South African Class 8Y 2-8-0

In 1903 the Cape Government Railways placed four more Cape Class 8 2-8-0 steam locomotives in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 8Y.^[1][2]

Manufacturer

The first locomotive in the Cape Government Railways (CGR) 2-8-0 Consolidation type Class 8, later to become the South African Railways (SAR) Class 8X, was designed by H.M. Beatty, the CGR’s Chief Locomotive Superintendent from 1896 to 1910. This second batch of four were ordered in 1903 from Kitson and Company of Hunslet in Leeds, West Yorkshire. All four were allocated to the CGR’s Western System and numbered 817 to 820.^[1]

They were very similar to the earlier Schenectady and ALCO built Consolidations, but with the boiler centre line raised two inches. Coupled with a shallow firebox, this enabled the grate to be extended out sideways over the fourth set of drivers, resulting in a grate area of 30.9 square feet (2.871 square metres) compared to the 20 square feet (1.858 square metres) of the previous model. They also used saturated steam and cylinders with overhead slide valves actuated by inside Stephenson valve gear. When they were assimilated into the newly established SAR in 1912 and renumbered, they were reclassified to Class 8Y.^[3][1][2]

Class 8 sub-classes

In spite of the difference in wheel arrangement, the CGR grouped its 2-8-0 Consolidation and post Class 7 4-8-0 Mastodon locomotives together as Class 8. In 1912 all these 2-8-0 and 4-8-0 locomotives, together with the Class 8-L1 to Class 8-L3 2-8-0 locomotives from the Central South African Railways (CSAR), were grouped into ten different sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-8-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 8 and 8A to 8F and the 2-8-0 locomotives became Classes 8X to 8Z.^[3][1][4]

Service

In SAR service, the 2-8-0 Class 8Y was used mainly in the Northern Cape until they were withdrawn by 1938.^[3]

See also

• South African Class 8 4-8-0
• South African Class 8A 4-8-0
• South African Class 8B 4-8-0
• South African Class 8C 4-8-0
• South African Class 8D 4-8-0
• South African Class 8E 4-8-0
• South African Class 8F 4-8-0
• South African Class 8X 2-8-0
• South African Class 8Z 2-8-0
• Tender locomotive numbering and classification
• The 2-8-0 "Consolidation"
• List of South African locomotive classes

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. 64-65. ISBN 0715353829. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 9, 12, 15, 36 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 50. ISBN 0869772112. 
4. ^ South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0” & 3’6” Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended