South African Class A 4-8-2T

The South African Class A 4-8-2T of 1888 is a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Natal Colony.

In 1888 the Natal Government Railways placed the first five of its eventual one hundred Class D 4-8-2T tank steam locomotives in service. The last was delivered in 1899. They were the first locomotives in the world with a 4-8-2 wheel arrangement, later to become known as the Mountain type. In 1912, when these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and reclassified to Class A. In 1915 another two Class A locomotives were built from spare parts.^[1][2]

Manufacturers

The Natal Government Railways (NGR) Class D 4-8-2T tank locomotive was designed by William Milne, the Locomotive Superintendent of the NGR from 1877 to 1896, and was built by Dübs and Company. The first forty-two locomotives, numbered in the range from 49 to 90, were placed in service during Milne’s term and proved to be such good engines that, when G.W. Reid took over as Locomotive Superintendent in 1896, he continued to place further orders for another fifty-eight, numbered in the range from 91 to 148. These one hundred locomotives, initially known on the NGR as the Dübs A, were delivered in ten batches by Dübs between 1888 and 1899.^[1]

As far as is known, the Dübs A locomotives were the first in the world to have a 4-8-2 wheel arrangement, later to become known as the Mountain type.^[1]

Modifications

The performance in service of the Dübs A was gradually improved by various modifications. New boilers were fitted as the originals needed replacement, with a working pressure of 160 pounds per square inch (1,100 kilopascals) instead of the as-delivered locomotive’s 140 pounds per square inch (965 kilopascals). This increased their tractive effort at 75% boiler pressure from 16,340 pounds-force (72.7 kilonewtons) to 18,670 pounds-force (83.0 kilonewtons). The coal bunkers were also enlarged and the connecting rod big-ends were changed to the marine type to increase ground clearance.^[1]

Beginning in 1905, after D.A. Hendrie took over from Reid as Locomotive Superintendent, these locomotives were gradually fitted with Belpaire fireboxes with wider firegrates. In order to accomplish this, Hendrie raised the boiler’s pitch by 4 ¹⁄₂ inches (114 millimetres) and cut away the frame under the firebox to accommodate the wider grates. The wider firebox required that the water tanks also had to be moved out and the opportunity was taken to enlarge the tanks. The cabs were also improved to offer the engine crew better protection. These modified locomotives were known as the Improved Dübs A.^[1]

When a locomotive classification system was introduced on the NGR, the Dübs A locomotive family was designated Class D. The unmodified locomotives became the Class D1 while the modified locomotives with Belpaire fireboxes became the Class D2.^[1][5][6]

Reclassification and renumbering

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 Cape Government Railways, the NGR 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][7]

In 1912 these engines were classified as Class A and were renumbered in the range from 97 to 196, with the unmodified Class D1 locomotives receiving the numbers in the range from 97 to 186 and the ten, at the time, already reboilered Class D2 locomotives receiving the numbers in the range from 187 to 196. In SAR service the Improved Dübs A locomotives became known as the Class A Belpaire.^[4][8]

In 1915, to help counter wartime motive power shortages brought about by the diminished ability to order new locomotives from European builders because of the hostilities, another two Class A locomotives were built from spare parts by the SAR in their Durban shops. These two were numbered 332 and 333.^[8]

Service

In the NGR era the Class D fleet remained in service on the Natal mainline until they were eventually displaced by more modern locomotives. They continued to serve on the Dundee-Hlobane branchline, the Harrismith-Ladysmith section and on the north coast line to Empangeni well into the SAR era. The last of the Class A was withdrawn from service in 1962.^[8]

Several continued to serve in industrial use for many years. A few survive in preservation.^[1]

• Ex NGR no. 84, SAR no. 130 named "Patrys", is plinthed at the Reefsteamers Depot in Germiston.^[9]
• Ex NGR no. 90, SAR no. 136 named "Umbilo", is in the care of the Umgeni Steam Railway.^[10]
• Ex NGR no. 55, SAR no. 103, was moved from Witbank to the Outeniqua Transport Museum in George in August 2014.
• Ex NGR no 133, SAR Class A Belpaire no. 196, is plinthed at Masons Mill in Pietermaritzburg.

Rebuilding to Class 17 4-8-0TT

Class 17 4-8-0TT

When a shortage of suitable shunting locomotives developed in 1926, the SAR modified twenty-one Class A and Class A Belpaire 4-8-2T locomotives by removing the trailing bissel bogie and coal bunker, shortening the main frame and adding a tender to increase the coal and water capacity.^[8]

Tenders from various scrapped locomotive types were used, probable tender models being three axle Type YB, YC (as in the picture alongside), YE and YE1 tenders, as well as the Type XC1 four axle tender as depicted in the official SAR locomotive diagram.^[2]

These twenty-one rebuilt locomotives became the SAR’s Class 17 4-8-0 tank-and-tender locomotives, numbered in the range from 1415 to 1435. They were used as shunting locomotives around Durban and Port Elizabeth until they were withdrawn from service by 1961.^[8]

Works numbers

The builder's works numbers, year built, NGR and SAR numbers, firebox type and Class 17 numbers are shown in the table.

Modifications illustrated

The main picture shows SAR Class A Belpaire no. 196 at Masons Mill, Pietermaritzburg, on 10 December 2010. The following pictures illustrate the post delivery changes that were made, the Belpaire firebox and the altered cab for better crew protection.

• 

  NGR Class D1 no. 105, as built, SAR Class A no. 151, c. 1900

• 

  NGR Class D2 no. 72, SAR Class A Belpaire no. 192, c. 1905

• 

  NGR Class D1 no. 84, SAR Class A no. 130, Reefsteamers, 17 May 2009

See also

• South African Class 17 4-8-0TT
• Tank locomotive numbering and classification
• The 4-8-2 "Mountain"
• South African locomotive history
• List of South African locomotive classes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: South African Class A (4-8-2T)

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