South African Class G 4-8-2T
Encyclopedia
In 1904 the Natal Government Railways
placed twenty-five Class Dübs B 4-8-2T tank steam locomotive
s in service. In 1912, when these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class G.
(NBL) in their Dübs shops in Glasgow, Scotland.
Twenty-five of these locomotives were delivered in 1904, numbered 250 to 274, and became known on the NGR as the Dübs B even though Dübs and Company
had already ceased to exist when they were built, having been merged into the NBL.
and the Dübs A 4-8-2T
as basis for its design, which resulted in a locomotive that looked like a smaller version of the Reid locomotives. With a larger boiler and working at a higher boiler pressure, the Class Dübs B was a more powerful locomotive than the Dübs A, but in the basic design Hendrie had made no radical changes on the work of his predecessors.
tender locomotives that entered service later in 1904. They were then used as bank locomotives across the Van Reenen Pass between Harrismith in the Free State and Ladysmith in Natal and remained in use there until the loads became too heavy for them.
The final years of their careers were spent as shunters and the last pair were withdrawn from shunting service around Pietermaritzburg in 1962. Several were sold to mines and other industrial concerns.
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...
placed twenty-five Class Dübs B 4-8-2T tank 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 these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class G.
Manufacturer
The first locomotive to be designed for the Natal Government Railways (NGR) by D.A. Hendrie, who had succeeded G.W. Reid as Locomotive Superintendent of the NGR on 8 January 1903, was the Class Dübs B 4-8-2T tank locomotive. It was built by the newly established North British Locomotive CompanyNorth 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) in their Dübs shops in Glasgow, Scotland.
Twenty-five of these locomotives were delivered in 1904, numbered 250 to 274, and became known on the NGR as the Dübs B even though 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:...
had already ceased to exist when they were built, having been merged into the NBL.
Lineage
The locomotive was intended for use on main line work and Hendrie used the Reid Tenwheeler 4-10-2TSouth African Class H 4-10-2T
Between 1899 and 1903 the Natal Government Railways placed one hundred and one tank steam locomotives with a 4-10-2T wheel arrangement in service. In 1912, with the establishment of the South African Railways, the ninety-three "Reid Tenwheelers" that survived unmodified were designated Class...
and the Dübs A 4-8-2T
South African Class A 4-8-2T
In 1888 the Natal Government Railways placed the first five of its eventual one hundred Class Dübs A 4-8-2T tank steam locomotives in service. The last of the one hundred was delivered in 1899. In 1912, when these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered...
as basis for its design, which resulted in a locomotive that looked like a smaller version of the Reid locomotives. With a larger boiler and working at a higher boiler pressure, the Class Dübs B was a more powerful locomotive than the Dübs A, but in the basic design Hendrie had made no radical changes on the work of his predecessors.
South African Railways
When the various colonial railroads were amalgamated into the South African Railways (SAR) in 1912, these locomotives became the SAR’s Class G and were renumbered 197 to 221.Service
The locomotives were placed in service working the main line corridor passenger trains out of Durban, but they were soon replaced by the Hendrie B 4-8-0South 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...
tender locomotives that entered service later in 1904. They were then used as bank locomotives across the Van Reenen Pass between Harrismith in the Free State and Ladysmith in Natal and remained in use there until the loads became too heavy for them.
The final years of their careers were spent as shunters and the last pair were withdrawn from shunting service around Pietermaritzburg in 1962. Several were sold to mines and other industrial concerns.
See also
- Tank locomotive numbering and classification
- The 4-8-2 "Mountain"
- List of South African locomotive classes