South African Class 9 4-6-2
CSAR no. 600, SAR no. 727, c. 1904 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2nd coupled axle had flangeless wheels |
The South African Railways Class 9 4-6-2 of 1904 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Transvaal.
In 1904, the Central South African Railways placed five Class 9 steam locomotives with a 4-6-2 Pacific type wheel arrangement in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered, but retained their Class 9 classification.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Manufacturer
Five 4-6-2 Pacific type passenger locomotives, the first locomotives to be designed by P.A. Hyde, first Chief Locomotive Superintendent of the Central South African Railways (CSAR), were ordered from the Vulcan Foundry of Newton-le-Willows in England and delivered in 1904, numbered in the range from 600 to 604. They were designated Class 9 by the CSAR.[1][2][3][4]
Background
Upon its establishment in 1902, at the end of the Second Boer War, the CSAR inherited a variety of locomotive types from the Imperial Military Railways (IMR), which had been established by the British military during the war through the absorption of the separate state and other railways of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) and the Oranje-Vrijstaat, as possession was obtained of the territories of these two republics.[7]
The largest of these constituent railways were the Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NZASM), which operated between Pretoria, capital of the ZAR, and Lourenço Marques, capital of the Portuguese colony of Moçambique, and the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen (OVGS). Smaller constituents were the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway (PPR) and the Selati Railway.[7]
Design
Of the mixed amalgam of locomotives which were inherited from these railways, the best was probably the 8th Class 4-8-0, designed by H.M. Beatty of the Cape Government Railways (CGR). These locomotives were brand new, having been acquired by the IMR shortly before the end of the war, and featured a bar frame, narrow firebox and cylinders with overhead slide valves, actuated by Stephenson valve gear.[5][6][7]
Based on this Mastodon type locomotive, designated Class 8-L1 on the CSAR, Hyde designed a 4-6-2 Pacific version, which became the CSAR's Class 9. At the same time, he extrapolated this design to a 4-6-4T tank locomotive for heavy suburban trains, which was also ordered in 1904 and which later became the South African Railways (SAR) Class F.[7]
Characteristics
The locomotives had bar frames and used saturated steam. They had balanced slide valves, arranged above the cylinders and actuated by Stephenson valve gear through rocker shafts. The firebox was fitted with Stroudley's flexible stays and the back casing plate was flanged outwards, to facilitate the removal of the internal firebox for renewals.[2]
As built, the smokebox was equipped with openings on its sides, near the front, with covers which each had a handle by which it could be opened with a half turn, to give direct access to the inside of the smokebox. These openings were known by a variety of terms, the most common being "cinder pocket" or "cleaning hole and cap". Its purpose was, most likely, to facilitate cleaning of the spark arrestor screens to overcome clogging, without having to open the smokebox door. The cover handles were attached to the smokebox side by a small chain. Judging from photographs, these covers were removed and the openings closed off in the SAR era.[4]
Renumbering
When the Union of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910, the three Colonial government railways (CGR, Natal Government Railways and CSAR) were united under a single administration to control and administer the railways, ports and harbours of the Union. Although the South African Railways and Harbours came into existence in 1910, the actual classification and renumbering of all the rolling stock of the three constituent railways required careful planning and was only implemented with effect from 1 January 1912.[3][8]
In 1912, these locomotives were renumbered in the range from 727 to 731 on the SAR, but retained their Class 9 classification. Their tenders, which were unique to the Class, were designated Type XM3.[3][5][6]
Service
The Class 9 was very useful for passenger work with moderate loads and worked the Durban-bound mail trains from Johannesburg as far as Charlestown, on the Transvaal-Natal border, for many years. Later they served mainly on mainline passenger working elsewhere in the Transvaal, ending their days working out of Pretoria on the Pietersburg line in the 1920s. They were withdrawn by 1926.[1][2][4][7]
Illustration
The main picture is a builder's picture of the Class 9. In the picture below, the cinder pocket cap can be seen above the head of the person at far left.
- CSAR Class 9 no. 603 and railwaymen, c. 1910
References
- 1 2 3 Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 1: 1859-1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
- 1 2 3 4 Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1945). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter VI - Imperial Military Railways and C.S.A.R. (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, January 1945. pp. 14-15.
- 1 2 3 4 Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 9, 12, 14, 34 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
- 1 2 3 4 Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 51. ISBN 0869772112.
- 1 2 3 South African Railways & Harbours/Suid Afrikaanse Spoorweë en Hawens (15 Aug 1941). Locomotive Diagram Book/Lokomotiefdiagramboek, 3'6" Gauge/Spoorwydte. SAR/SAS Mechanical Department/Werktuigkundige Dept. Drawing Office/Tekenkantoor, Pretoria. p. 43.
- 1 2 3 South African Railways & Harbours/Suid Afrikaanse Spoorweë en Hawens (15 Aug 1941). Locomotive Diagram Book/Lokomotiefdiagramboek, 2'0" & 3'6" Gauge/Spoorwydte, Steam Locomotives/Stoomlokomotiewe. SAR/SAS Mechanical Department/Werktuigkundige Dept. Drawing Office/Tekenkantoor, Pretoria. pp. 6a-7a, 41, 43.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Durrant, A E (1989). Twilight of South African Steam (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, London: David & Charles. p. 8. ISBN 0715386387.
- ↑ The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 25.
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