The unsatisfactory results of the unreliable and high-maintenance M-class Mallets led the Kenya-Uganda Railway to switch to Garratt-type locomotives. They weighed over 120 tons loaded, had a Belpaire firebox and were among the most powerful meter gauge locomotives of their time. The first four machines to be delivered came in 1926 from Beyer, Peacock & Co. and were designated class EC. They were fired with eucalyptus wood, which soon proved inefficient and dangerous for the crew. Thus, a conversion to coal firing took place, but they were already sold to Indochina in 1939.

In 1927, 20 examples of the EC1 were purchased, which were essentially identical to the EC but were coal-fired from the start. Two more examples followed in 1930, which differed from the 1927 machines in minimal details. For this reason, the first series later became the class 50 and the second the class 51 in the East African Railways. Ten more oil-fired machines followed in 1931, which ran as the EC2 on the KUR and later became class 52 on the EAR.

Works photo of EC Nr. 41

Beyer, Peacock & Co.

With the Garratts, the train loads could be significantly increased compared to the older locomotives. Up to 440 tons could now be towed on the old stretches with a gradient of up to two percent, on which the older eigth-coupled vehicles could tow a maximum of 200 tons. They also hauled passenger trains at higher speeds on the upgraded line between Mombasa and Nairobi. They were mostly phased out in the 1950s and some of the bogies were reused to rebuild class 13 tank locomotives from a 4-8-2 to 4-8-4 wheel arrangement.