Class 364AA 4-6-2 (1980)

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