Keretapi Tanah Melayu

Class O

A series of 66 4-6-2 locomotives built in four batches by North British. They had 8-wheel bogie tenders.

Class 56 steam locomotives

These were built by the North British Locomotive Company and delivered in 4 batches between 1938 and 1948. Originally known as O¹ Class, the first batch of 11 was delivered in 1938 and numbered 60 - 70. In 1939 a second, identical, batch of 6 was delivered as O² class and numbered 71-76. The third batch of 11, known as O³ and numbered 77 - 87, was delivered in 1940 and differed in that the cylinder diameter was increased by ½" with a consequent increase in tractive effort. In 1946 a fourth batch, to be known as O⁴, was ordered but a new numbering scheme was introduced before delivery and they became the 564 class, the earlier locomotives becoming 561, 562 and 563 classes respectively. 40 of these were delivered between 1946 and 1948 and differed from the 563 (O³) class in having an extended tender front sheeting and roof providing an all-weather cab and slightly increasing length and weight. See the table below for details.

The pictures above show 561.11 dumped behind Kuala Lumpur depot in 1973, 562.06 crossing the Singapore causeway with a north-bound express in 1962, 6 class 56's at Kuala Lumpur depot in 1972 and 564.25 at Taiping Centenary Museum in 1985.

Current status: 564.36 was stored at Gemas for many years, having last been used about 1997, but it has now been moved to Johore Bahru Museum. Another was plinthed on the platform at Gemas and carried both 564.20 and 564.21 (with a plate from 564.12!) on the tender but no identification on the loco. This has now been moved to Port Dickson and renumbered 564.12. The Taiping museum has since closed and 562.04 is now on display at Bukit Mertajam carrying the numbers and plates from 564.25 Kuala Lumpur, which itself was scrapped in the 1970s. 564.33 was preserved privately but its whereabouts are unknown, although it may actually be 564.34 which is at the Sultan's Palace Sports ground in Pekan, Pahang. It had been rumoured that two steam locomotives were in secure store at Port Klang yard, but I could see no sign of them in 2005 or 2008 and an ex-keeper informed me that they had been disposed of "some time ago", it is likely that these were actually 562.04, now masquerading as 564.25, and 564.33 now correctly numbered 564.34, as per a welded plate on the frames, but carrying works plates from locomotive 25765, 564.10, following a boiler change. Recent visitors have have not found any steam locomotives left at Sentul. A number were sold to private companies for use as stationary boilers but no records were kept and none have been located. A recent check of all the latest annual reports shows that 6 steam locomotives remained on the books until the early 1980s with the last one being struck off after 1985.

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Page created 14th March 2006.

Last updated 4th September 2017.

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