Golwé locomotive for the Ivory Coast The Golwé was a type of

articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were sometim ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

manufactured in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

for use in French West African colonies.

Design

The design was patented in 1924, as the work of G. Goldschmidt and A. Weber, managing director and chief engineer of the in Belgium. A single rigid frame ran the length of the locomotive and carried the boiler, fuel and water. The front engine unit swivelled under the

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centr ...

and

smokestack A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typi ...

, in a similar manner to a Meyer and looking somewhat like a

Mallet A mallet is a tool used for imparting force on another object, often made of rubber or sometimes wood, that is smaller than a maul or beetle, and usually has a relatively large head. The term is descriptive of the overall size and propor ...

; in contrast a

Garratt A Garratt (often referred to as a Beyer Garratt) is a type of steam locomotive invented by British engineer Herbert William Garratt that is articulated into three parts. Its boiler, firebox, and cab are mounted on a centre frame or "bri ...

had its front

bogie A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of tr ...

in front of the boiler. The rear engine unit was placed underneath the tender, in a manner similar to a

; however, while a

carried both coal and water directly on the rear bogie, the Golwé had its fuel bunker mounted on the central frame. The water tank was mounted directly on the rear steam bogie and embraced the fuel bunker and rear end of the main frame. The rear bogie cylinders were placed under the cab, at the front of the rear unit. A float-controlled automatic device increased the

cut-off A cut-off, battle jacket, battle vest or kutte in heavy metal subcultures, is a type of vest or jacket which originated in the U.S. military, specifically the Army Air Corps, where pilots and other aviation personnel would collect patches or o ...

of the rear cylinders to prevent slipping when the water tank was running low. The firebox hung low between the two engine units, and so could be of generous size.

Use

Four locomotives were supplied to the metre-gauge

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

railways in 1930, and three to the Congo-Ocean Railway in the

French Congo The French Congo (french: Congo français) or Middle Congo (french: Moyen-Congo) was a French Third Republic, French list of French possessions and colonies, colony which at one time comprised the present-day area of the Republic of the Congo a ...

. The Congo-Ocean railway received two more of the same type in 1935 and five of a modified type. Both railways later turned to Beyer-Garratt locomotives for their articulated locomotive needs.

References

* Durrant, A.E., A.A. Jorgensen, & C.P. Lewis 1981 ''Steam in Africa'' Hamlyn London * {{DEFAULTSORT:Golwe locomotive Articulated locomotives French West Africa