South African Class 19A 4-8-2
Encyclopedia
In 1929 the South African Railways placed thirty-six Class 19A steam locomotive
s with a 4-8-2
wheel arrangement in service. Five of them were later reboilered and reclassified to Class 19AR.
that was introduced a year earlier, also with Walschaerts valve gear and bar frames. Colonel F.R. Collins, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South African Railways (SAR) at the time, redesigned the Class 19 to achieve a lighter axle loading by reducing the wheel diameters from 54 to 51 in (1,371.6 to 1,295.4 mm), reducing the cylinder diameter from 21 to 19.5 in (533.4 to 495.3 mm) and by using a smaller boiler.
While the aim was to reduce the locomotive’s total weight for use on some of the more lightly laid branch lines, the actual weight saving that was achieved was a mere four tons, which could hardly have justified the cost of redesigning. Thirty-six Class 19A locomotives were delivered by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
(SLM) of Winterthur
in 1929, numbered 675 to 710.
When five Class 19A locomotives, numbers 678, 693, 696, 700 and 706, were reboilered with Watson Standard no. 1A boilers, they were therefore designated Class 19AR. In the reboilering process at least two of the Class 19ARs, numbers 678 and 696, received domeless boilers from early Class 19D
locomotives.
, at East London, Queenstown and Burgersdorp in the Eastern Cape
, at Cape Town in the Western Cape
and a few in the Western Transvaal. By 1977 they were all withdrawn from service. Only Class 19A number 692 is known to have survived, plinthed at Sterkstroom in the Eastern Cape.
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...
wheel arrangement in service. Five of them were later reboilered and reclassified to Class 19AR.
Manufacturer
The Class 19A 4-8-2 steam locomotive was a later model of the successful Class 19South African Class 19 4-8-2
In 1928 the South African Railways placed four Class 19 steam locomotives with a wheel arrangement in service. One of them was later reboilered and reclassified to Class 19R.-Manufacturer:At the request of Colonel F.R...
that was introduced a year earlier, also with Walschaerts valve gear and bar frames. Colonel F.R. Collins, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South African Railways (SAR) at the time, redesigned the Class 19 to achieve a lighter axle loading by reducing the wheel diameters from 54 to 51 in (1,371.6 to 1,295.4 mm), reducing the cylinder diameter from 21 to 19.5 in (533.4 to 495.3 mm) and by using a smaller boiler.
While the aim was to reduce the locomotive’s total weight for use on some of the more lightly laid branch lines, the actual weight saving that was achieved was a mere four tons, which could hardly have justified the cost of redesigning. Thirty-six Class 19A locomotives were delivered by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works
SLM
SLM may refer to:* Service Lifecycle Management, a business strategy that bundles all service-based operations into a single lifecycle model* S-L-M, the tri-consonantal root of many Semitic words, such as shalom and salam...
(SLM) of Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
in 1929, numbered 675 to 710.
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.When five Class 19A locomotives, numbers 678, 693, 696, 700 and 706, were reboilered with Watson Standard no. 1A boilers, they were therefore designated Class 19AR. In the reboilering process at least two of the Class 19ARs, numbers 678 and 696, received domeless boilers from early Class 19D
South African Class 19D 4-8-2
Between 1937 and 1949 the South African Railways placed two hundred and thirty-five Class 19D steam locomotives wirh a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement in service...
locomotives.
South African Railways
The Class 19A initially served on all systems, but were later based mainly at Mason’s Mill, Estcourt and Glencoe in NatalNatal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
, at East London, Queenstown and Burgersdorp in the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
, at Cape Town in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
and a few in the Western Transvaal. By 1977 they were all withdrawn from service. Only Class 19A number 692 is known to have survived, plinthed at Sterkstroom in the Eastern Cape.
Industrial
Several of the locomotives were sold into a second career in industrial service after being retired from SAR service.- Numbers 678 and 683 went to Tweefontein United Collieries. Number 678 later went to Witbank Consolidated Collieries.
- Number 679 went to Apex Mines at Greenside, later to the Fluor for Sasol plant and eventually to Dunn’s.
- Numbers 684 and 691 went to Gledhow Sugar Mill where they were named "Umvoti" and "Blythedale" respectively. Number 684 later went to Umgala Colliery.
- Numbers 689 and 707 went to Platberg Colliery.
- Number 710 went to Butakon Limited, then to Southern Cross Steel Company in Middelburg, Transvaal, and eventually to Umgala Colliery at Utrecht in Natal.
Gallery
The main picture shows reboilered Class 19AR number 693 at De Aar on 16 October 1978.| thumb |
See also
- South African Class 19 4-8-2South African Class 19 4-8-2In 1928 the South African Railways placed four Class 19 steam locomotives with a wheel arrangement in service. One of them was later reboilered and reclassified to Class 19R.-Manufacturer:At the request of Colonel F.R...
- South African Class 19B 4-8-2South African Class 19B 4-8-2In 1930 the South African Railways placed fourteen Class 19B steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement in service. One of them was later reboilered and reclassified to Class 19BR.-Manufacturer:...
- South African Class 19C 4-8-2South African Class 19C 4-8-2In 1935 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 19C steam locomotives with a Mountain wheel arrangement in service.-Manufacturer:When the need for more branch line locomotives became apparent in 1934, tenders were invited by the South African Railways for another fifty Class 19B locomotives...
- South African Class 19D 4-8-2South African Class 19D 4-8-2Between 1937 and 1949 the South African Railways placed two hundred and thirty-five Class 19D steam locomotives wirh 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