South African Class 6L 4-6-0
| South African Class 6L 4-6-0 ex CGR 6th Class 4-6-0 | |
|---|---|
|
Ex CGR 6th Class, SAR Class 6L, as built with Schmidt superheater and piston valves | |
| Type and origin | |
| Power type | Steam |
| Designer | Cape Government Railways |
| Builder | North British Locomotive Company |
| Serial number |
Neilson, Reid 6324 & 6323 NBL 15889 & 15888 |
| Model | CGR 6th Class |
| Build date | 1903 [1][2] |
| Total produced | 2 |
| Specifications | |
| Configuration | 4-6-0 "Tenwheeler" |
| Gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge |
| Leading wheel diameter | 28.5 in (724 mm) |
| Driver diameter | 54 in (1,370 mm) |
| Wheelbase |
Total: 45 ft 5.5 in (13.856 m) Engine: 6 ft (1.829 m) bogie 11 ft 4 in (3.454 m) coupled 21 ft 2 in (6.452 m) total Tender: 5 ft (1.524 m) bogie 15 ft (4.572 m) total |
| Length | 52 ft 3.25 in (15.932 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 10 in (3.912 m) |
| Frame | Bar frame |
| Axle load |
13.45 long tons (13.7 t) on 2nd driver as built 13.15 long tons (13.4 t) on 3rd driver saturated |
| Weight on drivers |
38.5 long tons (39.1 t) as built 38.15 long tons (38.8 t) saturated |
| Locomotive weight |
52.35 long tons (53.2 t) as built 49.9 long tons (50.7 t) saturated |
| Tender weight | 36 long tons (36.6 t) |
| Locomotive and tender combined weight |
88.35 long tons (89.8 t) as built 85.9 long tons (87.3 t) saturated |
| Tender type |
2 axle bogies 33.5 in (851 mm) wheels |
| Fuel type | Coal |
| Fuel capacity | 5.5 long tons (5.6 t) |
| Water capacity | 3,200 imp gal (15,000 l) |
| Boiler |
4 ft 7 in (1.397 m) inside diameter 11 ft 2.25 in (3.410 m) inside length 6 ft 11 in (2.108 m) pitch |
| Boiler pressure | 180 psi (1,240 kPa) |
| Firegrate area | 18.75 sq ft (1.742 m2) |
| Heating surface: – Tubes |
As built: 158 tubes 2 in (50.8 mm) diameter 924.87 sq ft (85.923 m2) Saturated: 176 tubes 2 in (50.8 mm) diameter 1,030 sq ft (95.690 m2) |
| – Flues |
1 large 10.75 in (273 mm) diameter tube 33.75 sq ft (3.135 m2) superheated |
| – Firebox |
109.5 sq ft (10.173 m2) as built 109 sq ft (10.126 m2) saturated |
| – Total |
1,068.12 sq ft (99.232 m2) as built 1,139 sq ft (105.817 m2) saturated |
| Superheater type | Schmidt, as built |
| Cylinders | Two |
| Cylinder size |
18.5 in (470 mm) bore as built 17.5 in (444 mm) bore saturated 26 in (660 mm) stroke |
| Valve gear | Stephenson |
| Performance figures | |
| Tractive effort |
At 75% boiler pressure: 22,250 lbf (99.0 kN) as built 19,910 lbf (88.6 kN) saturated |
| Career | |
| Operator(s) |
Cape Government Railways South African Railways |
| Class | CGR 6th Class, SAR Class 6L |
| Number in class | 2 |
| Number(s) |
CGR 909-910 SAR 659-660 [1][3][4] |
| Delivered | 1904 |
| First run | 1904 |
| Withdrawn | 1934 |
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The South African Class 6L 4-6-0 of 1904 is a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape Colony.
In 1904 the Cape Government Railways placed its last two 6th Class 4-6-0 bar framed steam locomotives in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 6L.[1][3][5]
Manufacturer
The 6th Class 4-6-0 locomotive was designed at the Salt River works of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) at the same time as the 7th Class 4-8-0. While the 7th Class was conceived primarily as a goods locomotive, the 6th Class was intended to be its fast passenger service counterpart.[1]
The CGR placed its last order for two 6th Class locomotives with Neilson, Reid and Company in 1903. In that same year Scottish locomotive builders Sharp, Stewart and Company and Dübs and Company merged with Neilson, Reid to form the North British Locomotive Company (NBL). The two locomotives, Neilson, Reid works numbers 6324 and 6323, built at the Hyde Park works of the former Neilson, Reid, were therefore delivered with NBL works numbers 15889 and 15888.[2]
Characteristics
The two locomotives in this order were experimental and were the first South African locomotives to have piston valves and superheaters. The pistons, with a bore of 18.5 inches (470 millimetres), were the largest yet used on the 6th Class. Like other second generation 6th Class locomotives with bar frames, they had high running boards without driving wheel fairings. They were delivered in 1904 and numbered 909 and 910 for the Western System of the CGR.[1][5][6]
Schmidt superheater
While in later superheater designs the superheater elements were passed down the boiler flues, the Schmidt superheater installed in these two locomotives was of the smokebox type with the tubes arranged around the shell of the smokebox. To ensure that the superheater tubes received ample heat, a large flue of 10.75 inches (273 millimetres) diameter was installed between the firebox and the front tube plate, where it connected to the casing of the superheater. In the smokebox it was necessary to provide a clearing chute beneath the smokebox where the flue joined the casing in order to prevent it from becoming clogged with cinders. Just forward of the blast pipe, another chute was installed to clear cinders from the firebox.[1]
Modification
The arrangement was extremely complicated and did not prove to be a success, with the result that in 1915 the two locomotives were reboilered with boilers similar to those used by the standard Class 6, thus converting them to saturated steam locomotives. The piston-valve cylinders were also removed and replaced with smaller 17.5 inches (444 millimetres) bore slide-valve cylinders. In this form they were practically identical to the bar framed Class 6J locomotives that were built by Neilson, Reid and Company in 1902, except that they still had cylinders with a 0.5 inches (12.7 millimetres) larger bore.[1]
Class 6 sub-classes
The Union of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910, in terms of the South Africa Act, enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A clause 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.[3][7]
When these two locomotives were assimilated into the SAR in 1912, they were renumbered 659 and 660 and reclassified to Class 6L.[3][4][6]
The rest of the CGR’s 6th Class locomotives, together with the Central South African Railways (CSAR) Classes 6-L1 to 6-L3 locomotives that were inherited from the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwermentspoorwegen (OVGS) via the Imperial Military Railways (IMR), were grouped into thirteen more sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-6-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 6, 6A to 6H, 6J and 6K, the 2-6-2 locomotives became Class 6Y and the 2-6-4 locomotives became Class 6Z.[3][4][6]
Service
The Class 6 family of locomotives were introduced primarily as passenger locomotives, but when the class became displaced by larger and more powerful locomotive classes, it literally became a "Jack-of-all-trades" that proved itself as one of the most useful and successful locomotive classes ever to be designed at the Salt River shops. It went on to see service in all parts of the country except Natal and was used on all types of traffic.[1]
In SAR service the two Class 6L locomotives worked on the Cape mainline until they were withdrawn and scrapped in 1934.[4][5]
See also
- List of South African locomotive classes
- South African Class 6 4-6-0
- South African Class 6A 4-6-0
- South African Class 6B 4-6-0
- South African Class 6C 4-6-0
- South African Class 6D 4-6-0
- South African Class 6E 4-6-0
- South African Class 6F 4-6-0
- South African Class 6G 4-6-0
- South African Class 6H 4-6-0
- South African Class 6J 4-6-0
- South African Class 6K 4-6-0
- South African Class 6Y 2-6-2
- South African Class 6Z 2-6-4
- South African locomotive history
- Tender locomotive numbering and classification
- The 4-6-0 "Tenwheeler"
References
|
- ↑ 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. 54, 56. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 North British Locomotive Company works list, compiled by Austrian locomotive historian Bernhard Schmeiser
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 8, 12, 14, 33-34 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Holland, D.F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 44. ISBN 0869772112.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0” & 3’6” Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended
- ↑ The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 25.
