EAR 56 class

{{Infobox locomotive

| name = East African Railways 56 class

| powertype = Steam

| image = Basil Roberts (682429 EAR).jpg

| alt = No. 5604 at Dar es Salaam depot, Tanzania, in 1968

| caption = No. 5604 at Dar es Salaam depot, Tanzania, in 1968

| designer =

| builder = Beyer, Peacock & Co.

| ordernumber =

| serialnumber = 7280–7285

| buildmodel =

| builddate = 1949

| totalproduction = 6

| whytetype = {{whyte|4-8-2+2-8-4}} (Garratt)

| uicclass = (2′D1′)(1′D2′) h4

| gauge = {{RailGauge|1000mm|lk=on}}

| leadingdiameter =

| driverdiameter = {{convert|48|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}

| trailingdiameter =

| minimumcurve =

| wheelbase =

| length =

| width =

| height =

| axleload =

| weightondrivers = {{convert|88|LT}}

| locoweight = {{convert|146.8|LT}}

| fueltype = Oil

| fuelcap = {{convert|2382|impgal|abbr=on}}

| watercap = {{convert|4200|impgal|abbr=on}}

| sandcap =

| boiler =

| boilerpressure = {{convert|200|psi|MPa|2|abbr=on}}

| feedwaterheater =

| firearea = {{convert|48.8|sqft|m2|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}

| tubearea =  {{convert|1753|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}

| fluearea =

| tubesandflues =

| fireboxarea = {{convert|164|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}

| totalsurface = {{convert|2287|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}

| superheatertype = Inside

| superheaterarea = {{convert|370|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}

| cylindercount = 4 (Garratt)

| cylindersize = {{convert|16|x|24|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}

| valvegear = Walschaerts

| valvetype =

| valvetravel =

| valvelap =

| valvelead =

| transmission =

| maxspeed =

| poweroutput =

| tractiveeffort = {{convert|43520|lbf|kN|2|abbr=on}}

| factorofadhesion =

| trainheating =

| locobrakes = Westinghouse type

| locobrakeforce =

| trainbrakes = Westinghouse type

| safety =

| operator = East African Railways (EAR)

| operatorclass = {{ubl|EC6 class|56 class}}

| powerclass =

| numinclass = 6

| fleetnumbers = {{ubl|EC6 class: 122–127|56 class: 5601–5606}}

| officialname =

| nicknames =

| axleloadclass =

| locale =

| deliverydate =

| firstrundate = 1949

| lastrundate =

| retiredate =

| withdrawndate =

| preservedunits =

| restoredate =

| scrapdate =

| currentowner =

| disposition = All scrapped

| notes = {{sfn|Ramaer|1974|pp=65–66, 84, 86}}

}}

The EAR 56 class was a class of {{Track gauge|1000mm|lk=on}} gauge {{Whyte|4-8-2+2-8-4}} Garratt-type articulated steam locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock & Co. in Gorton, Manchester, England, in 1949. The six members of the class were ordered by the Kenya-Uganda Railway (KUR) immediately after World War II, and were a slightly modified version of the KUR's existing EC5 class.{{sfn|Ramaer|1974|p=66}}

By the time the new locomotives were built and entered service, the KUR had been succeeded by the East African Railways (EAR), which designated them for a very short time as its EC6 class, but then, as part of a comprehensive reclassification of all of its locomotives, redesignated them as its 56 class.{{sfn|Ramaer|1974|p=66}}