives in Egypt were withdrawn by 1963.
five members of the class were captured on the former Palestine Railways main line between El Kantara East and Gaza: numbers 546, 550 and 557 (NBL works numbers 23683, 23687 and 23714) and numbers 607 and 613 (Borsig works numbers 13985 and 13991). Israel Railways
may have taken four of them into stock and used them around Lod
in central Israel for one or two years. They were withdrawn and scrapped by 1959, when steam traction on Israel Railways officially ceased.
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
mixed traffic steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
on Egyptian State Railways (Egyptian Republic Railways after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952; now Egyptian National Railways
Egyptian National Railways
Egyptian National Railways is the national railway of Egypt and managed by the parastatal Egyptian Railway Authority .-1833–77:...
).
History
Between 1920 and 1938 various locomotive builders supplied ESR with 180 2-6-02-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
tender locomotives, of which 80 were of the 545 class. The initial order for 58 of this class was built in Britain in 1928. Of these, 40 came from the North British Locomotive Company
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland and 20 from Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. The design was very British in style, but in 1931 Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH
LEW Hennigsdorf
The rail vehicle factory in Hennigsdorf, Germany was founded in 1910 by AEG. Locomotive production began in 1913, and in the 1930s absorbed the work of the August Borsig locomotive factory, being renamed the Borsig Lokomotiv Werke GmbH until 1944...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany supplied ESR with another 20 to the same design.
Numbers 551, 568, 573 and 596 were rebuilt in 1939 with Caprotti valve gear
Caprotti valve gear
The Caprotti valve gear is a type of steam engine valve gear invented in the early 1920's by Italian architect and engineer Arturo Caprotti. It uses camshafts and poppet valves rather than the piston valves used in other valve gear...
. Number 590 was damaged at El Daba in June 1942 and withdrawn from stock in September 1943.
In ESR service all members of the class were painted green. In August 1941 Palestine Railways started operating a through passenger service between Haifa and Cairo via El Kantara East and a newly-completed swing bridge at El Ferdan
El Ferdan Railway Bridge
The El Ferdan Railway Bridge is a swing bridge that spans the Suez Canal near Ismailia, Egypt. It is the longest swing bridge in the world, with a span of 1100 ft...
; in 1942–43 number 560 had "The Orient Express" painted on the sides of its cab for hauling this service between Cairo and El Kantara East.
All standard gauge steam locomotives in Egypt were withdrawn by 1963.
545 class in Israel
During the 1956 Israeli invasion of SinaiSuez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
five members of the class were captured on the former Palestine Railways main line between El Kantara East and Gaza: numbers 546, 550 and 557 (NBL works numbers 23683, 23687 and 23714) and numbers 607 and 613 (Borsig works numbers 13985 and 13991). Israel Railways
Israel Railways
Israel Railways is the principal passenger railway operating company in Israel, and is responsible for all inter-city and suburban rail way passenger and freight traffic in the country. All its lines are standard gauge. The network is centered in Israel's densely populated coastal plain, from...
may have taken four of them into stock and used them around Lod
Lod
Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod...
in central Israel for one or two years. They were withdrawn and scrapped by 1959, when steam traction on Israel Railways officially ceased.