South African Class H1 4-8-2T - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

In 1902, towards the end of the Second Freedom War

Second Boer War

The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...

, the Imperial Military Railways placed thirty-five 4-10-2T tank locomotives in service, built to the specifications of the "Reid tenwheeler"

South African Class H 4-10-2T

Between 1899 and 1903 the Natal Government Railways placed one hundred and one tank steam locomotives with a 4-10-2T wheel arrangement in service. In 1912, with the establishment of the South African Railways, the ninety-three "Reid Tenwheelers" that survived unmodified were designated Class...

of the Natal Government Railways

Natal government railways

The Natal Government Railways was formed in January 1877 in the Colony of Natal.In 1877 the Natal Government Railways acquired the Natal Railway Company for the sum of £40,000, gaining the line from the Point to Durban and from Durban to Umgeni...

. At the end of the war, these locomotives were transferred to the Central South African Railways

Central South African Railways

From 1902 to 1904, the area of power of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Girouard later also included the lines of The Netherlands-South African Railway Company; together this dominion covered all lines in the Transvaal that belonged to NZASM ....

and became its Class E. Six of these locomotives were then converted to 4-8-2T tank locomotives and in 1912, with the establishment of the South African Railways, the five survivors of these six were classified as Class H1.

Origin

The requirement for a tank locomotive that could haul at least one and a half times as much as a Dübs A 4-8-2T

South African Class A 4-8-2T

In 1888 the Natal Government Railways placed the first five of its eventual one hundred Class Dübs A 4-8-2T tank steam locomotives in service. The last of the one hundred was delivered in 1899. In 1912, when these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered...

locomotive on the Natal Government Railways (NGR) main line resulted in the design of a 4-10-2T tank locomotive by G.W. Reid, the Locomotive Superintendent of the NGR at the end of the 19th century. On the NGR the locomotive type became known as the "Reid tenwheeler".

Manufacturers

In 1902, during the Second Freedom War, the Imperial Military Railways (IMR) of the invading British forces experienced a shortage of locomotives as a result of damage caused during hostilities and the demands placed on the Railways by the armed forces. It therefore placed urgent orders for thirty-five locomotives of the NGR’s "Reid tenwheeler" type. In order to ensure rapid delivery, the order was split between Dübs and Company

Dûbs and Company

Dübs & Co. was a locomotive works in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Henry Dübs in 1863 and based at the Queens Park Works in Polmadie. In 1903 it became part of the North British Locomotive Company.-Preserved locomotives:...

(numbers 220 to 234) and Neilson, Reid and Company (numbers 235 to 254).

Characteristics

Unlike the NGR versions, the IMR locomotives were more ornate. In true military tradition, the domes, chimney caps and boiler bands were of polished brass. A weatherboard was affixed to the coal bunker to offer better protection to the crew when travelling backwards.

The practice of polished brasswork was followed on all new IMR locomotives and was continued even after the war when the IMR became the Central South African Railways (CSAR).

To 4-8-0 tender locomotives

At the end of the war these locomotives became the Class E on the CSAR roster. The CSAR found them to have an inadequate coal and water supply for trips of any length and, beginning in 1905, all but six of them were converted to 4-8-0 tender locomotives by removing the trailing bissel bogie

Bissel bogie

A Bissel truck is a very simple and commonly used way of designing a carrying axle on a steam locomotive to enable it to negotiate curves more easily. The design uses a single-axled bogie, usually known as a pony truck, whose pivot is towards the centre of the locomotive...

, the fifth pair of drivers and the coal bunker, shortening the main frame and adding tenders reclaimed from various scrapped locomotives. When these 4-8-0 tender locomotives were inherited by the South African Railways (SAR) in 1912, they became the Class 13.

To 4-8-2T tank locomotives

The six remaining locomotives (CSAR numbers 222, 233-235, 245 and 252) were converted to 4-8-2T locomotives by removing the fifth pair of drivers and blanking off the resulting opening in the frame, similar to the modification that was done by the NGR on its own Reid Tenwheelers to make them better suitable for yard work. In SAR service the five survivors of these 4-8-2T locomotives became the Class H1. The builders, works numbers and renumbering of all thirty-five locomotives are set out in the table.

IMR and CSAR
Class E Reid Ten-wheelers
CSAR no.	Builder	Works no.	Rebuilt to	SAR no.
220	Dübs	4086	Class 13	1310
221	Dübs	4087	Class 13	1311
222	Dübs	4088	Class H1	222
223	Dübs	4089	Class 13	1312
224	Dübs	4090	Class 13	1313
225	Dübs	4091	Class 13	1314
226	Dübs	4092	Class 13	1315
227	Dübs	4093	Class 13	1316
228	Dübs	4094	Class 13	1317
229	Dübs	4095	Class 13	1318
230	Dübs	4096	Class 13	1319
231	Dübs	4097	Class 13	1320
232	Dübs	4098	Class 13	1321
233	Dübs	4099	Class H1	223
234	Dübs	4100	Class H1	Scrapped
235	Neilson Reid	6196	Class H1	224
236	Neilson Reid	6197	Class 13	1322
237	Neilson Reid	6198	Class 13	1323
238	Neilson Reid	6199	Class 13	1324
239	Neilson Reid	6200	Class 13	1325
240	Neilson Reid	6201	Class 13	1326
241	Neilson Reid	6202	Class 13	1327
242	Neilson Reid	6203	Class 13	1328
243	Neilson Reid	6204	Class 13	1329
244	Neilson Reid	6205	Class 13	1330
245	Neilson Reid	6206	Class H1	225
246	Neilson Reid	6207	Class 13	1331
247	Neilson Reid	6208	Class 13	1332
248	Neilson Reid	6209	Class 13	1333
249	Neilson Reid	6210	Class 13	1334
250	Neilson Reid	6211	Class 13	1335
251	Neilson Reid	6212	Class 13	1336
252	Neilson Reid	6213	Class H1	226
253	Neilson Reid	6214	Class 13	1337
254	Neilson Reid	6215	Class 13	1338

Service