South African Class 6K 4-6-0
Encyclopedia
In 1901 ten American built Class 6 bar framed steam locomotive
s with a 4-6-0
wheel arrangement were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways
. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6K.
. Whereas the Class 7 was conceived primarily as a goods locomotive, the Class 6 was intended to be its fast passenger service counterpart.
The ten Class 6 locomotives that were placed in service by the CGR in 1901 were designed and built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works
to the specifications of the CGR locomotive department and were consequently somewhat different in appearance from most previous Cape Class 6 locomotives. They were larger than any of the previous Class 6 locomotives. Like the Schenectady
built Class 6G
, they had larger boilers, large cabs and 17.5 inches (444.5 mm) bore cylinders compared to the 17 inches (431.8 mm) bore cylinders of all other Class 6 locomotives. They had bar frames, stovepipe chimneys and large domes and were the only Class 6 locomotives which did not have Ramsbottom safety valves, having been equipped with the "pop" type.
Apart from the stovepipe chimney, a visually obvious distinction was their driving wheel counterweights that were shaped like bent rectangles, instead of the usual curved and tapered counterweights that were used on most South African locomotives. Like other second generation Class 6 locomotives, they had higher running boards without driving wheel fairings. They were numbered 301 to 305 for the Western System of the CGR and 795 to 799 for the Eastern System.
The rest of the CGR’s Class 6 locomotives, together with the Central South African Railways (CSAR) Classes 6-L1 to 6-L3 locomotives that were inherited from the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwermentspoorwegen (OVGS) via the Imperial Military Railways (IMR), were grouped into thirteen more sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-6-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 6, 6A to 6H, 6J and 6L, the 2-6-2 locomotives became Class 6Y and the 2-6-4 locomotives became Class 6Z.
In SAR service the Class 6K locomotives worked on the East London main line until they were withdrawn by 1928.
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 4-6-0
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...
wheel arrangement were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways
Cape Government Railways
The Cape Government Railways was the government-owned railway operator in the Cape Colony from 1874 until the creation of the South African Railways in 1910.-Private railways:...
. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6K.
Manufacturer
The Class 6 was designed at the Salt River works of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) at the same time as the Class 7South African Class 7 4-8-0
In 1892 the Cape Government Railways placed six Class 7 steam locomotives with a 4-8-0 Mastodon wheel arrangement in service and between 1892 and 1893 another thirty-two were acquired. They were initially placed in service on the Cape Midland System, but were later distributed between the Cape...
. Whereas the Class 7 was conceived primarily as a goods locomotive, the Class 6 was intended to be its fast passenger service counterpart.
The ten Class 6 locomotives that were placed in service by the CGR in 1901 were designed and built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin 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...
to the specifications of the CGR locomotive department and were consequently somewhat different in appearance from most previous Cape Class 6 locomotives. They were larger than any of the previous Class 6 locomotives. Like the Schenectady
Schenectady Locomotive Works
The Schenectady Locomotive Works built railroad locomotives from its founding in 1848 through its merger into American Locomotive Company in 1901.After the 1901 merger, ALCO made the Schenectady plant its headquarters in Schenectady, New York....
built Class 6G
South African Class 6G 4-6-0
In 1901 eight redesigned Class 6 4-6-0 steam locomotives were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6G.-Manufacturer:...
, they had larger boilers, large cabs and 17.5 inches (444.5 mm) bore cylinders compared to the 17 inches (431.8 mm) bore cylinders of all other Class 6 locomotives. They had bar frames, stovepipe chimneys and large domes and were the only Class 6 locomotives which did not have Ramsbottom safety valves, having been equipped with the "pop" type.
Apart from the stovepipe chimney, a visually obvious distinction was their driving wheel counterweights that were shaped like bent rectangles, instead of the usual curved and tapered counterweights that were used on most South African locomotives. Like other second generation Class 6 locomotives, they had higher running boards without driving wheel fairings. They were numbered 301 to 305 for the Western System of the CGR and 795 to 799 for the Eastern System.
Class 6 sub-classes
When these ten locomotives were assimilated into the newly established South African Railways (SAR) in 1912, they were renumbered 649 to 658 and reclassified to Class 6K.The rest of the CGR’s Class 6 locomotives, together with the Central South African Railways (CSAR) Classes 6-L1 to 6-L3 locomotives that were inherited from the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwermentspoorwegen (OVGS) via the Imperial Military Railways (IMR), were grouped into thirteen more sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-6-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 6, 6A to 6H, 6J and 6L, the 2-6-2 locomotives became Class 6Y and the 2-6-4 locomotives became Class 6Z.
Service
The Class 6 family of locomotives were introduced primarily as passenger locomotives, but when the class became displaced by larger and more powerful locomotive classes, it literally became a "Jack-of-all-trades" that proved itself as one of the most useful and successful locomotive classes ever to be designed at the Salt River shops. It went on to see service in all parts of the country except Natal and was used on all types of traffic.In SAR service the Class 6K locomotives worked on the East London main line until they were withdrawn by 1928.
Renumberings
The Class 6K running number sequence does not correspond with its builder’s works number sequence. The table shows the Class 6K works numbers, CGR running numbers and SAR renumbering.| Works no. |
CGR no. |
CGR Sys. |
SAR no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18319 | 301 | Western | 649 |
| 18320 | 302 | Western | 650 |
| 18321 | 303 | Western | 651 |
| 18352 | 304 | Western | 652 |
| 18353 | 305 | Western | 653 |
| 18351 | 795 | Eastern | 654 |
| 18322 | 796 | Eastern | 655 |
| 18349 | 797 | Eastern | 656 |
| 18348 | 798 | Eastern | 657 |
| 18350 | 799 | Eastern | 658 |
See also
- South African Class 6 4-6-0South African Class 6 4-6-0In 1893 and 1894 the Cape Government Railways placed forty Class 6 4-6-0 steam locomotives in service, twenty-two on its Western System and eighteen on its Midland System. In 1897 ten of them were sold to the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwermentspoorwegen. At the end of the Second Boer War in 1901, these...
- South African Class 6A 4-6-0South African Class 6A 4-6-0In 1896 and 1897 the Cape Government Railways placed a second batch of fifty Class 6 4-6-0 steam locomotives in service, forty-one on its Western System, six on its Midland System and three on its Eastern System. During the Second Freedom War four were transferred to the Imperial Military Railways...
- South African Class 6B 4-6-0South African Class 6B 4-6-0In 1897 and 1898 the Cape Government Railways placed a third batch of fifty-five Class 6 4-6-0 steam locomotives in service, thirty-two on its Western System, twenty-one on its Midland System and two on its Eastern System. During the Second Freedom War seven were transferred to the Imperial...
- South African Class 6C 4-6-0South African Class 6C 4-6-0Between 1896 and 1898 the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwermentspoorwegen placed twenty-four new Cape Class 6 steam locomotives with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement in service...
- South African Class 6D 4-6-0South African Class 6D 4-6-0In 1898 a fourth batch of thirty-three Class 6 4-6-0 steam locomotives were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6D....
- South African Class 6E 4-6-0South African Class 6E 4-6-0In 1898 the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwermentspoorwegen ordered its final six new Cape Class 6 locomotives. When British forces invaded the Orange Free State during the Second Freedom War, these locomotives were taken over by the Imperial Military Railways and after the war they were renumbered into the...
- South African Class 6F 4-6-0South African Class 6F 4-6-0In 1900 two redesigned Class 6 4-6-0 steam locomotives were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6F.-Manufacturers:...
- South African Class 6G 4-6-0South African Class 6G 4-6-0In 1901 eight redesigned Class 6 4-6-0 steam locomotives were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6G.-Manufacturer:...
- South African Class 6H 4-6-0South African Class 6H 4-6-0In 1901 twenty-one Class 6 4-6-0 steam locomotives were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways, built to the older Class 6 designs with plate frames...
- South African Class 6J 4-6-0South African Class 6J 4-6-0In 1902 fourteen Class 6 bar framed steam locomotives with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6J....
- South African Class 6L 4-6-0South African Class 6L 4-6-0In 1904 the Cape Government Railways placed its last two Class 6 4-6-0 bar framed steam locomotives in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6L.-Manufacturer:...
- South African Class 6Y 2-6-2South African Class 6Y 2-6-2In 1903 the Cape Government Railways placed two Class 6 steam locomotives with a 2-6-2 Prairie wheel arrangement in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6Y.-Manufacture:...
- South African Class 6Z 2-6-4South African Class 6Z 2-6-4In 1901 the Cape Government Railways placed four Class 6 steam locomotives with a 2-6-2 Prairie wheel arrangement in service, that were soon modified to a 2-6-4 Adriatic wheel arrangement. In 1902 another four locomotives were placed in service, built with the 2-6-4 wheel arrangement. These latter...
- Tender locomotive numbering and classification
- The 4-6-0 "Ten-wheeler"
- List of South African locomotive classes