South African Class Exp 6 4-8-0
Encyclopedia
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 Experimental 6.
, and represented a further effort on Beatty’s part to improve the steaming efficiency of the Class 8. The locomotive was delivered by Kitson and Company in 1906 and was numbered 880.
and used saturated steam. With this locomotive, as with the Cape Mikado
delivered by the same manufacturer earlier in that same year, Beatty overcame his aversion to boiler centre lines that exceeded twice the Cape gauge
track width of 3 in 6 in (1.07 m) above the railhead. The boiler pitch of the Cape Class 10 was at 7 in 5 in (2.26 m).
In the designs of the Cape Class 9 and the Cape Mikado, later the Classes Experimental 4
and Experimental 5
, Beatty achieved improved steaming efficiency by extending the locomotive frames with bridle castings to accommodate deep and wide fireboxes. With the Class 10 he attempted to obtain a wide firebox by spreading the grate over the rear driving wheels, hence the requirement to raise the boiler centre line. The result was a firebox that was virtually a copy of the one that was used on the Hendrie B locomotive, later the Class 1
, that was placed in service on the Natal Government Railways
(NGR) in 1904.
Despite its good performance, the design was never repeated since some trouble was experienced with the firebox. Instead, Beatty decided that more powerful locomotives could be designed using the wide and deep firebox that he used in his "Karoo" type, later the Class 5A
, and the Cape Class 10 therefore remained one of a kind.
In 1912, when the Cape Class 10 was assimilated into the South African Railways (SAR), it was classified as Class Experimental 6 and renumbered to 1244. It was withdrawn from service in 1938.
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 Class 10 steam locomotive with a 4-8-0
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 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 Experimental 6.
Manufacturer
The Cape Class 10 steam locomotive was designed by H.M. Beatty, the Locomotive Superintendent of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) from 1896 to 1910. The designs were prepared at the Salt River shops of the CGR in Cape Town. It was in most respects a larger and more powerful version of his Cape Class 8 of 1904, later the Class 8FSouth African Class 8F 4-8-0
In 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:...
, and represented a further effort on Beatty’s part to improve the steaming efficiency of the Class 8. The locomotive was delivered by Kitson and Company in 1906 and was numbered 880.
Characteristics
It had Stephenson valve gearStephenson 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....
and used saturated steam. With this locomotive, as with the Cape Mikado
South African Class Exp 5 2-8-2
In 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...
delivered by the same manufacturer earlier in that same year, 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. The boiler pitch of the Cape Class 10 was at 7 in 5 in (2.26 m).
In the designs of the Cape Class 9 and the Cape Mikado, later the Classes Experimental 4
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...
and Experimental 5
South African Class Exp 5 2-8-2
In 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...
, Beatty achieved improved steaming efficiency by extending the locomotive frames with bridle castings to accommodate deep and wide fireboxes. With the Class 10 he attempted to obtain a wide firebox by spreading the grate over the rear driving wheels, hence the requirement to raise the boiler centre line. The result was a firebox that was virtually a copy of the one that was used on the Hendrie B locomotive, later the Class 1
South African Class 1 4-8-0
In 1904 the Natal Government Railways placed fifty Class Hendrie B 4-8-0 Mastodon steam locomotives in service. Six of them were modified to a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement in 1906...
, that was placed in service on 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) in 1904.
Service
The locomotive was placed in service on the Cape Eastern System, working on the main line out of East London. It proved to be very successful in service and was able to handle loads of 280 long tons (284.5 t) up the steep 1 in 40 gradient of the main line that started right at the end of the departure platform at East London station at the time. This compared well to the 240 long tons (243.9 t) that the Cape Class 8 could manage.Despite its good performance, the design was never repeated since some trouble was experienced with the firebox. Instead, Beatty decided that more powerful locomotives could be designed using the wide and deep firebox that he used in his "Karoo" type, later the Class 5A
South African Class 5A 4-6-2
In 1903 the Cape Government Railways placed two Karoo Class steam locomotives with a 4-6-2 Pacific wheel arrangement in passenger service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 5A....
, and the Cape Class 10 therefore remained one of a kind.
In 1912, when the Cape Class 10 was assimilated into the South African Railways (SAR), it was classified as Class Experimental 6 and renumbered to 1244. It was withdrawn from service in 1938.
See also
- 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:...
- South African Class Exp 1 4-6-2South African Class Exp 1 4-6-2In 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 2-8-0South 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...
- The 4-8-0 "Mastodon"
- List of South African locomotive classes