Harbour Board TB 0-4-0WT

The Harbour Board Table Bay 0-4-0WT of 1879 is a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape Colony.

Altogether seven Brunel gauge locomotives are known to have been employed on the Table Bay Harbour project between 1862 and 1904. The fourth Table Bay harbour construction locomotive was a 7 ft ¹⁄₄ in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge 0-4-0 well-tank engine that entered excavation and breakwater construction service in 1879.^[1][2]

Table Bay Harbour

Work to improve the facilities at Table Bay Harbour in Cape Town was started in 1860, using convict labour, and consisted of the excavation of two basins and the construction of breakwater piers.^[2][3][4][5]

Harbour construction railway

The construction locomotives at Table Bay Harbour were small 7 ft ¹⁄₄ in (2,140 mm) Brunel gauge engines that were used to haul trains of heavy iron tip-wagons to convey rock from the Alfred Basin excavation site to the breakwater that was being built simultaneously. The broad Brunel gauge track was selected to make it easier to drop rock from the wagons between the rails, which were run out to sea on a timber framework, a method of construction that was perfected by Sir John Coode. The wagons were equipped with interlocking running boards along the length of the train.^[2][3][6]

As work progressed, the requirement arose for more locomotives. Altogether seven Brunel gauge locomotives are known to have been employed on the Table Bay Harbour project, but information about all of them are sketchy at best.^[1]

Locomotives before 1879

Three locomotives were placed in service before 1879, one in 1862 and another at some stage between 1863 and 1870. The third locomotive was a 0-4-0 side-tank engine that was obtained from Fletcher, Jennings and Company in 1874.^[1][2][7]

The 0-4-0WT locomotive of 1879

In 1879 the fourth locomotive to enter service on the construction site at Table Bay Harbour, the 0-4-0 well-tank engine that is the subject of this page, was also obtained from Fletcher, Jennings and not from Black, Hawthorn and Company as mentioned in D.F. Holland’s work. It was similar to the third locomotive, but it had a well-tank instead of side-tanks. It also offered the crew some better protection against the elements, with a larger roofed cab and a rather ornate wooden frame front screen with five windows.^[1][2]

Locomotives after 1879

Three Brunel gauge 0-4-0ST locomotives were placed in service on the Table Bay Harbour project in 1881 and 1893, built by Black, Hawthorn & Co. Two were built in 1881 with works numbers 642 and 646. The last one was delivered in 1893 with works number 1079. These three locomotives bore Table Bay numbers 4, 5 and 8.^[1][2][8]

Brunel gauge termination

Work on the project continued into the 20th century since even further harbour expansion soon became necessary, brought about by developments in the interior such as the discovery of diamonds, then of gold, and then the outbreak of the South African War. A dry dock was added in 1881 and work began in 1900 on a new breakwater and the Victoria Basin.^[2][3]

The Brunel gauge harbour construction railway remained in operation until 1904 when, after forty-two years of operation, the broad gauge was lifted and replaced by a mechanical tramway running on 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge.^[2]

See also

• Harbour Board TB 0-4-0T
• The 0-4-0 wheel arrangement
• South African locomotive history
• List of South African locomotive classes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Table Bay 0-4-0WT 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