South African Class H1 4-8-2T

South African Class H1 4-8-2T
Ex IMR Reid Ten-wheeler 245 (4-10-2T)
Ex CSAR Modified Class E 245 (4-8-2T)
SAR Class H1 225, circa 1912
Power type Steam
Designer Natal Government Railways
Builder Dübs and Company
Neilson, Reid and Company
Serial number Dübs 4088, 4099, 4100
(CSAR 222, 233-234)[1]
Neilson, Reid 6196, 6206, 6213
(CSAR 235, 245, 252)[2]
Model Reid Tenwheeler 4-10-2
Build date 1902
Total produced 35
Rebuilder Central South African Railways
Rebuild date Circa 1905
Number rebuilt 6
Configuration 4-10-2 "Reid Tenwheeler" as built
4-8-2T "Mountain" rebuilt
Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading wheel
diameter		 25.75 in (654 mm)
Driver diameter 45 in (1,140 mm)
Trailing wheel
diameter		 25.75 in (654 mm)
Wheelbase 30 ft 6 in (9.296 m) total
5 ft 4 in (1.626 m) pilot
12 ft 6 in (3.810 m) coupled
Length 37 ft 6 in (11.430 m)
Height 12 ft 6 in (3.810 m)
Axle load 13 long tons (13.2 t) per driver
Weight on drivers 52 long tons (52.8 t)
Locomotive weight 116,368 lb (52.8 t) empty
68 long tons (69.1 t) w/o
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity 4 long tons (4.1 t)
Water capacity 1,880 imp gal (8,500 l)
Boiler 4 ft 7.875 in (1.419 m) int dia
10 ft 4 in (3.150 m) int length
6 ft 10 in (2.083 m) pitch
Boiler pressure 175 psi (1,210 kPa)
Firegrate area 21 sq ft (1.951 m2)
Heating surface:
Tubes		 287 tubes 1.75 in (44.5 mm) dia
1,359 sq ft (126.255 m2)
Heating surface:
Firebox		 135 sq ft (12.542 m2)
Heating surface:
Total		 1,494 sq ft (138.797 m2)
Cylinders Two
Cylinder size 19 in (483 mm) bore
27 in (686 mm) stroke
Valve gear Allan
Tractive effort 28,430 lbf (126.5 kN) at 75% boiler pressure[1][3]
Career Imperial Military Railways
Central South African Railways
South African Railways
Class Class H1
Number in class 5
Number CSAR 222, 233, 235, 245, 252
SAR 222–226[4][5]
Nicknames Converted Reid
Delivered 1902
First run 1902
Withdrawn 1966
Disposition Retired

In 1902, towards the end of the Second Freedom War, the Imperial Military Railways placed thirty-five 4-10-2T tank locomotives in service, built to the specifications of the "Reid tenwheeler" of the Natal Government Railways. At the end of the war, these locomotives were transferred to the Central South African Railways and became its Class E. Six of these locomotives were then converted to 4-8-2T tank locomotives and in 1912, with the establishment of the South African Railways, the five survivors of these six were classified as Class H1.[1][3][4][6]

Contents

Origin

The requirement for a tank locomotive that could haul at least one and a half times as much as a Dübs A 4-8-2T locomotive on the Natal Government Railways (NGR) main line resulted in the design of a 4-10-2T tank locomotive by G.W. Reid, the Locomotive Superintendent of the NGR at the end of the 19th century. On the NGR the locomotive type became known as the "Reid tenwheeler".[1][6]

Manufacturers

In 1902, during the Second Freedom War, the Imperial Military Railways (IMR) of the invading British forces experienced a shortage of locomotives as a result of damage caused during hostilities and the demands placed on the Railways by the armed forces. It therefore placed urgent orders for thirty-five locomotives of the NGR’s "Reid tenwheeler" type. In order to ensure rapid delivery, the order was split between Dübs and Company (numbers 220 to 234) and Neilson, Reid and Company (numbers 235 to 254).[1]

Characteristics

Unlike the NGR versions, the IMR locomotives were more ornate. In true military tradition, the domes, chimney caps and boiler bands were of polished brass. A weatherboard was affixed to the coal bunker to offer better protection to the crew when travelling backwards.[1]

The practice of polished brasswork was followed on all new IMR locomotives and was continued even after the war when the IMR became the Central South African Railways (CSAR).[1]

Rebuilding

To 4-8-0 tender locomotives

At the end of the war these locomotives became the Class E on the CSAR roster. The CSAR found them to have an inadequate coal and water supply for trips of any length and, beginning in 1905, all but six of them were converted to 4-8-0 tender locomotives by removing the trailing bissel bogie, the fifth pair of drivers and the coal bunker, shortening the main frame and adding tenders reclaimed from various scrapped locomotives. When these 4-8-0 tender locomotives were inherited by the South African Railways (SAR) in 1912, they became the Class 13.[1]

To 4-8-2T tank locomotives

The six remaining locomotives (CSAR numbers 222, 233-235, 245 and 252) were converted to 4-8-2T locomotives by removing the fifth pair of drivers and blanking off the resulting opening in the frame, similar to the modification that was done by the NGR on its own Reid Tenwheelers to make them better suitable for yard work. In SAR service the five survivors of these 4-8-2T locomotives became the Class H1. The builders, works numbers and renumbering of all thirty-five locomotives are set out in the table.[4][5][6]

Service

The Class H1 was used extensively for shunting in many parts of the country. It had a long service life and the last of the Class was only withdrawn from service in 1966.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 1: 1859-1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 124, 134-135. ISBN 0715353829. 
  2. ^ Neilson, Reid works list, compiled by Austrian locomotive historian Bernhard Schmeiser
  3. ^ a b South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0” & 3’6” Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, pp21 & 21A, as amended
  4. ^ a b c Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 7, 11, 13, 22-23 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
  5. ^ a b Holland, D.F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. p. 136. ISBN 0715354272. 
  6. ^ a b c d Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 10-11, 32, 56. ISBN 0869772112.