CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1890

CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1890
to South African Class 05 4-6-0 1890

CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 no. 293, renumbered 493, then OVGS no. 42, CSAR no. 319 and SAR no. 0319
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Designer Cape Government Railways
Builder Dübs and Company
Serial number 2664-2683
Build date 1890
Total produced 20
Specifications
Configuration 4-6-0 "Tenwheeler"
Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading wheel
diameter
28 in (711 mm)
Driver diameter 46 in (1,170 mm)
Wheelbase 10 ft (3.048 m) coupled
5 ft (1.524 m) bogie
19 ft 1 38 in (5.826 m) engine
10 ft (3.048 m) tender
40 ft 2 38 in (12.252 m) total
Length 48 ft 1 34 in (14.675 m) over couplers
Height 12 ft 1 12 in (3.696 m)
Locomotive weight 38 620 long tons (38.9 t) w/o
Tender weight 28 1120 long tons (29.0 t) w/o
Locomotive and tender
combined weight
66 1720 long tons (67.9 t) w/o
Tender type Three-axle
37 inches (940 mm) wheels
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacity 4 long tons (4.1 t)
Water capacity 1,950 imp gal (8,900 l; 2,340 US gal)
Boiler 4 ft (1.219 m) inside diameter
11 ft 1 78 in (3.400 m) length inside
6 ft 4 12 in (1.943 m) pitch
Boiler pressure 150 psi (1,000 kPa)
Firegrate area 16.18 sq ft (1.503 m2)
Heating surface:
– Tubes
185 tubes 1 34 in (44.4 mm) diameter
946.32 sq ft (87.916 m2)
– Firebox 90.96 sq ft (8.450 m2)
– Total 1,037.28 sq ft (96.366 m2)
Cylinders Two
Cylinder size 16 in (406 mm) bore
24 in (610 mm) stroke
Valve gear Stephenson
Performance figures
Tractive effort 15,030 lbf (67 kN) at 75% pressure
Career
Operator(s) Cape Government Railways
OVGS
Imperial Military Railways
Central South African Railways
South African Railways
Class CGR 5th Class, SAR Class 05
Number in class 20
Number(s) Midland 291-308, Western 119-120
Delivered 1890
First run 1890 [1]
Withdrawn 1953 [2]

The CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 of 1890 is a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape Colony.

In 1890 the Cape Government Railways placed twenty 5th Class tender locomotives with a 4-6-0 Tenwheeler type wheel arrangement in mainline service on its Midland and Western Systems.[1]

Manufacturer

The Cape Government Railways 5th Class 4-6-0 Tenwheeler type locomotives were delivered from Dübs and Company in 1890. Of the twenty locomotives, eighteen went to the Midland System to work out of Port Elizabeth, numbered in the range from 291 to 308. The other two, numbered 119 and 120, went to the Western System for service in the Karoo on the section between Touws River and Beaufort West.[1]

Characteristics

The locomotive was a larger and improved version of the earlier 4th Class 4-6-0TT locomotive. It had 46 inches (1,170 millimetres) diameter coupled wheels and, compared to the second batch of 5th Class locomotives that were delivered a year later in 1891, it had a short smokebox with the chimney so close to the front of the smokebox that the headlight had to be mounted on a platform attached to the front of the smokebox.[1][3]

Service

Cape Government Railways

The 5th Class proved to be very useful engines that were considered the first really efficient all-round locomotives in the Colony and they were used wherever the mainline had severe gradients and curves. Because of their greater power, the older 4th Class locomotives were gradually relegated to secondary duties.[1]

Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen

In late 1896 eight of the Midland System's locomotives were sold to the newly established Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen (OVGS), where they were designated 5th Class K and renumbered in the range from 41 to 48.[1][4]

Central South African Railways

During the South African War control of all railways in the Orange Free State was taken over by the Imperial Military Railways. At the end of the war in 1902, the eight ex-OVGS locomotives came onto the roster of the Central South African Railways (CSAR), where they were renumbered in the range from 318 to 325. In 1904 the CSAR reboilered two of these locomotives, no. 319 and 322, with larger boilers and Belpaire fireboxes that were equipped with Drummond tubes.[1][2]

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 CSAR, 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]

By 1912 sixteen of these locomotives survived, twelve on the CGR and four, including the two that had been reboilered, on the CSAR. They were considered obsolete by the SAR, designated Class 05 and renumbered by having the numeral 0 prefixed to their existing numbers.[4]

In spite of being considered obsolete, some of the Class 05 locomotives survived as shunting engines in SAR service for another four decades, with some even getting reboilered while in SAR service. One confirmed example is no. 0506, which was still equipped with boiler no. 7244 of 1924 when it was withdrawn from service in the 1950s.[6]

The Class 05 locomotives were the last obsolete engines to be still in SAR service when they were eventually withdrawn in 1953.[2]

Works numbers

The works numbers, CGR System, original numbers, renumberings and distribution of the Cape 5th Class of 1890 are set out in the table.[1][4]

See also

References

 
 

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 1: 1859-1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 39–41, 78, 108, 122, 126, 133. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 20. ISBN 0869772112.
  3. Dulez, Jean A. (2012). Railways of Southern Africa 150 Years (Commemorating One Hundred and Fifty Years of Railways on the Sub-Continent - Complete Motive Power Classifications and Famous Trains - 1860-2011) (1st ed.). Garden View, Johannesburg, South Africa: Vidrail Productions. p. 43. ISBN 9 780620 512282.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 27-28. (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
  5. The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 25.
  6. Class 05 of 1890 and 1891 - SAR reboilerings