South African Class FD 2-6-2+2-6-2

The South African Railways Class FD 2-6-2+2-6-2 was a class of four Modified Fairlie articulated steam locomotives, designed and built by the North British Locomotive Company in 1925 to the specifications of Colonel F.R. Collins, the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the railway. Four were delivered in 1926, numbered 2320 to 2323 and later renumbered 671 to 674. A heavier and more powerful version of the experimental Class FC of 1925, with Walschaerts valve gear, plate frames and superheating, they proved powerful and good steamers but were less successful than the equivalent Class GD Garratt. Their long rigid frame overhung badly on sharp curves and was prone to metal fatigue and cracking, and the pivot bearings wore quickly, which raised maintenance frequency and operating cost. They worked on the Cape Midland System on the Grahamstown branch and were scrapped by 1949, and the underframe of one was reused as a footbridge at Poet's Corner Halt in Durban.