South African Class 14B 4-8-2
Encyclopedia
In 1915 the South African Railways placed fifteen Class 14B steam locomotive
s with a 4-8-2
Mountain wheel arrangement in service.
locomotive was ordered from Beyer, Peacock and Company
in 1914. Because it was intended for use on the lower section of the Natal main line where speeds were low with frequent stops, D.A. Hendrie, then the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South African Railways (SAR), concluded that no high degree of superheat would be attainable, so they were ordered without superheaters. These non-superheated versions of the Class 14 became the Class 14B. Like the Class 14, the Class 14B had Walschaerts valve gear and a Belpaire firebox
. Fifteen locomotives were delivered from Beyer, Peacock in 1915, numbered 1746 to 1760.
was £6,387 (£5,323 for the locomotive and £1,064 for the tender), this was a staggering amount.
Conversion of the Class 14B to superheating began soon afterwards and by 1927 all fifteen Class 14B locomotives were converted. Since their being non-superheated had been the sole reason for their separate Class 14B classification, they were all reclassified to Class 14.
Of all the locomotives introduced during Hendrie’s term as CME, the Class 14B was the only one to fall short of expectations. In fairness to Hendrie and his decision to omit superheating, a report had been submitted in Natal earlier to the effect that superheating was of little or no value on that system, where the many short or steep gradients prevented a high degree of superheat from being attained with the automatic dampers in use at the time.
All the ex Class 14B locomotives except number 1750 were eventually reboilered with Watson Standard no 2 boilers and reclassified once again, to Class 14R. In the process they were also equipped with Watson cabs, with their distinctive slanted fronts, compared to the conventional vertical fronts of their original cabs. Number 1750 was sold to ISCOR unreboilered.
An obvious visual difference between an original and a Watson Standard reboilered locomotive is usually a rectangular regulator cover just to the rear of the chimney on the reboilered locomotive. In the case of the Class 14B locomotives two even more obvious visual differences are the Watson cab and the absence of the Belpaire firebox hump between the cab and boiler on the reboilered locomotives.
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Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s with a 4-8-2
4-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
Mountain wheel arrangement in service.
Manufacturer
The third version of the Class 14South African Class 14 4-8-2
Between 1913 and 1915 the South African Railways placed forty-five Class 14 steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement in service.-Manufacturer:...
locomotive was ordered from Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company
Beyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway Locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Gorton, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer and Richard Peacock, it traded from 1854 until 1966...
in 1914. Because it was intended for use on the lower section of the Natal main line where speeds were low with frequent stops, D.A. Hendrie, then the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South African Railways (SAR), concluded that no high degree of superheat would be attainable, so they were ordered without superheaters. These non-superheated versions of the Class 14 became the Class 14B. Like the Class 14, the Class 14B had Walschaerts valve gear and a Belpaire firebox
Belpaire firebox
The Belpaire firebox is a type of firebox used on steam locomotives. It was invented by Alfred Belpaire of Belgium. It has a greater surface area at the top of the firebox, improving heat transfer and steam production...
. Fifteen locomotives were delivered from Beyer, Peacock in 1915, numbered 1746 to 1760.
Modification and reclassification
In service the omission of superheating soon became a bone of contention. About six years after the Class 14B was commissioned, it was claimed in a report that the loss of haulage power and increased water and coal consumption brought about by the absence of superheating on these locomotives represented a loss to the SAR of approximately £100,000. Given that eight years later, in 1929, the purchase price of a new Class 19ASouth African Class 19A 4-8-2
In 1929 the South African Railways placed thirty-six Class 19A steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 wheel arrangement in service. Five of them were later reboilered and reclassified to Class 19AR.-Manufacturer:...
was £6,387 (£5,323 for the locomotive and £1,064 for the tender), this was a staggering amount.
Conversion of the Class 14B to superheating began soon afterwards and by 1927 all fifteen Class 14B locomotives were converted. Since their being non-superheated had been the sole reason for their separate Class 14B classification, they were all reclassified to Class 14.
Of all the locomotives introduced during Hendrie’s term as CME, the Class 14B was the only one to fall short of expectations. In fairness to Hendrie and his decision to omit superheating, a report had been submitted in Natal earlier to the effect that superheating was of little or no value on that system, where the many short or steep gradients prevented a high degree of superheat from being attained with the automatic dampers in use at the time.
Watson Standard boilers
During the 1930s many serving locomotives were reboilered with a standard boiler type designed by then CME A.G. Watson as part of his standardisation policy. Such Watson Standard reboilered locomotives were reclassified by adding an "R" suffix to their classification.All the ex Class 14B locomotives except number 1750 were eventually reboilered with Watson Standard no 2 boilers and reclassified once again, to Class 14R. In the process they were also equipped with Watson cabs, with their distinctive slanted fronts, compared to the conventional vertical fronts of their original cabs. Number 1750 was sold to ISCOR unreboilered.
An obvious visual difference between an original and a Watson Standard reboilered locomotive is usually a rectangular regulator cover just to the rear of the chimney on the reboilered locomotive. In the case of the Class 14B locomotives two even more obvious visual differences are the Watson cab and the absence of the Belpaire firebox hump between the cab and boiler on the reboilered locomotives.
South African Railways
They were placed in service on the lower sections of the Natal main line, particularly the Town Hill section near PietermaritzburgPietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...
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Industrial
Five were eventually sold into industrial service:- 1750 became ISCOR number 15 and later Enyati Colliery number 3.
- 1754 and 1759 went to Rustenburg Platinum Mines, retaining their SAR numbers.
- 1755 became St Helena Gold Mines number 7.
- 1757 was sold to Grootvlei Proprietary Mines Limited.
See also
- South African Class 14 4-8-2South African Class 14 4-8-2Between 1913 and 1915 the South African Railways placed forty-five Class 14 steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement in service.-Manufacturer:...
- South African Class 14A 4-8-2South African Class 14A 4-8-2In 1914 and 1915 the South African Railways placed forty-one Class 14A steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement in service.-Manufacturer:...
- South African Class 14C 4-8-2South African Class 14C 4-8-2Between 1918 and 1922 the South African Railways placed seventy-three Class 14C steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement in service...
- Tender locomotive numbering and classification
- Watson Standard boilers
- The 4-8-2 "Mountain"
- List of South African locomotive classes