Natal Railway 0-4-0WT ''Natal''

Natal Railway 0-4-0WT Natal
NGR 0-4-0WT Natal

The reconstructed engine Natal, Durban station

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	Carrett, Marshall & Company
Builder	Carrett, Marshall & Company
Build date	1860
Total produced	2

Specifications
Configuration:
• Whyte	0-4-0WT (Four-coupled)
• UIC	Bn2t
Driver	2nd coupled axle
Gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) broad
Coupled dia.	45 in (1,143 mm)
Wheelbase	9 ft (2,743 mm)
Length:
• Over beams	17 ft 6 in (5,334 mm)
Height	12 ft (3,658 mm)
Loco weight	12 LT (12,190 kg)
Fuel type	Coal
Firebox type	Round-top
Boiler:
• Pitch	5 ft (1,524 mm)
Cylinders	Two
Couplers	Buffers-and-chain

Performance figures
Power output	Approximately 24 hp (18 kW)

Career
Operators	Natal Railway Company Natal Government Railways
Number in class	1
Official name	Natal
Delivered	13 May 1860
First run	1860
Last run	1875
Withdrawn	1875

The Natal Railway 0-4-0WT Natal of 1860 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Natal Colony.

The first locomotive to run in revenue service in South Africa, the Natal Railway Company's engine Natal, was landed at Durban Harbour on 13 May 1860. It made its inaugural run on 26 June 1860, during the official opening of the first operating railway in South Africa.^[1]^[2]

The locomotive Natal

The first revenue-earning railway service in South Africa commenced in Durban in the Colony of Natal on 26 June 1860. The train was hauled by a small broad gauge 0-4-0 well-tank engine named Natal, which was landed at Durban Harbour off the brig Cadiz on 13 May 1860. The engine arrived stripped down and was erected by Henry Jacobs, engine fitter, driver and locomotive superintendent of the Natal Railway Company, assisted by Alexander Davidson, chief smith, fitter, springmaker, platelayer and head of the repair shops. A young seaman named Austin was taken on as cleaner and greaser, and ultimately promoted to stoker. A station on the Bluff was later named after Henry Jacobs.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The locomotive Natal was, however, not the first locomotive to arrive in South Africa, having been denied that honour by nine engines in the Cape of Good Hope. These were Blackie, the 0-4-0T construction locomotive which had arrived in Cape Town on 8 September 1859, and the eight 0-4-2 tender locomotives of the Cape Town Railway and Dock Company which had arrived in two shipments on 20 March and 28 April 1860 respectively.^[1]^[2]

Although the Cape's construction locomotive had possibly been used before June 1860 on the construction of the Cape Town-Wellington Railway, a project which had commenced on 31 March 1859, official revenue-earning railway operations in the Cape only commenced when the first section of the line, between Fort De Knokke and Salt River in Cape Town, was officially opened on 8 February 1861.^[1]

Manufacturer

For many years credit as the locomotive builder of the engine Natal had been attributed to the City of London Engine Works, the London company of Robert Legg, but subsequent research showed that Robert Legg was merely the agent through whom the shipping of the locomotive to Durban was arranged. The actual manufacturer was a firm by name of Carrett, Marshall and Company of Leeds, while Robert Legg was its London agent. Further research by a member of the Railway Society of Southern Africa has shown that at least two of these locomotives were built, the other having gone to the Caribbean to work in the sugar industry.^[4]^[5]^[6]

The engine carried its water in a well-tank and the coal in a locker on the footplate. A donkey pump on the coal locker fed water to the boiler. The chimney had an inverted conical shape and the wide opening was covered by wire mesh, to serve as a spark arrester. The locomotive was erected in a tarred timber shed on Market Square in Durban and was painted green, with copper-coloured wheels and with a huge polished brass dome cover.^[1]^[2]

Service

When the locomotive arrived in Durban, the railway had already been in use for some time, but until then the railway trucks were hauled by oxen. The Natal Railway's initial rolling stock consisted of six to eight trucks, two travelling cranes and one passenger coach.^[2]^[3]

Natal arriving at Point Station on its inaugural run in June 1860

According to most publications, the official opening of the newly mechanised Natal Railway took place on Tuesday, 26 June 1860, a little more than a month after the engine arrived. The inaugural run was at 11:00 along a 2-mile (3.2-kilometre) stretch from the Market Square Ordnance Reserve in Durban to the newly built Point station at Durban harbour, near the Custom House. This was followed by passenger rides for the public for the rest of the day, at a return fare of one shilling. The day's festivities ended with a ball in the Masonic Hall.^[1]^[2]^[7]

Commemorative plaque on Natal

According to the plaque on the reconstructed locomotive, however, the date of its first run was 23 June 1860. In fact, both these dates are correct since a trial run had been conducted three days before the official inauguration, on Saturday afternoon, 23 June 1860. After testing the locomotive over a short distance, the passenger coach was coupled and the train set off to the Point with the company chairman and secretary as passengers. At the Point it collected five trucks loaded with some 40 tons of sugar-mill machinery and some standing passengers.^[7]

The locomotive gave satisfactory service for several years, but was plagued by the sandy conditions of the track, which resulted in damage to moving parts from dust and beach sand. The constant repair work which this required, led to frequent delays. The locomotive was eventually transferred to Port St. Johns, where it was used on the harbour works.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Nationalisation

A second locomotive was acquired by the Natal Railway Company in 1865, a 0-4-0 saddle-tank locomotive named Durban. By 25 January 1867, the line had only been extended a further 3 ¹⁄₂ miles (5.6 kilometres) to Umgeni, from where stone, quarried from the Umgeni River, was transported to the harbour.^[1]^[3]^[8]

No further railway development took place in Natal until 1875, when the Natal Government Railways (NGR) was established. On 1 January 1877, all the assets of the Natal Railway Company were taken over by the Colonial Government and it became part of the NGR. Since the Government had decided to implement Cape gauge, in conformance with the railways in the Cape of Good Hope, and to extend the lines inland to Pietermaritzburg, up the north coast to Verulam and down the south coast to Isipingo, the existing tracks were regauged and the railway service life of the engine Natal came to an end after only fifteen years.^[1]^[3]

Superstition

The engine Natal was put up for sale and purchased by a Mr. Crowther, who intended to use it to drive a sawmill on his farm at Port St. Johns. He was, however, unable to make use of it since the local population labour force objected to this "devil's machine" and embarked on a boycott, culminating in Crowther having to abandon his farm, and the engine.^[1]^[3]

The remains of Natal being exhumed

Natal in Durban shops, 26 June 1944

In 1886 one Alex Anderson purchased the farm for sugar planting, but when he decided to use the engine to drive a sugar mill, another early example of South African rolling mass action ensued and he, too, was forced to leave.^[1]^[3]

The farm was then acquired by one Harry Cooper, who buried the engine on the banks of the Mzimvubu River. He was left unmolested thereafter and proceeded to grow tobacco. Cooper remained on the farm until 1901, when he sold it to one Sam Clarke of Umtata, who converted the property into a fruit farm. By this time the actual location of the locomotive's grave had become lost.^[1]^[3]

Resurrection

On 28 May 1943, the late Theo Espitalier, who had been commissioned to prepare a history of the locomotives of South Africa, managed to locate the grave of the engine Natal. The remains were excavated and transferred to Durban, arriving there on 26 June 1944, eighty-four years to the day after this engine had hauled the first train in South Africa.^[1]^[3]

The frame, the wheels, the springs, the cylinders and some odd loose parts were literally all that remained of the old locomotive. The engine was reconstructed in the Durban workshops of the South African Railways, with many missing parts having to be fashioned to approximately the original shape and size. Even though it was not an exact reconstruction in every sense of the word, it was sufficiently close to the original to represent what the engine may have looked like on the day the South African Railways was born in 1860. It was plinthed on the island of platforms 7 and 8 at Durban station, where it was officially unveiled by the Mayor of Durban, Senator S.J. Smith, on 9 September 1946.^[1]^[9]

The last day of operations at the original Durban Station was Friday 14 November 1980, after which all operations moved to the new Durban station about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) away in Greyville. The engine Natal was moved to the concourse of the new station.^[9]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Natal Railway 0-4-0WT Natal.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 11, 20–21, 84. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1943). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter I - The Period of the 4 ft. 8½ in. Gauge. South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, June 1943. pp. 437-440.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The South African Railways - Historical Survey (Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd, Circa 1978, pp. 5-8.)
↑ Natal Society Foundation 2010 - Natalia 40 (2010) p20–31 - The first public railway in South Africa: The Point to Durban railway of 1860
↑ Carrett Marshall & Co., Sun Foundry, Dewsbury Road, Leeds
↑ Grace's Guide – The Best of British Engineering 1750-1960s
1 2 Heydenrych, Heinie and Martin, Bruno (1992). The Natal Main Line Story, Chapter 1: Railway Proposals and a Small Beginning, 1859-1875. HSRC Publishers, Pretoria. p. 1. ISBN 0 7969 1151 7.
↑ It's a Puzzlement, Article by Bruno Martin, SA Rail December 1990, pp. 214-215.
1 2 Soul of A Railway, System 6, Part 1: Durban Old Station. Captions 27, 92. (Accessed on 8 March 2017)

Locomotives of Natal
4' 8½" gauge	Natal 0-4-0ST Durban Natal 0-4-0WT Natal Natal 4-4-0T Perseverance
3' 6" gauge	Durban's Congella Durban's Edward Innes Durban's John Milne Durban's Sir Albert NGR Class A 1905 NGR Class A 1910 NGR Class B 4-8-0 1904 NGR Class B 4-8-0 1910 NGR Class B 4-8-2 1906 NGR Class B 4-8-2 1909 NGR Class B 4-8-2 1910 NGR Class C 4-8-2T NGR Class C 4-10-2T NGR Class D NGR Class E NGR Class F NGR Class G NGR Class H 4-6-2T NGR Class H 4-6-4T NGR Class I 2-6-0 NGR Class I 2-6-2T NGR Class K 0-4-0ST NGR Class K 0-6-0ST NGR Class K 2-6-0T NGR Class L 4-8-0 NGR Durban & Pietermaritzburg NGR Havelock NGR Mallet 1909 NGR Mallet 1910
2' gauge	NGR Class N 1906 NGR Class N 1907 NGR Class N 1911
List of South African locomotive classes South African locomotive history

Locomotives of South Africa

Steam

7' ¼" gauge	East London 0-4-0VB Table Bay 0-4-0ST Table Bay 0-4-0T Table Bay 0-4-0WT
4' 8½" gauge	Cape 0-4-0T Blackie Cape 0-4-2 Cape 2-4-0T CGR 0-4-0ST Aid Natal 0-4-0ST Durban Natal 0-4-0WT Natal Natal 4-4-0T Perseverance
3' 6" gauge Tank engines	CGR 0-4-0ST 1873 CGR 0-4-0ST 1874 CGR 0-4-0ST 1881 CGR 0-4-0ST 1881 Coffee Pot CGR 0-6-0ST CGR 0-6-0T CGR 2-6-0ST 1900 CGR 2-6-0ST 1902 CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1875 CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1876 CGR 1st Class 2-6-0ST CGR 1st Class 4-4-0T CGR 2nd Class 4-4-0T CGR 3rd Class 2-6-0T CGR Railmotor CSAR Class C CSAR Class E CSAR Rack 4-6-4RT CSAR Railmotor Durban's Congella Durban's Edward Innes Durban's John Milne Durban's Sir Albert Port Elizabeth 0-4-0ST Kowie Railway 0-6-0T Kowie Railway 4-4-0T Metropolitan & Suburban 4-6-2T NGR 2-6-0T Durban & Pietermaritzburg NGR Class I 2-6-2T NGR Class K 0-4-0ST NGR Class K 0-6-0ST NGR Class K 2-6-0T NZASM 10 Tonner NZASM 13 Tonner NZASM 14 Tonner NZASM 18 Tonner NZASM 19 Tonner NZASM 32 Tonner NZASM 40 Tonner PPR 26 Tonner PPR 35 Tonner Portuguese SAR Class A SAR Class B SAR Class C SAR Class C1 SAR Class C2 SAR Class D SAR Class E SAR Class F SAR Class G SAR Class H SAR Class H1 SAR Class H2 SAR Class J SAR Class K SAR Railmotor SAR Dock 0-4-0ST SAR Dock 0-4-0T SWA 2-8-0T
3' 6" gauge Tender engines	CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 BP CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 Kitson CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1879 CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1891 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0TT CGR 2nd Class 2-6-2TT CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1883 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1884 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1889 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1898 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1901 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1903 CGR 4th Class 4-4-2 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1880 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1882 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1882 Joy CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1884 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1890 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1891 NGR Havelock NGR Class I SAR Class Exp 1 SAR Class Exp 2 SAR Class Exp 3 SAR Class Exp 4 SAR Class Exp 5 SAR Class Exp 6 SAR Class S SAR Class S1 SAR Class S2 SAR Class 1 SAR Class 1A SAR Class 1B SAR Class 2 SAR Class 2C SAR Class 3 SAR Class 3A SAR Class 3B SAR Class 4 SAR Class 4A SAR Class 5 SAR Class 5A SAR Class 5B SAR Class 6 SAR Class 6A SAR Class 6B SAR Class 6C SAR Class 6D SAR Class 6E SAR Class 6F SAR Class 6G SAR Class 6H SAR Class 6J SAR Class 6K SAR Class 6L SAR Class 6Y SAR Class 6Z SAR Class 7 SAR Class 7A SAR Class 7B SAR Class 7C SAR Class 7D SAR Class 7E SAR Class 7F SAR Class 8 SAR Class 8A SAR Class 8B SAR Class 8C SAR Class 8D SAR Class 8E SAR Class 8F SAR Class 8R SAR Class 8X SAR Class 8Y SAR Class 8Z SAR Class 9 SAR Class 10 SAR Class 10A SAR Class 10B SAR Class 10C SAR Class 10D SAR Class 11 SAR Class 12 SAR Class 12A SAR Class 12B SAR Class 13 SAR Class 14 SAR Class 14A SAR Class 14B SAR Class 14C 1st SAR Class 14C 2nd SAR Class 14C 3rd SAR Class 14C 4th SAR Class 15 SAR Class 15A SAR Class 15B SAR Class 15C SAR Class 15CA SAR Class 15E SAR Class 15F SAR Class 16 SAR Class 16A SAR Class 16B SAR Class 16C SAR Class 16D SAR Class 16DA 1928 SAR Class 16DA 1930 SAR Class 16E SAR Class 17 SAR Class 18 SAR Class 19 SAR Class 19A SAR Class 19B SAR Class 19C SAR Class 19D SAR Class 20 SAR Class 21 SAR Class 23 SAR Class 24 SAR Class 25 SAR Class 25NC SAR Class 26 SAR Katanga SWA 2-8-0
3' 6" gauge Articulated engines	CGR Fairlie CGR Kitson-Meyer SAR Class FC SAR Class FD SAR Class GA SAR Class GB SAR Class GC SAR Class GCA SAR Class GD SAR Class GDA SAR Class GE SAR Class GEA SAR Class GF SAR Class GG SAR Class GH SAR Class GK SAR Class GL SAR Class GM SAR Class GMA SAR Class GO SAR Class HF SAR Class KM SAR Class MA SAR Class MB SAR Class MC SAR Class MC1 SAR Class MD SAR Class ME SAR Class MF SAR Class MG SAR Class MH SAR Class MJ SAR Class MJ1 SAR Class U
2' 6" gauge	Cape Copper John King & Miner Cape Copper Britannia Cape Copper Caledonia Cape Copper Clara Cape Copper Condenser Cape Copper Scotia Namaqua Copper Pioneer Walvis Bay 2-4-2T Hope
2' & 600mm gauges	ACR Class NG-G16A CGR NG 0-4-0T CGR NG 0-6-0T CGR NG 4-6-2T CGR Type A 2-6-4T CGR Type C 0-4-0T NGR Class N 4-6-2T SAR Dutton SAR NG 0-4-0T SAR Class NG1 SAR Class NG2 SAR Class NG3 SAR Class NG4 SAR Class NG5 SAR Class NG6 SAR Class NG7 SAR Class NG8 SAR Class NG9 SAR Class NG10 SAR Class NG-G11 SAR Class NG-G12 SAR Class NG-G13 SAR Class NG-G14 SAR Class NG15 SAR Class NG-G16 SWA Class Ha SWA Class Hb SWA Class Hc SWA Class Hd SWA Jung SWA Zwillinge

Electric

Amcoal Class E38

Gas-electric

SAR Gas-electric

Diesel

3' 6" gauge Diesel-electric	PRASA Class Afro 4000 SAR Class DS SAR Class DS1 SAR Class 31-000 SAR Class 32-000 SAR Class 32-200 SAR Class 33-000 SAR Class 33-200 SAR Class 33-400 SAR Class 34-000 SAR Class 34-200 SAR Class 34-400 SAR Class 34-500 SAR Class 34-600 SAR Class 34-800 SAR Class 34-900 SAR Class 35-000 SAR Class 35-200 SAR Class 35-400 SAR Class 35-600 TFR Class 35-800 SAR Class 36-000 SAR Class 36-200 SAR Class 37-000 Spoornet Class 39-000 TFR Class 39-200 TFR Class 43-000 TFR Class 44-000
2' gauge Diesel-electric	SAR Class 91-000
3' 6" gauge Diesel-hydraulic	SAR Class 61-000
3' 6" gauge Electro-diesel	Spoornet Class 38-000

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