South African Class 8X 2-8-0
Encyclopedia
Between 1901 and 1902 the Cape Government Railways
placed sixteen Class 8 2-8-0
Consolidation type steam locomotive
s in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 8X. One of them was later converted to a 4-8-0 Mastodon type wheel arrangement and reclassified to Class 8R.
in the United States. While they were being built, in 1901, Schenectady merged with seven other locomotive builders to form the American Locomotive Company
(ALCO).
As a result the first two locomotives, numbered 749 and 750, were built by Schenectady in 1901, while ALCO built the rest in 1902. Of those, the first seven were numbered 351 to 357 and were allocated to the CGR’s Midland System, while the last seven were numbered 751 tot 757 and joined the two Schenectady builts on the CGR’s Western System.
They were conceived as mixed traffic locomotives equally suitable for goods and passenger work and had bar frames, narrow fireboxes, used saturated steam
and had cylinders with overhead slide valves actuated by inside Stephenson valve gear
.
In 1912, when these Consolidations were assimilated into the newly established SAR and renumbered, they were reclassified to Class 8X
These locomotives, together with the rest of the CGR’s Class 8 2-8-0 Consolidations and Class 8 4-8-0 Mastodons, plus the Class 8-L1 to 8-L3 4-8-0 Mastodon locomotives from the Central South African Railways
(CSAR), were grouped into ten different sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-8-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 8 and 8A to 8F and the 2-8-0 locomotives became Classes 8X to 8Z.
The table displays the locomotive builders, works numbers and the CGR to SAR renumbering for the Class 8X locomotives.
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:...
placed sixteen Class 8 2-8-0
2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
Consolidation type 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...
s in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 8X. One of them was later converted to a 4-8-0 Mastodon type wheel arrangement and reclassified to Class 8R.
Manufacturers
The first locomotive in the Cape Government Railways (CGR) 2-8-0 Consolidation type Class 8 was designed by H.M. Beatty, the Chief Locomotive Superintendent of the CGR from 1896 to 1910, and sixteen were ordered from the Schenectady Locomotive WorksSchenectady 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....
in the United States. While they were being built, in 1901, Schenectady merged with seven other locomotive builders to form the American Locomotive Company
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
(ALCO).
As a result the first two locomotives, numbered 749 and 750, were built by Schenectady in 1901, while ALCO built the rest in 1902. Of those, the first seven were numbered 351 to 357 and were allocated to the CGR’s Midland System, while the last seven were numbered 751 tot 757 and joined the two Schenectady builts on the CGR’s Western System.
They were conceived as mixed traffic locomotives equally suitable for goods and passenger work and had bar frames, narrow fireboxes, used saturated steam
Saturated steam
In thermodynamics, the state of saturation of a fluid indicates that the fluid is at its boiling point temperature. This term can be applied in several ways:*Saturated liquid: fully in the liquid state but is about to vaporize....
and had cylinders with overhead slide valves actuated by inside Stephenson valve gear
Stephenson valve gear
The Stephenson valve gear or Stephenson link or shifting link is a simple design of valve gear that was widely used throughout the world for all kinds of steam engine. It is named after Robert Stephenson but was actually invented by his employees....
.
Class 8 sub-classes
These sixteen 2-8-0 locomotives were followed by several more orders, placed with various manufacturers, for similar locomotives for the CGR between 1902 and 1904. While subjecting these first sixteen locomotives to exhaustive testing on all types of traffic and under varying conditions, some trouble was experienced with the leading pony truck and it was dropped in favour of a four wheeled bogie in later orders for more locomotives. Most of the later locomotives were therefore built with a 4-8-0 Mastodon type wheel arrangement, but in spite of the difference they were all grouped together into Class 8 by the CGR.In 1912, when these Consolidations were assimilated into the newly established SAR and renumbered, they were reclassified to Class 8X
These locomotives, together with the rest of the CGR’s Class 8 2-8-0 Consolidations and Class 8 4-8-0 Mastodons, plus the Class 8-L1 to 8-L3 4-8-0 Mastodon locomotives from the 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), were grouped into ten different sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-8-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 8 and 8A to 8F and the 2-8-0 locomotives became Classes 8X to 8Z.
The table displays the locomotive builders, works numbers and the CGR to SAR renumbering for the Class 8X locomotives.
| Builders |
Year |
Works No. |
CGR No. |
SAR No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schenectady | 1901 | 5644 | 749 | 880 |
| Schenectady | 1901 | 5645 | 750 | 881 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25446 | 351 | 889 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25447 | 352 | 890 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25448 | 353 | 891 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25449 | 354 | 892 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25450 | 355 | 893 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25451 | 356 | 894 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25452 | 357 | 895 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25453 | 751 | 882 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25454 | 752 | 883 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25455 | 753 | 884 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25456 | 754 | 885 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25457 | 755 | 886 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25458 | 756 | 887 |
| ALCO | 1902 | 25459 | 757 | 888 |
Wheel arrangement modification
In 1930 one of the Class 8X locomotives, SAR 883, was reboilered with a purpose built boiler. At the same time it was superheated and converted to a 4-8-0 Mastodon type wheel arrangement by replacing the leading pony truck with a bogie. Because of the modification it was reclassified and became the sole Class 8R.Service
In SAR service, the 2-8-0 Class 8X was used mainly on the Cape Midlands. The majority of the class were withdrawn by 1937, with a lone locomotive, SAR 894, surviving to 1950 before being scrapped. The sole Class 8R 4-8-0 was put to work in the Eastern Transvaal until it was withdrawn in 1939.Gallery
The main picture shows the last survivor of the class, ex CGR Class 8 356 (2-8-0), reclassified and renumbered to SAR Class 8X 894, circa 1950.See also
- South African Class Exp 2 2-8-0South African Class Exp 2 2-8-0In 1902 the Cape Government Railways placed a single experimental 2-8-0 Consolidation type tandem compound steam locomotive in service, based on its Schenectady built Class 8 of 1901. In 1912, when the locomotive was assimilated into the South African Railways, it was renumbered and classified as...
- South African Class Exp 3 2-8-0South African Class Exp 3 2-8-0In 1903 the Cape Government Railways placed a single experimental 2-8-0 Consolidation type tandem compound steam locomotive in service, based on its Schenectady built Class 8 of 1901. It was similar to the tandem compound delivered a year earlier, but with a larger firegrate and an increased...
- South African Class Exp 4 2-8-2South African Class Exp 4 2-8-2In 1903 the Cape Government Railways placed two Class 9 steam locomotives with a 2-8-2 Mikado wheel arrangement in service. In 1912, when these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and classified as Class Experimental 4.-Manufacturer:The Cape Class 9...
- South African Class Exp 5 2-8-2South African Class Exp 5 2-8-2In 1906 the Cape Government Railways placed a single experimental steam locomotive with a 2-8-2 Mikado wheel arrangement in service. In 1912, when this locomotive was assimilated into the South African Railways, it was renumbered and classified as Class Experimental 5.-Manufacturer:The Cape Mikado...
- South African Class 8Y 2-8-0South African Class 8Y 2-8-0In 1903 the Cape Government Railways placed four more Cape Class 8 2-8-0 steam locomotives in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 8Y.-Manufacturer:...
- South African Class 8Z 2-8-0South African Class 8Z 2-8-0In 1904 the Cape Government Railways placed its last eight Class 8 2-8-0 Consolidation type steam locomotives in service. All subsequent Cape Class 8 locomotives were built with a 4-8-0 Mastodon wheel arrangement...
- South African Class 8 4-8-0South African Class 8 4-8-0In 1902 and 1903 the Cape Government Railways placed twenty-three Class 8 steam locomotives with a 4-8-0 Mastodon wheel arrangement in service, three on the Cape Western System, eight on the Cape Midland System and twelve on the Cape Eastern System...
- South African Class 8A 4-8-0South African Class 8A 4-8-0In 1902 the Central South African Railways placed forty Class 8-L1 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 8A.-Manufacturers:...
- South African Class 8B 4-8-0South African Class 8B 4-8-0In 1903, soon after its establishment, the Central South African Railways placed thirty Class 8-L2 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 8B.-Manufacturers:Upon the...
- South African Class 8C 4-8-0South African Class 8C 4-8-0In 1903, soon after the establishment of the Central South African Railways, a second batch of thirty Cape Class 8 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives were ordered and placed in service as the Class 8-L3, immediately following a previous order in that same year for a variation on the same locomotive...
- South African Class 8D 4-8-0South African Class 8D 4-8-0In 1903, when the first batch of Class 8 4-8-0 Mastodons had been tried and proven successful, the Cape Government Railways placed another thirty-eight Class 8 4-8-0 steam locomotives in service, six on the Cape Western System, twenty on the Cape Midland System and twelve on the Cape Eastern System...
- South African Class 8E 4-8-0South African Class 8E 4-8-0In 1903, at the same time that the Cape Government Railways ordered its second batch of thirty-eight Class 8 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives, four additional locomotives of the same class were ordered, but built to modified specifications in order to accommodate a larger grate area...
- South African Class 8F 4-8-0South African Class 8F 4-8-0In 1904 the Cape Government Railways placed its final batch of ten Class 8 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 8F.-Evolution:...
- Tender locomotive numbering and classification
- The 2-8-0 "Consolidation"
- The 4-8-0 "Mastodon"
- List of South African locomotive classes