South African Class Exp 5 2-8-2
Encyclopedia
In 1906 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:...

 placed a single experimental steam locomotive with a 2-8-2
2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...

 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 steam locomotive was designed by H.M. Beatty, the Locomotive Superintendent of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) from 1896 to 1910. It was a larger version of his Cape Class 9
South African Class Exp 4 2-8-2
In 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...

 of 1903, also built with a bar frame and Stephenson’s link motion
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....

 valve gear, and also using saturated steam. The locomotive was delivered by Kitson and Company in 1906 and was numbered 840. Although some sources refer to it as a Cape Class 9, it appears to have not been officially classified by the CGR, simply being referred to as the "Mikado".

Characteristics

At the time it was considered as a big advance in motive power. It was a large locomotive and on the CGR it was exceeded in size only by the Kitson-Meyer
South African Class KM 0-6-0+0-6-0
In 1904 the Central South African Railways placed a single experimental 0-6-0+0-6-0 Kitson-Meyer type articulated steam locomotive in service, classified as Class M...

 that entered service in 1904.

With this locomotive Beatty overcame his aversion to boiler centre lines that exceeded twice the Cape gauge
Cape gauge
Cape gauge is a track gauge of between the inside of the rail heads and is classified as narrow gauge. It has installations of around .The gauge was first used by Norwegian engineer Carl Abraham Pihl and the first line was opened in 1862.- Nomenclature :...

 track width of 3 in 6 in (1.07 m) above the railhead, by raising the centre line to 7 in 3 in (2.21 m). The locomotive was larger than its predecessor Cape Class 9 in all respects, with a longer boiler that had a bigger girth, larger diameter pistons with a longer stroke, larger diameter driving wheels, a larger firebox, and a tender with a larger fuel and water capacity. The design was, however, never repeated and the Cape Mikado remained unique.

Service

The Mikado was placed in service on the Cape Western System, working on the main line between Touws River and Prince Albert Road in the Karoo. It was found to be too heavy for the rails, however, and was soon transferred to the section between Beaufort West and De Aar, where heavier rail was in use.

In 1912, when the Cape Mikado was assimilated into the South African Railways (SAR), it was classified as Class Experimental 5 and renumbered to 948. It was later transferred to Braamfontein and was withdrawn from service by 1930.

See also

  • South African Class 8X 2-8-0
    South African Class 8X 2-8-0
    Between 1901 and 1902 the Cape Government Railways placed sixteen Class 8 2-8-0 Consolidation type steam locomotives in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 8X...

  • South African Class Exp 1 4-6-2
    South African Class Exp 1 4-6-2
    In 1907 the Cape Government Railways placed a single experimental three cylinder compound steam locomotive with a 4-6-2 Pacific wheel arrangement in service, based on the second series of the Karoo Class locomotives...

  • South African Class Exp 2 2-8-0
    South African Class Exp 2 2-8-0
    In 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 2-8-0
    South African Class Exp 3 2-8-0
    In 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 2-8-2
    South African Class Exp 4 2-8-2
    In 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 6 4-8-0
    South African Class Exp 6 4-8-0
    In 1906 the Cape Government Railways placed a single experimental Class 10 steam locomotive with a 4-8-0 Mastodon wheel arrangement in service on the Cape Eastern System. In 1912, when this locomotive was assimilated into the South African Railways, it was renumbered and classified as Class...

  • The 2-8-2 "Mikado"
  • List of South African locomotive classes
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