South African Class 6G 4-6-0

South African Class 6G 4-6-0
Ex CGR Class 6 263, SAR Class 6G 607
Power type Steam
Designer Cape Government Railways
Schenectady Locomotive Works
Builder Schenectady Locomotive Works
Serial number 5646-5653
Model CGR Class 6
Build date 1901[1]
Total produced 8
Configuration 4-6-0 "Ten-wheeler" (USA)
Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading wheel
diameter		 28.5 in (724 mm)
Driver diameter 54 in (1,370 mm)
Wheelbase Total: 44 ft 11.75 in (13.710 m)
Engine:
6 ft (1.829 m) pilot
11 ft 4 in (3.454 m) coupled
21 ft 2 in (6.452 m) total
Tender:
5 ft (1.524 m) bogie
14 ft 5 in (4.394 m) total
Length 51 ft 5.75 in (15.691 m)
Height 12 ft 8 in (3.861 m)
Frame Bar frame
Axle load 12.75 long tons (13.0 t) on 2nd driver
Weight on drivers 36.525 long tons (37.1 t)
Locomotive weight 48.525 long tons (49.3 t)
Tender weight 34,944 lb (15.9 t) empty
33.1 long tons (33.6 t) w/o
Locomotive & tender
combined weight		 81.625 long tons (82.9 t)
Tender type WE – WE, WG permitted
* 2 axle bogies
* Wheels 34 in (864 mm) dia
* Length 20 ft 4.6875 in (6.215 m)
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity 5 long tons (5.1 t)
Water capacity 2,800 imp gal (13,000 l)
Boiler 4 ft 11 in (1.499 m) int dia
11 ft 4.75 in (3.473 m) int length
6 ft 11 in (2.108 m) pitch
Boiler pressure 180 psi (1,240 kPa)
Firegrate area 19 sq ft (1.765 m2)
Heating surface:
Tubes		 195 tubes 2 in (50.8 mm) ext dia
1,155 sq ft (107.303 m2)
Heating surface:
Firebox		 112 sq ft (10.405 m2)
Heating surface:
Total		 1,267 sq ft (117.708 m2)
Cylinders Two
Cylinder size 17.5 in (445 mm) bore
26 in (660 mm) stroke
Valve gear Stephenson
Tractive effort 19,910 lbf (88.6 kN) at 75% boiler pressure[2]
Career Cape Government Railways
South African Railways
Class CGR Class 6, SAR Class 6G
Number in class 8
Number CGR 262-269
SAR 606-613[1][3][4]
Delivered 1901
First run 1901
Withdrawn 1961[5]
Disposition Retired

In 1901 eight redesigned Class 6 4-6-0 steam locomotives were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6G.[1][3][5]

Contents

Manufacturer

The Class 6 was designed at the Salt River works of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) at the same time as the Class 7. While the Class 7 was conceived primarily as a goods locomotive, the Class 6 was intended to be its fast passenger service counterpart.[1]

The eight Class 6 locomotives that were placed in service by the CGR in 1901 were designed and built by the Schenectady Locomotive Works to the specifications of the CGR locomotive department and were consequently somewhat different in appearance from previous Cape Class 6 locomotives. While also built on bar frames like the previous two Class 6 locomotives, they were slightly larger with larger boilers and with 17.5 inches (445 millimetres) diameter cylinders compared to the 17 inches (432 millimetres) diameter cylinders of all earlier Class 6 locomotives. Like the two Class 6F locomotives, a visually obvious distinguishing feature was their higher mounted running boards without driving wheel fairings. They were numbered 262 to 269 and allocated to the Western System.[1][2]

Class 6 sub-classes

When these eight locomotives were assimilated into the newly established South African Railways (SAR) in 1912, they were renumbered 606 to 613 and reclassified to Class 6G.[2][3][4]

The rest of the CGR’s Class 6 locomotives, together with Class 6 locomotives that were inherited from the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwermentspoorwegen (OVGS) via the Imperial Military Railways (IMR) and the Central South African Railways (CSAR), were grouped into thirteen more sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-6-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 6, 6A to 6F, 6H and 6J to 6L, the 2-6-2 locomotives became Class 6Y and the 2-6-4 locomotives became Class 6Z.[2][4]

Service

The Class 6 series of locomotives were introduced primarily as passenger locomotives, but when the class became displaced by larger and more powerful locomotive classes, it literally became a "Jack-of-all-trades" that proved itself as one of the most useful and successful locomotive classes ever to be designed at the Salt River shops. It went on to see service in all parts of the country except Natal and was used on all types of traffic.[1]

The Class 6G remained in service for sixty years and the last one was withdrawn from service at East London in 1961.[5]

Gallery

The main picture shows CGR (Western System) Class 6 263, later SAR Class 6G 607.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 1: 1859-1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 48, 56. ISBN 0715353829. 
  2. ^ a b c d South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0” & 3’6” Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended
  3. ^ a b c Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 8, 12, 14, 32 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
  4. ^ a b c Holland, D.F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. p. 138. ISBN 0715354272. 
  5. ^ a b c Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 43. ISBN 0869772112.