CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1879

The CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 of 1879 is a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape Colony.

In 1879 and 1880 the Cape Government Railways placed ten 2-6-0 Mogul type locomotives, built by Beyer, Peacock and Company, in freight service on the Cape Western system. They were also designated 1st Class when a classification system was adopted.^[1][3]

Manufacturer

Six 2-6-0 Mogul type tender goods locomotives were delivered to the Cape Government Railways (CGR) from Beyer, Peacock and Company in 1879, numbered in the range from W27 to W32 for the Western System. Another four were delivered the following year, numbered in the range from W39 to W42. Like the Beyer, Peacock and Avonside locomotives of 1876 and the pre-modification Kitson locomotives of 1876, they were equipped with six-wheeled tenders.^[1][3]

While they were similar in appearance to the locomotives of 1876, there were some major differences. The steam dome was located further forward from the cab, similar to that of the Kitson locomotives. The leading wheels were located much further forward from the coupled wheels at a 5 feet 6 inches (1.676 metres) wheelbase, compared to 3 feet 7 inches (1.092 metres) on the Beyer, Peacock and Avonside locomotives of 1876. In addition, the cylinders were mounted at a downward inclination towards the driving wheelset.^[1][2]

While they were also acquired as goods locomotives, they were used on all kinds of traffic. All these locomotives were later designated 1st Class when a locomotive classification system was introduced by the CGR.^[1]

Service

Cape Government Railways

At the time these locomotives entered service in 1879, the Western System line from Cape Town was completed to Montagu Road, which had been reached in 1877, and work on the section to Beaufort West was completed as far as Fraserburg Road. They saw service on all parts of the Western system, working out of Cape Town deeper into the Karoo as the line was being extended. The line was opened to Beaufort West on 5 February 1880 and the connection with the Midland System was made at De Aar on 31 March 1884.^[1][4]

Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen

Towards the end of 1896 four of these locomotives were sold to the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen (OVGS), where they were designated 2nd Class.^[1]

None of these four survived to be taken onto the South African Railways (SAR) roster in 1912.^[5]

South African Railways

The Union of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910, in terms of the South Africa Act. One of the clauses in the Act required that the three Colonial Government railways, the CGR, the Natal Government Railways and the Central South African Railways, also be united under one single administration to control and administer the railways, ports and harbours of the Union. While the South African Railways (SAR) came into existence in 1910, the actual classification and renumbering of all the rolling stock of the three constituent railways required careful planning and was only implemented with effect from 1 January 1912.^[4][5]

Only no. 40 was still in CGR service to be taken onto the SAR roster in 1912. It was considered obsolete by the SAR, designated Class 01 and renumbered by having the numeral 0 prefixed to its number. It was withdrawn from service by 1918.^[1][3][5]

Renumbering

All these locomotives were renumbered at times during the CGR era. By 1886 the system prefixes had been done away with and by 1888 the first six locomotives were renumbered to the range from 43 to 48. The works numbers, year in service, original numbers, renumberings and disposition of the Cape 1st Class Moguls of 1879 are shown in the table.^[1][3][5]

Nyasaland Railways

In his book Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 1: 1859-1910, D.F. Holland states that four of these locomotives, numbers W27, W28, W30 and W31, by that time renumbered to 43, 44, 46 and 47 respectively, were sold to the Nyasaland Railways at some stage between 1904 and 1912.^[1]

However, the early locomotives in Nyasaland are well documented and no reference exists to locomotives obtained from the CGR. The first railway in Nyasaland was the Shire Highlands Railway (SHR), on which construction started in 1904 and which was opened in 1908. The second railway was the Central African Railway (CAR), on which Pauling & Co. started construction in 1913. Nyasaland Railways was only formed in 1930 to amalgamate the SHR and CAR.^[6]

See also

• CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 BP
• CGR 1st Class 2-6-0ST 1876
• CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1891
• List of South African locomotive classes
• South African locomotive history
• The 2-6-0 "Mogul"

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1879

Locomotives of South Africa Steam Brunel gauge HBEL 0-4-0 HBTB 0-4-0T HBTB 0-4-0WT HBTB 0-4-0ST Broad gauge CGR Aid CGR Blackie CGR 0-4-2 CGR 2-4-0T NRC Durban NRC Natal NRC Perseverance Cape gauge Tank CGR Coffee Pot CGR 040 1873 CGR 040 1874 CGR 060 1876 CGR 060 1902 CGR 260 1900 CGR 260 1902 CGR 1st 040 1875 CGR 1st 440 1875 CGR 1st 040 1876 CGR 1st 260 1876 CGR 2nd 1882 CGR 3rd 1900 CGR RM CSAR C CSAR E CSAR Rack CSAR RM Dbn Congella Dbn Edward Innes Dbn John Milne Dbn Sir Albert HBPE 040 Kowie 060 Kowie 440 M&S 462 NGR Dbn & Pmb NGR I 262 NGR K 040 NGR K 060 NGR K 260 NZASM 10T NZASM 14T NZASM 18T NZASM 19T NZASM 32T NZASM 40T PPR 26T PPR 35T SAR RM SAR 0-4-0ST SAR 040 69 SAR A SAR B SAR C SAR C1 SAR C2 SAR D SAR E SAR F SAR G SAR H SAR H1 SAR H2 SAR J SAR K SWA 2-8-0T Cape gauge Tender CGR 1st 260 1876 BP CGR 1st 260 1876 K CGR 1st 260 1879 CGR 1st 440 1879 CGR 1st 1881 CGR 1st 1891 CGR 2nd 1875 CGR 3rd 1883 CGR 3rd 1884 CGR 3rd 1889 CGR 3rd 1898 CGR 3rd 1901 CGR 3rd 1903 CGR 4th 1880 CGR 4th 1882 CGR 4th 1884 CGR 4th 1897 CGR 5th 1890 CGR 5th 1891 NGR Havelock NGR I 260 Exp-1 Exp-2 Exp-3 Exp-4 Exp-5 Exp-6 SAR S SAR S1 SAR S2 SAR 1 SAR 1A SAR 1B SAR 2 SAR 2C SAR 3 SAR 3A SAR 3B SAR 4 SAR 4A SAR 5 SAR 5A SAR 5B SAR 6 SAR 6A SAR 6B SAR 6C SAR 6D SAR 6E SAR 6F SAR 6G SAR 6H SAR 6J SAR 6K SAR 6L SAR 6Y SAR 6Z SAR 7 SAR 7A SAR 7B SAR 7C SAR 7D SAR 7E SAR 7F SAR 8 SAR 8A SAR 8B SAR 8C SAR 8D SAR 8E SAR 8F SAR 8X SAR 8Y SAR 8Z SAR 9 SAR 10 SAR 10A SAR 10B SAR 10C SAR 10D SAR 11 SAR 12 SAR 12A SAR 12B SAR 13 SAR 14 SAR 14A SAR 14B SAR 14C SAR 15 SAR 15A SAR 15B SAR 15C SAR 15CA SAR 15E SAR 15F SAR 16 SAR 16A SAR 16B SAR 16C SAR 16D SAR 16DA SAR 16E SAR 17 SAR 18 SAR 19 SAR 19A SAR 19B SAR 19C SAR 19D SAR 20 SAR 21 SAR 23 SAR 24 SAR 25 SAR 25NC SAR 26 SWA 2-8-0 Cape gauge Articulated CGR Fairlie CGR Kitson-Meyer SAR FC SAR FD SAR GA SAR GB SAR GC SAR GCA SAR GD SAR GDA SAR GE SAR GEA SAR GF SAR GG SAR GH SAR GK SAR GL SAR GM SAR GMA SAR GO SAR HF SAR KM SAR MA SAR MB SAR MC SAR MC1 SAR MD SAR ME SAR MF SAR MG SAR MH SAR MJ SAR MJ1 SAR U 2ft 6in gauge CCC 1871 CCC Britannia CCC Caledonia CCC Clara CCC Condenser CCC Scotia NCC Pioneer 2ft & 600mm gauges ACR NG-G16A CGR NG 060 CGR NG 462 CGR A CGR C NGR N SAR 040 1899 SAR NG1 SAR NG2 SAR NG3 SAR NG4 SAR NG5 SAR NG6 SAR NG7 SAR NG8 SAR NG9 SAR NG10 SAR NG-G11 SAR NG-G12 SAR NG-G13 SAR NG-G14 SAR NG15 SAR NG-G16 SWA Ha SWA Hb SWA Hc SWA Hd SWA Jung SWA Zwillinge Diesel -electric SAR DS SAR DS1 SAR 31-000 SAR 32-000 SAR 32-200 SAR 33-000 SAR 33-200 SAR 33-400 SAR 34-000 SAR 34-200 SAR 34-400 SAR 34-500 SAR 34-600 SAR 34-800 SAR 34-900 SAR 35-000 SAR 35-200 SAR 35-400 SAR 35-600 SAR 36-000 SAR 36-200 SAR 37-000 SN 39-000 TFR 39-200 TFR 43-000 SAR 91-000 Afro4000 -hydraulic SAR 61-000 Electro-diesel SN 38-000 Electric SAR ES SAR ES1 Exp-AC SAR 1E SAR 2E SAR 3E SAR 4E SAR 5E-S1 SAR 5E-S2 SAR 5E-S3 SAR 5E1-S1 SAR 5E1-S2 SAR 5E1-S3 SAR 5E1-S4 SAR 5E1-S5 SAR 6E SAR 6E1-S1 SAR 6E1-S2 SAR 6E1-S3 SAR 6E1-S4 SAR 6E1-S5 SAR 6E1-S6 SAR 6E1-S7 SAR 6E1-S8 SAR 6E1-S9 SAR 6E1-S10 SAR 6E1-S11 SAR 7E SAR 7E1 SAR 7E2-S1 SAR 7E2-S2 SAR 7E3-S1 SAR 7E3-S2 SN 7E4 SAR 8E SAR 9E-S1 SAR 9E-S2 SAR 10E SAR 10E1-S1 SAR 10E1-S2 SAR 10E2 SAR 11E SAR 12E SN 14E SN 14E1 TFR 15E SN 16E SN 17E SN 18E-S1 TFR 18E-S2 TFR 19E TFR 20E TFR 21E E38 List of South African locomotive classes Rail transport in South Africa