South African Class KM 0-6-0+0-6-0

The South African Class KM 0-6-0+0-6-0 of 1904 is a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Transvaal.

In 1904 the Central South African Railways placed a single experimental 0-6-0+0-6-0 Kitson-Meyer type articulated steam locomotive in service, classified as Class M. In 1912, when the locomotive was assimilated into the South African Railways, it was renumbered and reclassified to Class KM.^[1][2][3]

Manufacturer

In 1903 the English locomotive builders Kitson and Company persuaded the Cape Government Railways (CGR), the Beira and Mashonaland Railway (B&MR) and the Central South African Railways (CSAR) to try their new 0-6-0+0-6-0 Kitson-Meyer type articulated steam locomotive. One was delivered to the CGR and two to the B&MR in 1903. One locomotive was also delivered to the CSAR in 1904, numbered 1000 and designated Class M.^[1][2]

Characteristics

The Kitson-Meyer design consisted of two sets of coupled driving wheels under the frame with both power units free to swivel in relation to the frame. Compared to the usual practice on steam locomotives, the sets of driving wheels were both mounted back to front, with the driving wheels to the front of the cylinders. The rear power unit discharged its exhaust steam up a chimney mounted in the coal bunker to the rear of the cab, while the forward cylinders discharged in the usual manner up a chimney mounted on the smokebox in front of the boiler.^[2]

Meyer locomotive

The Kitson-Meyer was a development of the Meyer locomotive. On a Meyer locomotive the two engine units were mounted close together, and usually with the cylinder ends of the sets of driving wheels facing each other at the centre of the locomotive. One disadvantage of this design was that the rear power unit was directly beneath the firebox, thereby limiting the firebox in size.^[5]

Kitson-Meyer locomotive

On the Kitson-Meyer locomotive, on the other hand, the rear engine unit was located further back, which allowed the firebox to be between the two engine units, thereby making a much larger firebox possible. The same feature would also be a characteristic of the Garratt locomotive, whose first appearance in the world was still five years in the future. This also increased the length of the locomotive, making it possible to utilise the additional length behind the cab for a coal and water bunker. The auxiliary chimney at the rear avoided the need to have an exhaust steam pipe running the length of the locomotive to the smokebox at the front end.^[5]

The Kitson-Meyer locomotives that were delivered to the three Southern African railways had Walschaerts valve gear. They carried no water, but had a coal bunker to the rear of the cab with a capacity of 7 long tons (7 tonnes). All its water was carried in the tender, which had a capacity of 3,000 imperial gallons (14,000 litres) as well as an additional coal capacity of 6 long tons (6 tonnes).^[2]

Performance and modifications

All three railways found their Kitson-Meyers to be poor steamers and, as built, none of these locomotives had a long service life.^[1]

While the Kitson-Meyer could handle a one-third heavier load than a CSAR Class 8-L1, it was found that the boiler could not supply sufficient steam for the four cylinders on longer runs. Part of the problem could probably be ascribed to the fact that the exhaust steam from the rear power unit contributed nothing to the smokebox draught, the same phenomenon that would necessitate the installation of induced draught equipment on South Africa’s Class 25 condensing locomotives half a century later.^[4]

Under the guidance of L.S. Smart, who had succeeded P.A. Hyde as Chief Locomotive Superintendent of the CSAR in 1905, the CSAR carried out certain modifications to their Kitson-Meyer locomotive in 1906. The main alteration was to reduce the diameter of the cylinders to bring them within the range of the boiler’s steam generating capacity. While this reduced the locomotive’s tractive force, it did result in making the Kitson-Meyer a reasonably good performer.^[1][2]

Service

The modified CSAR Kitson-Meyer locomotive survived longer than its CGR and B&MR counterparts, which were all scapped in 1912.^[1][2][3]

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. 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.^[3][6]

In 1912 the CSAR Kitson-Meyer locomotive was renumbered to 1600 and reclassified to Class KM on the SAR. It remained in SAR service until 1918 and was used on the Reef for its entire service life, stationed at Germiston. Upon withdrawal from service it was sold to the Transvaal Collieries.^[1][2][3]

See also

• Articulated locomotive numbering and classification
• CGR Kitson-Meyer 0-6-0+0-6-0
• List of South African locomotive classes
• South African locomotive history
• The 0-6-0+0-6-0 wheel arrangement

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: South African Class KM (0-6-0+0-6-0)

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