South African Class 7E 4-8-0
Encyclopedia
In 1899 the New Cape Central Railway placed one Cape Class 7 4-8-0
Mastodon steam locomotive
in service. Another three were commissioned in 1900, two more in 1903 and another one in 1904. In 1925, when the New Cape Central Railway was amalgamated into the South African Railways, these seven locomotives were renumbered and reclassified to Class 7E.
via Robertson
to Roodewal, now Ashton
. In 1894 the NCCR began work to extend the line to Swellendam
. From there it continued via Heidelberg
to Riversdale
, which was reached on 3 December 1903. Mosselbaai
was reached in 1904, 211 miles (340 km) from Worcester, making the NCCR the longest private railway in South Africa.
Two more were ordered from Neilson, Reid in 1903, numbered 5 and 6, but since three Scottish locomotive builders, Dübs and Company
, Neilson, Reid and Sharp, Stewart and Company merged into the North British Locomotive Company
(NBL) while the locomotives were being built, they were delivered as having been built by the newly established NBL at the Hyde Park works of the former Neilson, Reid.
The seventh Class 7 locomotive, number 7, was acquired in 1904, also built by NBL. On the NBL works list this locomotive is shown as actually having been built for Pauling and Company.
Other Class 7 locomotives that came onto the SAR roster from the Colonial railways in the region in 1912, namely the Cape Government Railways
(CGR), Central South African Railways
(CSAR), the Natal Government Railways
(NGR) and the Rhodesian Railways (RR), as well as Class 7 locomotives acquired by the NCCR in 1913, were grouped into six different sub-classes by the SAR, becoming SAR Classes 7, 7A to 7D and 7F.
The builders, works numbers and renumbering are set out in the table.
this conversion was sometimes indicated with an "S" suffix to the class number on the locomotive’s number plates, but on the rest of the Class 7 family this distinction was not applied consistently. The superheated versions could be identified by the position of the chimney on the smokebox, with the chimney displaced forward to provide space behind it in the smokebox for the superheater header.
4-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels. The type was nicknamed the Mastodon or Twelve-wheeler in North America....
Mastodon steam locomotive
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...
in service. Another three were commissioned in 1900, two more in 1903 and another one in 1904. In 1925, when the New Cape Central Railway was amalgamated into the South African Railways, these seven locomotives were renumbered and reclassified to Class 7E.
New Cape Central Railway
The New Cape Central Railway (NCCR) was formed in January 1893 when it purchased all the assets of the bankrupted Cape Central Railway (CCR), who had constructed a line from WorcesterWorcester, Western Cape
Worcester is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is located 120 km north-east of Cape Town on the N1 highway north to Johannesburg....
via Robertson
Robertson, Western Cape
Robertson is a town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa known as the valley of wine and roses. It was founded in 1853 and named after the Scottish Dutch Reformed Church Minister, Dr William Robertson....
to Roodewal, now Ashton
Ashton, Western Cape
Ashton is a small town in the Western Cape in South Africa. The town is situated in a luscious valley famous for its great wines and fruit....
. In 1894 the NCCR began work to extend the line to Swellendam
Swellendam
Swellendam is the third oldest town in the Republic of South Africa, a town with 28,072 inhabitants situated in the Western Cape province. The town has over 50 National monuments most of them buildings of Cape Dutch architecture....
. From there it continued via Heidelberg
Heidelberg, Western Cape
Heidelberg is a town in Western Cape, South Africa. It is located near South Africa's south coast, on the N2 highway, 274 km east of Cape Town...
to Riversdale
Riversdale, Western Cape
Riversdale is a town located on the N2 highway between Cape Town and George on the Agulhas Coastal Plain of the southern Western Cape province of South Africa. It is an agricultural service orientated town, being a hub for shopping and other services for surrounding farming communities, smaller...
, which was reached on 3 December 1903. Mosselbaai
Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay is a harbour town of about 130,000 people on the Southern Cape of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province...
was reached in 1904, 211 miles (340 km) from Worcester, making the NCCR the longest private railway in South Africa.
Manufacturers
The NCCR acquired its first seven Cape Class 7 locomotives piecemeal over a period of five years. The first locomotive, NCCR 1, was ordered from Neilson, Reid and Company in 1899, followed by three more from the same manufacturer in 1900, numbered 2 to 4.Two more were ordered from Neilson, Reid in 1903, numbered 5 and 6, but since three Scottish locomotive builders, Dübs and Company
Dûbs and Company
Dübs & Co. was a locomotive works in Glasgow, Scotland, founded by Henry Dübs in 1863 and based at the Queens Park Works in Polmadie. In 1903 it became part of the North British Locomotive Company.-Preserved locomotives:...
, Neilson, Reid and Sharp, Stewart and Company merged into the North British Locomotive Company
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
(NBL) while the locomotives were being built, they were delivered as having been built by the newly established NBL at the Hyde Park works of the former Neilson, Reid.
The seventh Class 7 locomotive, number 7, was acquired in 1904, also built by NBL. On the NBL works list this locomotive is shown as actually having been built for Pauling and Company.
Class 7 sub-classes
In 1925 the NCCR was amalgamated into the South African Railways (SAR) and these seven Class 7 locomotives were renumbered into the SAR roster and reclassified to Class 7E, numbers 1344 to 1350.Other Class 7 locomotives that came onto the SAR roster from the Colonial railways in the region in 1912, namely 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:...
(CGR), Central South African Railways
Central South African Railways
From 1902 to 1904, the area of power of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Girouard later also included the lines of The Netherlands-South African Railway Company; together this dominion covered all lines in the Transvaal that belonged to NZASM ....
(CSAR), the Natal Government Railways
Natal government railways
The Natal Government Railways was formed in January 1877 in the Colony of Natal.In 1877 the Natal Government Railways acquired the Natal Railway Company for the sum of £40,000, gaining the line from the Point to Durban and from Durban to Umgeni...
(NGR) and the Rhodesian Railways (RR), as well as Class 7 locomotives acquired by the NCCR in 1913, were grouped into six different sub-classes by the SAR, becoming SAR Classes 7, 7A to 7D and 7F.
The builders, works numbers and renumbering are set out in the table.
| Builder |
Year |
Works no. |
NCCR no. |
SAR no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neilson Reid | 1899 | 5653 | 1 | 1344 |
| Neilson Reid | 1900 | 5702 | 2 | 1345 |
| Neilson Reid | 1900 | 5703 | 3 | 1346 |
| Neilson Reid | 1900 | 5704 | 4 | 1347 |
| NBL | 1903 | 15903 | 5 | 1348 |
| NBL | 1903 | 15904 | 6 | 1349 |
| NBL | 1904 | 16348 | 7 | 1350 |
Modifications
During the 1930s many of the Class 7 family of locomotives were equipped with superheated boilers and piston valves. On the Class 7CSouth African Class 7C 4-8-0
In 1902 the Cape Government Railways placed its last ten Class 7 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives in service on the Cape Eastern System. In 1912, when all these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 7C.-Manufacturer:The last of...
this conversion was sometimes indicated with an "S" suffix to the class number on the locomotive’s number plates, but on the rest of the Class 7 family this distinction was not applied consistently. The superheated versions could be identified by the position of the chimney on the smokebox, with the chimney displaced forward to provide space behind it in the smokebox for the superheater header.
Service
In SAR service, the Class 7 family served on every system in the country. They remained in branch line service, particularly at Tarkastad and Ladysmith and also on the Touws River-Ladismith branch line, until they were finally withdrawn in 1972.See also
- South African Class 7 4-8-0South African Class 7 4-8-0In 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...
- South African Class 7A 4-8-0South African Class 7A 4-8-0Between 1896 and 1901 the Cape Government Railways placed a second batch of altogether forty-six Class 7 steam locomotives with a 4-8-0 Mastodon wheel arrangement in service on its Midland and Eastern Systems...
- South African Class 7B 4-8-0South African Class 7B 4-8-0In 1900 the Imperial Military Railways placed twenty-five Cape Class 7 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives in service. In that same year, three Cape Class 7 locomotives that had been ordered by the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway were also placed in service. All these locomotives were taken on to the...
- South African Class 7C 4-8-0South African Class 7C 4-8-0In 1902 the Cape Government Railways placed its last ten Class 7 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives in service on the Cape Eastern System. In 1912, when all these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 7C.-Manufacturer:The last of...
- South African Class 7D 4-8-0South African Class 7D 4-8-0Between 1899 and 1903 the Rhodesian Railways placed fifty-two Cape Class 7 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives in service. One more was obtained from the Imperial Military Railways in March 1901 as replacement for a locomotive that was damaged beyond local repair abilities during delivery.In May 1915...
- South African Class 7F 4-8-0South African Class 7F 4-8-0In 1913 the New Cape Central Railway placed three Cape Class 7 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives in service. In 1925, when the New Cape Central Railway was amalgamated into the South African Railways, these three locomotives were renumbered and reclassified to Class 7F.-New Cape Central Railway:The...
- Tender locomotive numbering and classification
- The 4-8-0 "Mastodon"
- List of South African locomotive classes