South African Class NG8 4-6-0
Encyclopedia
In 1903 the Cape Government Railways placed six "Type B" 4-6-0
steam locomotives in service on the Avontuur narrow gauge line in the Langkloof
. In 1912, when these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered with an "NG" prefix to their numbers.
A further three "Improved B" locomotives were placed in service by the South African Railways in 1914. When a system of grouping narrow gauge locomotives into classes was eventually introduced somewhere between 1928 and 1930, they were to be classified as Class NG8 but had already been withdrawn from service.
built 2-6-0 locomotives
that had been acquired for use on the Hopefield
line a year earlier and, although these were built by a British company, they had the same typically American construction and appearance as the Baldwin locomotives. The order initially specified the same wheel arrangement, but experience with the three Hopefield locomotives led to the decision to alter the design specifications to 4-6-0. They had bar frames, copper fireboxes and used Stephenson valve gear
.
A further three locomotives with slightly longer boilers were ordered by the SAR in 1913. The first one of these was also built by Bagnall and delivered in 1914, numbered NG36. The other two were built by Kerr, Stuart and Company, also delivered in 1914 and numbered NG37 and NG38. These three locomotives were commonly referred to as the Improved B.
) during World War I
, while some also assisted on the Kalbaskraal branch to Saldanha and, judging from photographs, possibly in Natal as well.
The nine locomotives were all withdrawn from service by 1931. One of them, number NG27, was sold to the Eastern Province Cement Company (EPCC) and employed to haul limestone on its industrial line that met with the Avontuur branch at Chelsea.
4-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
steam locomotives in service on the Avontuur narrow gauge line in the Langkloof
Langkloof
Langkloof is a 160 km long valley in South Africa, lying between Herold, a small village north of George, and Humansdorp. The kloof was given its name by Isaq Schrijver in 1689, and more thoroughly explored by a later expedition under ensign August Frederik Beutler in 1752.The valley has been...
. In 1912, when these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered with an "NG" prefix to their numbers.
A further three "Improved B" locomotives were placed in service by the South African Railways in 1914. When a system of grouping narrow gauge locomotives into classes was eventually introduced somewhere between 1928 and 1930, they were to be classified as Class NG8 but had already been withdrawn from service.
Manufacturer
The Cape Government Railways (CGR) ordered six narrow gauge locomotives with a wheel arrangement and eight wheeled bogie tenders from W. G. Bagnall in 1903. They were numbered 33 to 38 when they were delivered in that same year, and were classified as Type B by the CGR.Characteristics
The design of the locomotive was based on the BaldwinBaldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
built 2-6-0 locomotives
South African Class NG7 2-6-0
In 1902 the Cape Government Railways placed three steam locomotives with a 2-6-0 Mogul wheel arrangement in service on the Hopefield narrow gauge branch line that was being constructed from Kalbaskraal. A fourth locomotive was ordered in 1911....
that had been acquired for use on the Hopefield
Hopefield, Western Cape
Hopefield is a settlement in West Coast District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa....
line a year earlier and, although these were built by a British company, they had the same typically American construction and appearance as the Baldwin locomotives. The order initially specified the same wheel arrangement, but experience with the three Hopefield locomotives led to the decision to alter the design specifications to 4-6-0. They had bar frames, copper fireboxes and used Stephenson valve gear
Stephenson valve gear
The Stephenson valve gear or Stephenson link or shifting link is a simple design of valve gear that was widely used throughout the world for all kinds of steam engine. It is named after Robert Stephenson but was actually invented by his employees....
.
South African Railways
In 1912, when the three colonial railways were amalgamated into the South African Railways (SAR), narrow gauge locomotives were included in the SAR’s narrow gauge numbering scheme and were allocated running numbers with an "NG" prefix. The six Type B locomotives were allocated SAR numbers NG27 to NG32.A further three locomotives with slightly longer boilers were ordered by the SAR in 1913. The first one of these was also built by Bagnall and delivered in 1914, numbered NG36. The other two were built by Kerr, Stuart and Company, also delivered in 1914 and numbered NG37 and NG38. These three locomotives were commonly referred to as the Improved B.
Service
They were all placed in service on the Langkloof line between Port Elizabeth and Avontuur and became the mainstay of motive power on the Avontuur branch. Although they worked mainly in the Langkloof, some of them did end up on temporary service in Deutsch-Südwest-Afrika (DSWA, now NamibiaNamibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
) during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, while some also assisted on the Kalbaskraal branch to Saldanha and, judging from photographs, possibly in Natal as well.
The nine locomotives were all withdrawn from service by 1931. One of them, number NG27, was sold to the Eastern Province Cement Company (EPCC) and employed to haul limestone on its industrial line that met with the Avontuur branch at Chelsea.
Narrow gauge classification
A system of grouping narrow gauge locomotives into classes was only adopted at some time between 1928 and 1930. However, these locomotives did not survive in service long enough to become the Class NG8 that had apparently been reserved for them when the classification system was being planned.See also
- The 4-6-0 "Ten-wheeler"
- Narrow Gauge locomotive numbering and classification
- List of South African locomotive classes
- Two foot gauge railways in South AfricaTwo foot gauge railways in South AfricaAt the beginning of the twentieth century, two foot narrow gauge railway lines started playing a significant role in transporting various agricultural and mineral produce from locations hardly accessible by road...