South African Class NG6 4-4-0
Encyclopedia
Between 1895 and 1898 Pauling and Company placed forty-two Falcon F2 and F4 tender steam locomotives with a 4-4-0
American wheel arrangement in service on the narrow gauge line that was being constructed for the Beira Railway in Mozambique
. In 1915 thirteen of these locomotives were acquired by the Union Defence Force for use in South Africa
, where they replaced locomotives that had been commandeered for the war effort in German South West Africa during World War I
.
At the end of the war these thirteen locomotives were staged. In 1921 they were placed back in service by the South African Railways. When a system of grouping narrow gauge locomotives into classes was eventually introduced somewhere between 1928 and 1930, they were classified as Class NG6.
n border. The Rhodesian border was reached in October 1897 and the full line to Umtali was opened to traffic on 4 February 1898. The work was undertaken by Pauling and Company and was subcontracted to Alfred Lawley.
in England and the Glasgow Railway Engineering Company
in Scotland. In service these locomotives were soon nicknamed "Lawleys" after the Beira Railway construction subcontractor.
A further five F2 locomotives were ordered from Falcon and were also delivered in 1985, numbered BR5 to BR9. It differed in appearance from the previous F2 locomotive by having single larger cab windows.
At the end of 1896 another four were delivered from Falcon, numbered BR16 to BR19. They were similar to the previous batches, but had larger three-axle tenders with an increased water capacity.
The last sixteen Falcon builts were all delivered in 1897, numbered BR20 to BR35. All these Falcon built F2 and F4 locomotives bore their running numbers on the sand boxes on their running boards, in the form of individual brass letters and numbers.
The manufacturing company in Glasgow was formed by Dugald Drummond
in 1891 as Dugald Drummond and Sons. In 1895, when Dugald left to take up the post as locomotive engineer of the London and South Western Railway
, the name of the business was changed to the Glasgow Railway Engineering Company, with his sons continuing to manage the works. While the earlier locomotives were known as the "Falcon F4", this last batch of Glasgow built locomotives were often referred to as the "Drummond F4" in spite of its builder’s name change.
of Leeds. One of these was attached to number BR5 after its three-axle tender was wrecked in an accident. Both of these bogie tenders later turned up in South Africa, attached to numbers BR6 and BR8.
by 1900. As a result the whole Lawley locomotive fleet, together with the rest of the Beira’s narrow gauge locomotives, were staged at Bamboo Creek (Villa Machado) near Beira, with the exception of those locomotives required for the Ayrshire Railway which was then under construction.
, when South African forces conducted a campaign to drive German forces from Deutsch-Südwest-Afrika (DSWA, now Namibia
), narrow gauge locomotives were urgently required in that territory to replace those that were destroyed by the retreating German forces. Several South African Railways (SAR) locomotives from the various narrow gauge lines were therefore commandeered by the Union Defence Force (UDF). To replace these, thirteen of the Lawleys in staging at Bamboo Creek were purchased by the South African Department of Defence and brought to South Africa in 1915. They were renumbered NG96 to NG108 and after being repaired, nine of them were placed in service while the other four were cannibalised for spare parts.
As the DSWA campaign drew to a close and many of the ex German narrow gauge locomotives were repaired, the SAR locomotives on active service gradually returned to their home lines in South Africa. As a result the UDF Lawleys were staged once again, after less than two years of service in South Africa.
During 1924 construction commenced on the narrow gauge branch line between Upington and Kakamas in the northern Cape, and during 1925 on the branch from Fort Beaufort to Seymour in the Eastern Cape. The remaining Lawleys were then also recovered from storage and placed in service once again. They remained in service when these branch lines were opened to traffic, even though it was usually only in a standby capacity.
The system of grouping narrow gauge locomotives into classes was adopted by the SAR somewhere between 1928 and 1930 and at that point the Lawley locomotives were classified as Class NG6. Eventually the steady increase in loads on the narrow gauge branches once again proved to be more than the Lawleys were capable of and they were eventually withdrawn with the last one, NG103, being retired in 1935.
, the Rhodesian Native Timber Concessions at Gwaai, the Cam and Motor Mine at Gatooma, the Selukwe Peak Light Railway of the Selukwe Chrome Mine, the Lupane Forest Estates, the Igusi Saw Mills and the Arcturus Mine east of Salisbury, all these in Rhodesia. In South Africa some went to the Zebediela
citrus plantations in the northern Transvaal.
near Ficksburg
in the Free State
. One is Falcon F2 number BR6, later SAR number NG106, that was restored by Sandstone as BR7 in the original green Beira livery and with a Fowler built bogie tender, while the other is Falcon F4 number BR25, later SAR number NG97, that was restored to the black SAR livery and with an original three-axle tender.
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
American wheel arrangement in service on the narrow gauge line that was being constructed for the Beira Railway in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
. In 1915 thirteen of these locomotives were acquired by the Union Defence Force for use in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where they replaced locomotives that had been commandeered for the war effort in German South West Africa during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
At the end of the war these thirteen locomotives were staged. In 1921 they were placed back in service by the South African Railways. When a system of grouping narrow gauge locomotives into classes was eventually introduced somewhere between 1928 and 1930, they were classified as Class NG6.
The Beira Railway
Construction of the first 2 feet (609.6 mm) narrow gauge line in Southern Africa began in 1892. This was the 370 kilometres (230 mi) long line of the narrow gauge Beira Railway that eventually stretched from Beira in Mozambique to Umtali across the RhodesiaRhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
n border. The Rhodesian border was reached in October 1897 and the full line to Umtali was opened to traffic on 4 February 1898. The work was undertaken by Pauling and Company and was subcontracted to Alfred Lawley.
Manufacturers and characteristics
Between 1895 and 1898 the Beira placed forty-two Falcon F2 and F4 tender steam locomotives with a 4-4-0 American wheel arrangement in service, supplied in six batches by Falcon Engine and Car Works LimitedBrush Traction
This article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...
in England and the Glasgow Railway Engineering Company
Dugald Drummond
Dugald Drummond was a Scottish steam locomotive engineer. He had a career with the North British Railway, LB&SCR, Caledonian Railway and London and South Western Railway...
in Scotland. In service these locomotives were soon nicknamed "Lawleys" after the Beira Railway construction subcontractor.
Falcon F2
The first of the Falcon F2 4-4-0 locomotives differed from subsequent models of its class by having a cab similar to the Beira’s earlier three 0-6-0 locomotives, with two rectangular louvred cab windows on each side. The locomotive was delivered by Falcon in 1895 and was numbered BR4.A further five F2 locomotives were ordered from Falcon and were also delivered in 1985, numbered BR5 to BR9. It differed in appearance from the previous F2 locomotive by having single larger cab windows.
Falcon F4
The six locomotives that were ordered from Falcon in 1896 were of an altered design. The Falcon F4 was larger and heavier than the F2, with the running boards stepped down below the cab, a larger tube heating surface in the boiler, single slidebars, straight lipped funnels, conventional pop safety valves over the fireboxes, and a tractive effort that was increased from the 3000 pound-forces (13.3 kN) of the F2 to 3987 pound-forces (17.7 kN) at 75% boiler pressure. They were numbered BR10 to BR15 and could pull 180 long tons (182.9 t) up the ruling gradients, compared to the 160 long tons (162.6 t) that the F2 could manage.At the end of 1896 another four were delivered from Falcon, numbered BR16 to BR19. They were similar to the previous batches, but had larger three-axle tenders with an increased water capacity.
The last sixteen Falcon builts were all delivered in 1897, numbered BR20 to BR35. All these Falcon built F2 and F4 locomotives bore their running numbers on the sand boxes on their running boards, in the form of individual brass letters and numbers.
Glasgow F4
The construction of the last batch of ten F4 locomotives was subcontracted by Falcon to the Glasgow Railway Engineering Company in Scotland. They were built and delivered in 1898, numbered BR36 to BR45. The Glasgow locomotives had wasp-waisted safety valves and their running numbers, also on the sand boxes, were cast oval brass plates.The manufacturing company in Glasgow was formed by Dugald Drummond
Dugald Drummond
Dugald Drummond was a Scottish steam locomotive engineer. He had a career with the North British Railway, LB&SCR, Caledonian Railway and London and South Western Railway...
in 1891 as Dugald Drummond and Sons. In 1895, when Dugald left to take up the post as locomotive engineer of the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
, the name of the business was changed to the Glasgow Railway Engineering Company, with his sons continuing to manage the works. While the earlier locomotives were known as the "Falcon F4", this last batch of Glasgow built locomotives were often referred to as the "Drummond F4" in spite of its builder’s name change.
Fowler tenders
In addition to the three-axle tenders that were delivered with all the F2 and F4 locomotives, two larger bogie tenders were ordered from John Fowler and CompanyJohn Fowler & Co.
thumb|right|John Fowler & Co. [[steam roller]] of 1923John Fowler & Co Engineers of Leathley Road, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England produced traction engines and ploughing implements and equipment, as well as railway equipment. Fowler also produced the Track Marshall tractor which was a...
of Leeds. One of these was attached to number BR5 after its three-axle tender was wrecked in an accident. Both of these bogie tenders later turned up in South Africa, attached to numbers BR6 and BR8.
Beira Railway
In service it turned out that the Lawleys were not adequate to the task. Also, since rapid growth in traffic soon overwhelmed the narrow gauge line, it was widened to Cape gaugeCape 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 :...
by 1900. As a result the whole Lawley locomotive fleet, together with the rest of the Beira’s narrow gauge locomotives, were staged at Bamboo Creek (Villa Machado) near Beira, with the exception of those locomotives required for the Ayrshire Railway which was then under construction.
Ayrshire Railway
The Ayrshire Railway used much of the redundant Beira equipment, including six of the F4 locomotives, one of them Falcon built and the other five Glasgow built. They remained in service there until this line was also converted to Cape gauge in 1914 and became the Sinoia branch of the Beira, Mashonaland and Rhodesia Railway.Union Defence Force
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when South African forces conducted a campaign to drive German forces from Deutsch-Südwest-Afrika (DSWA, now Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
), narrow gauge locomotives were urgently required in that territory to replace those that were destroyed by the retreating German forces. Several South African Railways (SAR) locomotives from the various narrow gauge lines were therefore commandeered by the Union Defence Force (UDF). To replace these, thirteen of the Lawleys in staging at Bamboo Creek were purchased by the South African Department of Defence and brought to South Africa in 1915. They were renumbered NG96 to NG108 and after being repaired, nine of them were placed in service while the other four were cannibalised for spare parts.
- NG96, NG97 and NG98 were placed in service on the HopefieldHopefield, Western CapeHopefield is a settlement in West Coast District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa....
line from Kalbaskraal to SaldanhaSaldanha, Western CapeSaldanha, also known as Saldanha Bay, is a town of 22,000 people, located north of Cape Town on the northern shore of Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its situation as a natural sheltered harbour has led to development as a port for the export of iron ore from Sishen in...
. - NG101, NG102 and NG103 were placed in service on the LangkloofLangkloofLangkloof is a 160 km long valley in South Africa, lying between Herold, a small village north of George, and Humansdorp. The kloof was given its name by Isaq Schrijver in 1689, and more thoroughly explored by a later expedition under ensign August Frederik Beutler in 1752.The valley has been...
line from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur. - NG104, NG105 and NG106 were placed in service on the various Natal branches.
As the DSWA campaign drew to a close and many of the ex German narrow gauge locomotives were repaired, the SAR locomotives on active service gradually returned to their home lines in South Africa. As a result the UDF Lawleys were staged once again, after less than two years of service in South Africa.
South African Railways
In 1921 Lawleys NG101 and NG102 were placed in SAR service on the branch line from Pienaarsrivier to Pankop, off the main line between Pretoria and Pietersburg. The Lawleys were the smallest tender steam locomotives to ever see service on the SAR. On this line they performed quite well, since the branch was a light railway with slow speeds and small rolling stock.During 1924 construction commenced on the narrow gauge branch line between Upington and Kakamas in the northern Cape, and during 1925 on the branch from Fort Beaufort to Seymour in the Eastern Cape. The remaining Lawleys were then also recovered from storage and placed in service once again. They remained in service when these branch lines were opened to traffic, even though it was usually only in a standby capacity.
The system of grouping narrow gauge locomotives into classes was adopted by the SAR somewhere between 1928 and 1930 and at that point the Lawley locomotives were classified as Class NG6. Eventually the steady increase in loads on the narrow gauge branches once again proved to be more than the Lawleys were capable of and they were eventually withdrawn with the last one, NG103, being retired in 1935.
Industrial
Several Lawleys were sold into private use, with some surviving in service until 1957, often being sold or resold between users. Known users were, amongst others, Premier Portland Cement in BulawayoBulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
, the Rhodesian Native Timber Concessions at Gwaai, the Cam and Motor Mine at Gatooma, the Selukwe Peak Light Railway of the Selukwe Chrome Mine, the Lupane Forest Estates, the Igusi Saw Mills and the Arcturus Mine east of Salisbury, all these in Rhodesia. In South Africa some went to the Zebediela
Zebediela
Zebediela is a group of villages in Capricorn District Municipality of Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is situated south-east of Polokwane next to Lebowakgomo. It is well known for the production of citrus fruits....
citrus plantations in the northern Transvaal.
Renumberings
While frames, boilers and tenders were being exchanged between locomotives in the process of building nine serviceable locomotives from the thirteen that were purchased from Bamboo Creek, the original identities of these locomotives were not always accurately recorded. The Lawley locomotive models, builders and works numbers are listed in the table, which includes the running numbers of those SAR locomotives of which the ex Beira running numbers are known.| Builder |
Model |
Year built |
Works no. |
Beira no. |
Ayrshire no. |
SAR no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon | F2 | 1895 | 230 | 4 | ||
| Falcon | F2 | 1895 | 231 | 5 | 104 | |
| Falcon | F2 | 1895 | 232 | 6 | 106 | |
| Falcon | F2 | 1895 | 233 | 7 | ||
| Falcon | F2 | 1895 | 234 | 8 | 105 | |
| Falcon | F2 | 1895 | 235 | 9 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1896 | 242 | 10 | 99 | |
| Falcon | F4 | 1896 | 243 | 11 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1896 | 244 | 12 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1896 | 245 | 13 | 100 | |
| Falcon | F4 | 1896 | 246 | 14 | 103 | |
| Falcon | F4 | 1896 | 247 | 15 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1896 | 254 | 16 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1896 | 255 | 17 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1896 | 256 | 18 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1896 | 257 | 19 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 258 | 20 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 259 | 21 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 260 | 22 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 261 | 23 | 96 | |
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 262 | 24 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 263 | 25 | 97 | |
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 264 | 26 | 98 | |
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 265 | 27 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 266 | 28 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 267 | 29 | 101 | |
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 268 | 30 | 30 | |
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 269 | 31 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 270 | 32 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 271 | 33 | 102 | |
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 272 | 34 | ||
| Falcon | F4 | 1897 | 273 | 35 | ||
| Glasgow | F4 | 1898 | 36 | |||
| Glasgow | F4 | 1898 | 37 | |||
| Glasgow | F4 | 1898 | 38 | |||
| Glasgow | F4 | 1898 | 39 | |||
| Glasgow | F4 | 1898 | 40 | 40 | ||
| Glasgow | F4 | 1898 | 41 | 41 | ||
| Glasgow | F4 | 1898 | 42 | 42 | ||
| Glasgow | F4 | 1898 | 43 | 43 | ||
| Glasgow | F4 | 1898 | 44 | 44 | ||
| Glasgow | F4 | 1898 | 45 | |||
Preservation
Two locomotives have been restored to running condition at the Sandstone EstatesSandstone Estates
Sandstone Estates are an extensive farming complex located in Free State, South Africa, close to Bloemfontein. Owned by entrepreneur Wilf Mole, they are also a global-scale hub of transport preservation.-Farm:...
near Ficksburg
Ficksburg
Ficksburg is a town situated at the foot of the 450m high Imperani Mountain in Free State province, South Africa. The town was set up by General Johan Fick who won the territory in the Basotho Wars...
in the Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
. One is Falcon F2 number BR6, later SAR number NG106, that was restored by Sandstone as BR7 in the original green Beira livery and with a Fowler built bogie tender, while the other is Falcon F4 number BR25, later SAR number NG97, that was restored to the black SAR livery and with an original three-axle tender.
Gallery
The main picture shows the restored Falcon F2, Beira Railway number BR6, SAR number NG106, restored as number BR7 with a Fowler tender, at Sandstone Estates on 9 April 2006.| thumb |
See also
- The 4-4-0 "American"
- Narrow Gauge locomotive numbering and classification
- List of South African locomotive classes
- Two foot gauge railways in South AfricaTwo foot gauge railways in South AfricaAt the beginning of the twentieth century, two foot narrow gauge railway lines started playing a significant role in transporting various agricultural and mineral produce from locations hardly accessible by road...