South African Class MC1 2-6-6-0

South African Class MC1 2-6-6-0
SAR Class MC1 with engine driver Mr. Kok, c. 1930
Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	American Locomotive Company
Builder	North British Locomotive Company
Serial number	20442-20456 ^[1]^[2]
Build date	1913-1914
Total produced	15
Specifications
Configuration	2-6-6-0 Mallet
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading wheel diameter	28.5 in (724 mm)
Driver diameter	45.5 in (1,160 mm)
Wheelbase	Total: 60 ft (18.288 m) Engine: 8 ft 4 in (2.540 m) per coupled set 33 ft 5 in (10.185 m) total Tender: 4 ft 7 in (1.397 m) bogie 16 ft 9 in (5.105 m) total
Length	68 ft 5.125 in (20.857 m)
Height	12 ft 5.1875 in (3.789 m)
Axle load	16.2 long tons (16.5 t) on 6th driver
Weight on drivers	89.95 long tons (91.4 t)
Locomotive weight	97.9 long tons (99.5 t)
Tender weight	50.9 long tons (51.7 t)
Locomotive and tender combined weight	148.8 long tons (151.2 t)
Tender type	2 axle bogie 34 in (864 mm) wheels
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	10 long tons (10.2 t)
Water capacity	4,250 imp gal (19,300 l)
Boiler	5 ft 8 in (1.727 m) inside diameter 16 ft 2.75 in (4.947 m) inside length 7 ft 6 in (2.286 m) pitch
Boiler pressure	200 psi (1,380 kPa)
Firegrate area	42.5 sq ft (3.948 m²)
Heating surface: – Tubes	152 tubes 2.25 in (57.1 mm) diameter 27 tubes 5.375 in (137 mm) diameter 2,060 sq ft (191.380 m²)
– Firebox	154 sq ft (14.307 m²)
– Total	2,214 sq ft (205.687 m²)
Superheater area	580 sq ft (53.884 m²)
Cylinders	Four
High-pressure cylinder size	18 in (457 mm) bore 26 in (660 mm) stroke
Low-pressure cylinder size	28.5 in (724 mm) bore 26 in (660 mm) stroke
Valve gear	Walschaerts ^[3]
Performance figures
Tractive effort	46,414 lbf (206 kN) at 50% pressure
Career
Operator(s)	South African Railways ^[1]
Class	Class MC1
Number in class	15
Number(s)	1634-1648 ^[1]
Delivered	1914
First run	1914
Withdrawn	1939 ^[3]

The South African Class MC1 2-6-6-0 of 1914 is a South African steam locomotive from the South African Railways era.

In 1914 the South African Railways placed fifteen Class MC1 Mallet articulated compound steam locomotives with a 2-6-6-0 wheel arrangement in service.^[1]^[3]

Manufacturer

Orders for an improved version of the Class MC were placed with the North British Locomotive Company (NBL) in 1913. When the fifteen locomotives were delivered and placed in service in 1914, they were classified as Class MC1 and numbered in the range from 1634 to 1648.^[1]^[3]

Characteristics

The improvements in the Class MC1 consisted mainly of a redesigned boiler that included a superheater, instead of the saturated steam boiler of the Class MC, and 0.5 inches (12.7 millimetres) larger diameter low pressure and high pressure cylinders. The result was a much better performing locomotive with an increased tractive effort brought about by the larger cylinders.^[1]^[3]

In a compound locomotive steam is expanded in phases. After being expanded in a high pressure cylinder and having then lost pressure and given up part of its heat, it is exhausted into a larger volume low pressure cylinder for secondary expansion, after which it is exhausted through the smokebox.^[4]

In the compound Mallet locomotive, the rear set of coupled wheels are driven by the smaller high pressure cylinders which are fed steam from the steam dome. Their spent steam is then fed to the larger low pressure cylinders that drive the front set of coupled wheels. By comparison, in the more usual arrangement of simple expansion, steam is expanded just once in any one cylinder before being exhausted through the smokebox.^[1]^[3]

Service

The Class MC1 was placed in service on the coal line from Witbank to Germiston. In later years some also saw service on the Natal mainline and the Cape Midland System, while a number of them were transferred to the Cape Western System where they served as banking locomotives up the Hex River Railpass between De Doorns and Touws River. They remained there until they were withdrawn from service by 1939.^[1]^[3]

Sides illustrated

The main picture shows driver Kok with his locomotive, c. 1930, while the following serve to illustrate both sides of the locomotive as well as the lined livery that was in use on the SAR when the locomotives were introduced.

Works picture of Class MC1 no. 1642, c. 1914

No. 1635 in service as banking engine at De Doorns, c. 1930

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

South African Class MC1 (2-6-6-0)

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Holland, D.F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
↑ North British Locomotive Company works list, compiled by Austrian locomotive historian Bernhard Schmeiser
↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 85. ISBN 0869772112.
↑ Compounding Steam Engines

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