South African Class 8X 2-8-0

The South African Class 8X 2-8-0 of 1901 is a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape Colony.

In 1901 and 1902 the Cape Government Railways placed sixteen 8th Class 2-8-0 Consolidation type steam locomotives in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class 8X. One of them was later converted to a 4-8-0 Mastodon type wheel arrangement and reclassified to Class 8R.^[1][3]

Manufacturers

The first locomotive of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) 2-8-0 Consolidation type 8th Class was designed by H.M. Beatty, the Chief Locomotive Superintendent of the CGR from 1896 to 1910, and sixteen engines were ordered from the Schenectady Locomotive Works in the United States of America. While they were being built, in 1901, Schenectady merged with seven other locomotive builders to form the American Locomotive Company (ALCO).^[1]

As a result the first two locomotives, numbered 749 and 750, were built by Schenectady in 1901, while ALCO built the rest in 1902. Of those, the first seven were numbered in the range from 351 to 357 and were allocated to the CGR’s Midland System, while the last seven were numbered in the range from 751 tot 757 and joined the two Schenectady-builts on the CGR’s Western System.^[1]

They were conceived as mixed traffic locomotives, equally suitable for goods and passenger work, and had bar frames, narrow fireboxes, used saturated steam and had cylinders with overhead slide valves actuated by inside Stephenson valve gear.^[1][4]

Class 8 sub-classes

Between 1902 and 1904 these sixteen 2-8-0 locomotives were followed by several more orders, placed with various manufacturers, for similar locomotives for the CGR. While subjecting these first sixteen locomotives to exhaustive testing on all types of traffic and under varying conditions, some trouble was experienced with the leading pony truck and in the designs of later orders for more locomotives it was dropped in favour of a four-wheeled bogie. Most of the later locomotives were therefore built with a 4-8-0 Mastodon type wheel arrangement, but in spite of the difference they were all grouped together into the 8th Class by the CGR.^[1][4]

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.^[3][5]

In 1912 these Consolidation types were reclassified to Class 8X on the SAR. They, together with the rest of the CGR’s 8th Class 2-8-0 Consolidation types and 8th Class 4-8-0 Mastodon types, plus the Class 8-L1 to 8-L3 4-8-0 Mastodon type locomotives from the Central South African Railways (CSAR), were grouped into ten different sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-8-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 8 and 8A to 8F and the 2-8-0 locomotives became Classes 8X to 8Z.^[2][3][2]

The table displays the locomotive builders, works numbers and the CGR to SAR renumbering for the Class 8X locomotives.^[1][3]

Wheel arrangement modification

In 1930 one of the Class 8X locomotives, SAR no. 883, was reboilered with a purpose-built boiler. At the same time it was equipped with superheating and converted to a 4-8-0 Mastodon type wheel arrangement by replacing the leading pony truck with a bogie. Because of the modification it was reclassified and became the sole Class 8R.^[4]

Service

In SAR service, the 2-8-0 Class 8X was used mainly on the Cape Midland System. The majority of the class were withdrawn by 1937, with a lone locomotive, SAR no. 894, surviving to 1950 before being scrapped. The sole Class 8R 4-8-0 was put to work in the Eastern Transvaal until it was withdrawn from service in 1939.^[4]

Sides illustrated

The main picture and the following photograph offer views of both sides of the Class 8X locomotive.

• 

  Ex CGR 8th Class 2-8-0 no. 751, reclassified and renumbered to SAR Class 8X no. 882, circa 1930

See also

• List of South African locomotive classes
• South African Class Exp 2 2-8-0
• South African Class Exp 3 2-8-0
• South African Class Exp 4 2-8-2
• South African Class Exp 5 2-8-2
• South African Class 8Y 2-8-0
• South African Class 8Z 2-8-0
• South African Class 8 4-8-0
• South African Class 8A 4-8-0
• South African Class 8B 4-8-0
• South African Class 8C 4-8-0
• South African Class 8D 4-8-0
• South African Class 8E 4-8-0
• South African Class 8F 4-8-0
• South African locomotive history
• The 2-8-0 "Consolidation"
• The 4-8-0 "Mastodon"
• Tender locomotive numbering and classification

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: South African Class 8X (2-8-0)

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