In 1929 the South African Railways placed fourteen Class S shunter steam locomotives with a 0-8-0 wheel arrangement in service.

Background

Throughout the history of the South African Railways (SAR), shunting was traditionally performed by downgraded main line locomotives. Considering the enormous amount of shunting performed, the number of purpose built shunter locomotives on the SAR roster in the steam era was remarkably low, amounting to only one hundred and fifty-one locomotives on a railway whose steam stock at one stage reached a maximum of nearly 2,800 locomotives.

When it did eventually introduce purpose built shunting locomotives, the SAR preferred to adhere to the American practice of using tender locomotives for shunting, rather than the European practice of using tank locomotives.

Manufacturer

In spite of the conversion of Class A

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...

 tank locomotives to Class 17

South African Class 17 4-8-0T+T

Between 1926 and 1929, to address a shortage of suitable shunting locomotives, the South African Railways rebuilt twenty-one ex Natal Government Railways "Improved Dübs A" 4-8-2T tank steam locomotives to Class 17 4-8-0T+T tank-and-tender locomotives....

 tender shunter locomotives, increasing rail traffic throughout the country and particularly on the Witwatersrand

Witwatersrand

The Witwatersrand is a low, sedimentary range of hills, at an elevation of 1700–1800 metres above sea-level, which runs in an east-west direction through Gauteng in South Africa. The word in Afrikaans means "the ridge of white waters". Geologically it is complex, but the principal formations...

 in the 1920s still made it necessary to use heavy main line locomotives for shunting work. Specifications for the Class S 0-8-0 tender type shunter steam locomotive were therefore prepared by Colonel F.R. Collins, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the SAR from 1922 to 1929.

Fourteen were built in 1927 by Henschel and Son

Henschel & Son

Henschel & Son was a German company, situated in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons....

 in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, designed to the SAR specifications. They were delivered in 1928 and 1929 and numbered 360 to 373. Since they were designed to operate at low speeds in tightly curved shunting yards, there was no need for the leading or trailing wheels that are necessary on main line locomotives to improve high speed stability. In addition it is desirable to have as large a proportion of the engine weight as possible carried on the coupled wheels to obtain the maximum adhesion.

Characteristics

To improve the crew’s rearward vision, the top sides of the tender’s coal bunker were set inwards and the water tank top was rounded. The locomotives were superheated, were built on bar frames and used Walschaerts valve gear.

When they were first introduced, their boiler pressure was set at 216 pound per square inches (1,489.3 kPa), giving a tractive effort of 45400 pound-forces (201.9 kN) at 75% boiler pressure. Since they tended to be slippery, however, the operating boiler pressure was reduced to 170 pound per square inches (1,172.1 kPa) in 1933, resulting in a corresponding reduction in tractive effort to 35890 pound-forces (159.6 kN) at 75% boiler pressure.

South African Railways

The Class S was initially placed in service in the Orange Free State and Natal, but they were soon transferred to the Transvaal where they spent most of the rest of their working lives, rendering good service in yards at several centres. It ended up being mainly a Western Transvaal locomotive, stationed at Germiston, Kaserne, Krugersdorp, Springs and at Beaconsfield in Kimberley, with a solitary locomotive at Volksrust.

Industrial

They were withdrawn from SAR service in 1976. Four were sold to Dunn’s in 1977, from where they eventually ended up at several locations.

• 362 went to Apex Mines at Greenside as number 6.
• 365 went to Tweefontein United Colliery and later to Enyati Colliery.
• 367 went to Apex Mines as number 5 and later to Grootvlei Proprietary Mines at Springs, first as number 3 “Big Mac” and later renumbered to 2.
• 369 went to Grootvlei Proprietary Mines (GVPM), first as number 2 “King Kong” and later renumbered to 1.

Gallery

The main picture shows SAR Class S 362 at work in Kimberley during August 1973.

See also

• South African Class S1 0-8-0
  South African Class S1 0-8-0
  In 1947 the South African Railways placed twelve Class S1 shunter steam locomotives with a 0-8-0 wheel arrangement in service, built in the Salt River workshops in Cape Town...
  
  
• South African Class S2 0-8-0
  South African Class S2 0-8-0
  In 1952 and 1953 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class S2 shunter steam locomotives with a 0-8-0 wheel arrangement in service.-Design specifications:...
  
  
• Tender locomotive numbering and classification
• The 0-8-0 "Eight-coupled"
• List of South African locomotive classes