Class 364AA
6-Cylinder
Doherty Compound Express Passenger Locomotive
Developed from class 364A by Jochann
Ketterik
Built in 1980 by RSR
Works, Bevice-Akohniçe, Ruhnia
The history of the
solitary class 364A experimental 6-cylinder Doherty compound pacific is
typical of a locomotive policy that is regarded by its supporters as thrifty
and by its detractors as at best contradictory. The usual fate of odd
engines like the 364A is a short working life till the test results are
in, then a one-way journey to the scrapyard, minus any reusable
parts. Although sufficient information had been gathered by 1971 for
the
564A 4-10-0 (which was also a one-off job) and the legendary 564B, the 364A
managed
to survive on secondary passenger work until the late 1970s. Since her
boiler was by now wearing out, Ketterik decided to use the locomotive
for
another experiment, in this case the new generation of tapered boilers
that were eventually carried by his 5-cylinder triple-expansion
compound class 555A 4-10-4s. In this form the engine ran until 1991. As
can be seen, the engine reverted to red and black livery but kept her
poppet valves.
Text and graphics © Norman Clubb 2012