Namaqualand 0-6-0T

Last updated

Namaqualand 0-6-0T
Namaqualand Railway mule train.jpg
Namaqualand Railway mule train, c. 1876
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
Designer Lilleshall Company
BuilderLilleshall Company
Serial number171, 190
Build date1870, 1871
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 •  Whyte 0-6-0 T
 •  UIC Cn2t
Gauge 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) Namaqualand
Coupled dia.22 in (559 mm)
Adhesive weight 6 LT 10 cwt (6,604 kg)
Loco weight6 LT 10 cwt (6,604 kg)
Tender weight3 LT (3,048 kg)
Fuel typeCoal
Boiler pressure100 psi (689 kPa) normal working
120 psi (827 kPa) maximum
Cylinders Two
Cylinder size John King:
6 in (152 mm) bore
12 in (305 mm) stroke
Miner:
7 in (178 mm) bore
14 in (356 mm) stroke
Performance figures
Tractive effort 1,473 lbf (6.55 kN) @ 100 psi (689 kPa)
1,760 lbf (7.8 kN) @ 120 psi (827 kPa)
Career
OperatorsCape Copper Mining Company
Number in class2
Official nameJohn King & Miner
Delivered1871
First run1871

The Namaqualand 0-6-0T of 1871 were two South African steam locomotives from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

Contents

In 1871, two 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge 0-6-0 T locomotives were placed in service by the Cape Copper Mining Company. They were the first steam locomotives to enter service on the hitherto mule-powered Namaqualand Railway between Port Nolloth and the Namaqualand copper mines around O'okiep in the northwestern Cape of Good Hope. [1]

Cape Copper Company

The Cape Copper Company had its origin in the Cape Copper Mining Company, which was established in 1862 or 1863 as the Cape of Good Hope Copper Mining Company, to take over the copper mining properties of Phillips & King, an enterprise which had been involved in copper mining in Namaqualand since the 1850s. John King, one of the members of the defunct Phillips & King, was appointed a director of the new mining company. The Cape Copper Mining Company was restructured as the Cape Copper Company in 1888. [1]

Namaqualand Railway

Copper ore had to be transported by ox wagon from the mines around O'okiep to the harbour at Port Nolloth on the West Coast. The poor roads through mountainous areas hindered development of the mines and the already high transport cost was often aggravated by droughts and animal sickness. This eventually led to the decision by the mining company to build a light railway between the port and the mines, on advice from civil engineer R. Thomas Hall, Superintendent of the narrow gauge Redruth and Chacewater Railway in Cornwall. [1] [2]

The proposed construction of a narrow gauge railway in the Cape of Good Hope dates back to 1854, when the board of the Cape Town Railway and Dock Company considered a proposal to construct a railway between Port Nolloth and O'okiep in Namaqualand. Since they were not empowered to authorise such construction, the proposal was forwarded to the London board with a recommendation for its favourable consideration. [3] [4]

The first 48 miles (77 kilometres) long section of the Namaqualand Railway, from Port Nolloth to Nonams, was authorised by the Cape Government under Act no. 4 of 1869 and construction of the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge railway commenced on 4 September 1869. Anenous, to the west of Nonams, was reached on 1 January 1871. Nonams was bypassed by the railway and Steinkopf was reached in 1873. The 93+1⁄2 miles (150 kilometres) long line between Port Nolloth and O'okiep was opened for mule traction on 1 January 1876. [1] [3] [4]

The line passed through sandy terrain from the coast and then made a rapid ascent of 2,000 feet (610 metres), about 35 miles (56 kilometres) inland, with a very steep gradient en route in Dick's Cutting. [3] [4]

Since the railway was to be mule-powered, it was constructed using iron bridge rails, mounted on longitudinal sleepers in order to allow free passage to the animals that worked the line. Typical mule trains were made up of ten pairs of wagons, each pair hauled by four mules harnessed in tandem. [1]

The Lilleshall locomotives

Even though the Act of 1869, which authorised the construction of the first section of the railway to Nonams, near Anenous, did not provide for the use of steam power on the line, two "illegal" tank locomotives were acquired by the mining company on an experimental basis in 1871. They were built by Lilleshall Company of Oakengates in Shropshire in 1870 and 1871. To date, no photographs or drawings of either of the locomotives have been found, but they are known to have been non-identical six-wheeled side-tank engines. [1]

The first section of 22 miles (35 kilometres) from Port Nolloth was only officially opened for steam traction on 1 August 1886, a further 26 miles (42 kilometres) on 1 June 1887 and the line through to O’okiep on 15 March 1893. [4]

The engine John King

The first locomotive, named John King after the company director and former head of the defunct Phillips & King, arrived in Port Nolloth on the ship Ocean King in December 1870 or January 1871. It was a six-coupled tank engine, which was used with a separate tender because of the shortage of water along the line. It is unclear whether the tender was also imported or constructed locally. The locomotive had cylinders of 6 inches (152 millimetres) bore and 12 inches (305 millimetres) stroke. [1]

The engine John King entered service on 1 February 1871, making daily round trips from Port Nolloth to the 35 Miles Station, hauling as many as ten wagons with gross train weights of 20 tons up and 35 tons down. [1]

The engine Miner

The second locomotive, named Miner, arrived in September 1871. This locomotive was larger, with cylinders of 7 inches (178 millimetres) bore and 14 inches (356 millimetres) stroke. Apart from the cylinder size, no other details about this locomotive are known and the rest of the specifications as shown in the table are all applicable to the engine John King only. While the engine Miner was also six-wheeled, it has not been confirmed that it was also six-coupled and it could therefore possibly have been of a 0-4-2 or 2-4-0 wheel arrangement. The fact that it was larger than the engine John King, however, makes it likely that it was also of a 0-6-0 wheel arrangement. It is presumed to also have been used in a tank-and-tender configuration. [1]

Service

The locomotives were less than successful. They turned out to be too light, were adversely affected by the sandy conditions and suffered frequent boiler tube failures. At one stage in 1873, only two years after entering service, both locomotives were reported as being under repair, with mules handling all traffic. Both engines were withdrawn from mainline service in 1876 and relegated to hauling ballast trains and emergency use. By 1884, the engine Miner was dismantled, awaiting boiler repairs which never happened. The engine John King was still at work in May 1887, but in July its boiler was borrowed to replace the failed boiler of the tug Nolloth. The borrowed boiler was returned in November 1887, but the engine John King was never repaired again. [1]

Related Research Articles

0-4-0 Locomotive wheel arrangement

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were connected by a single gear wheel, but from 1825 the wheels were usually connected with coupling rods to form a single driven set.

0-6-0

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. This was the most common wheel arrangement used on both tender and tank locomotives in versions with both inside and outside cylinders.

The following lists events that happened during 1902 in South Africa.

The following lists events that happened during 1886 in South Africa.

The following lists events that happened during 1871 in South Africa.

The following lists events that happened during 1900 in South Africa.

The following lists events that happened during 1890 in South Africa.

0-4-2

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. While the first locomotives of this wheel arrangement were tender engines, the configuration was later often used for tank engines, which is noted by adding letter suffixes to the configuration, such as 0-4-2T for a conventional side-tank locomotive, 0-4-2ST for a saddle-tank locomotive, 0-4-2WT for a well-tank locomotive and 0-4-2RT for a rack-equipped tank locomotive. The arrangement is sometimes known as Olomana after a Hawaiian 0-4-2 locomotive of 1883.

0-6-2 Locomotive wheel arrangement

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The type is sometimes known as a Webb or a Branchliner.

Okiep Place in Northern Cape, South Africa

Okiep is a small town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, and was in the 1870s ranked as having the richest copper mine in the world. The town is on the site of a spring that was known in the Khoekhoe language of the Nama people as U-gieb and was originally spelled as O'okiep.

Namaqualand Railway

The Namaqualand Railway was a 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge railway operating between Port Nolloth and O'okiep in the Namaqualand region of the former Cape Colony in South Africa. It was originally a mule-drawn railway built to provide an outlet for the copper mines of the region. Constructed between 1869 and 1876, the railway was 93+1⁄2 miles long, with an additional 8 miles purely associated with the copper mine workings. Although owned by the Cape Copper Company, the railway always operated as a public railway.

South African Class 25 4-8-4

The South African Railways Class 25 4-8-4 of 1953 was a condensing steam locomotive.

CGR 0-4-0ST 1873

The Cape Government Railways 0-4-0ST of 1873 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

Namaqualand 0-4-0WT Condenser

The Cape Copper Mining Company 0-4-0WT Condenser of 1886 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

Namaqualand 0-6-2 Clara Class

The Namaqualand 0-6-2 Clara Class of 1890 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

Namaqualand 0-6-2 Scotia Class

The Cape Copper Company 0-6-2 Scotia Class of 1900 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

Namaqualand 0-4-2IST <i>Caledonia</i>

The Cape Copper Company 0-4-2IST Caledonia of 1904 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

Namaqualand 0-4-2T <i>Britannia</i>

The Cape Copper Company 0-4-2T Britannia of 1905 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

Namaqualand 0-4-2ST <i>Pioneer</i>

The Namaqua Copper Company 0-4-2STPioneer of 1901 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

Walvis Bay 2-4-2T <i>Hope</i>

The Walvis Bay 2-4-2T Hope of 1899 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bagshawe, Peter (2012). Locomotives of the Namaqualand Railway and Copper Mines (1st ed.). Stenvalls. pp. 8–11. ISBN   978-91-7266-179-0.
  2. ↑ The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 9.
  3. 1 2 3 Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1944). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter II - The Cape Government Railways (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, April 1944. pp. 253-257.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lee, Charles E. (1951). The Walfish Bay Railway. Article in The Railway Magazine with which is incorporated "Transport & Travel Monthly", September 1951. Tothill Press Limited, London. pp. 627-628, 631.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.