Class 655A
5-Cylinder Triple-Expansion Compound
Express Goods Locomotive
Designed in 2003 by
Artur Gorote
Built by RSR Works Bevice-Akohniçe
The salvation of RSR
steam from the teeth of the 564C débâcle is a success
story without equal in railway history. And as we know, the key
to that success was the newly-developed Ketterik 5-cylinder
triple-expansion compound drive. The three-crank arrangement allowed
much higher inside piston thrusts to be transmitted and so it was
logical that a sixth coupled axle should be added to exploit the extra
power. To this chassis Artur Gorote added his new generation of tapered
boiler and the result was the superb locomotive we see here. Drawing on
the experience of numerous past designers of 12-coupled locomotives,
Gorote enabled the running gear to negotiate even the sharpest yard
curves (with the exception of the docks at Pofedra). A total of thirty
of these first-class machines was ordered from the Akohniçe
works, the
first units being delivered in October 2003 and allocated to Forihv and
Terešan sheds. In service, the 655As have acquitted themselves
admirably, regularly hauling trains of over 2000 tonnes gross over all
the RSR and RK's southern main lines. In the north, their relatively
small driving wheels have hampered their stride somewhat, and so in
that part of the country the 655Bs take over. This resulted in the
reallocation of some engines to Kalmorska.
Text and
graphics © Norman Clubb 2011