CGR 6th Class 4-6-0 1901 Baldwin South African Class 6K 4-6-0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ex CGR 6th Class, SAR Class 6K | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2nd coupled axle had flangeless wheels |
The South African Railways Class 6K 4-6-0 of 1901 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The Union of South Africa is the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape Colony, the Natal Colony, the Transvaal, and the Orange River Colony. It included the territories that were formerly a part of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State.
The Cape of Good Hope, also known as the Cape Colony, was a British colony in present-day South Africa, named after the Cape of Good Hope. The British colony was preceded by an earlier Dutch colony of the same name, the Kaap de Goede Hoop, established in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company. The Cape was under Dutch rule from 1652 to 1795 and again from 1803 to 1806. The Dutch lost the colony to Great Britain following the 1795 Battle of Muizenberg, but had it returned following the 1802 Peace of Amiens. It was re-occupied by the UK following the Battle of Blaauwberg in 1806, and British possession affirmed with the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814.
In 1901, ten American-built 6th Class bar-framed steam locomotives with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and designated Class 6K. [1] [2] [3]
A steam locomotive is a type of railway locomotive that produces its pulling power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning combustible material – usually coal, wood, or oil – to produce steam in a boiler. The steam moves reciprocating pistons which are mechanically connected to the locomotive's main wheels (drivers). Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in wagons (tenders) pulled behind.
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, 4-6-0 represents the configuration of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. In the mid 19th century, this wheel arrangement became the second most popular configuration for new steam locomotives in the United States of America, where this type is commonly referred to as a Ten-wheeler.As a locomotive pulling trains of lightweight all wood passenger cars in the 1890-1920s, it was exceptionally stable at near 100 mph speeds on the New York Central's New York to Chicago Water Level Route and on the Reading Railroad's Camden to Atlantic City, NJ, line. As passenger equipment grew heavier with all steel construction, heavier locomotives replaced the Ten Wheeler.
The Cape Government Railways (CGR) was the government-owned railway operator in the Cape Colony from 1874 until the creation of the South African Railways (SAR) in 1910.
The original Cape 6th Class locomotive was designed at the Salt River works of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) at the same time as the 7th Class. [1]
The South African Railways Class 7 4-8-0 of 1892 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
Three new versions of the 6th Class locomotive entered service on the CGR in 1901, two American-built and one British-built. Of the two American-built versions, one was designed and built by Baldwin Locomotive Works to the specifications of the CGR locomotive department. These ten engines were consequently somewhat different in appearance from most previous Cape 6th Class locomotives. [1]
The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1956. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades the world's largest producer of steam locomotives, but struggled to compete as demand switched to diesel locomotives. Baldwin produced the last of its 70,000-plus locomotives in 1956 and went out of business in 1972.
They were larger than any of the previous 6th Class locomotives. Like the Schenectady-built Class 6G, they had larger boilers, large cabs and 17 1⁄2 inches (444 millimetres) bore cylinders, compared to the 17 inches (432 millimetres) bore cylinders of all the British-built 6th Class locomotives. They had bar frames, stovepipe chimneys and large domes and were the only 6th Class locomotives which were not delivered with Ramsbottom safety valves, having been equipped with the Pop type. [1]
The Schenectady Locomotive Works built railroad locomotives from its founding in 1848 through its merger into American Locomotive Company (Alco) in 1901.
The South African Railways Class 6G 4-6-0 of 1901 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
Apart from the stovepipe chimney, a visually obvious distinction was their coupled wheel counterweights, which were shaped like bent rectangles, instead of the usual curved and tapered counterweights which were used on most South African locomotives. Like other second generation 6th Class locomotives, they had higher running boards without driving wheel fairings. They were numbered in the range from 301 to 305 for the CGR’s Western System and in the range from 795 to 799 for the Eastern System. [1] [4]
When the Union of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910, the three Colonial government railways (CGR, Natal Government Railways and Central South African Railways) were united under a single administration to control and administer the railways, ports and harbours of the Union. Although the South African Railways and Harbours came into existence in 1910, the actual classification and renumbering of all the rolling stock of the three constituent railways were only implemented with effect from 1 January 1912. [2] [5]
When these ten locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways (SAR) in 1912, they were renumbered in the range from 649 to 658 and designated Class 6K. [2] [6]
The rest of the CGR's 6th Class locomotives, together with the Central South African Railways (CSAR) Classes 6-L1 to 6-L3 locomotives which had been inherited from the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen (OVGS) via the Imperial Military Railways (IMR), were grouped into thirteen more sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-6-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 6, 6A to 6H, 6J and 6L, the 2-6-2 locomotives became Class 6Y and the 2-6-4 locomotives became Class 6Z. [2] [4] [6]
The Class 6 family of locomotives were introduced primarily as passenger locomotives, but when the class became displaced by larger and more powerful locomotive classes, it literally became a Jack-of-all-trades. It went on to see service in all parts of the country, except Natal, and was used on all types of traffic. [1]
In SAR service, the Class 6K locomotives worked on the East London mainline until they were withdrawn by 1928. [3]
The Class 6K engine number sequence does not correspond with its builder's works number sequence. The table lists the Class 6K works numbers, CGR engine numbers and SAR renumbering. [1] [2] [6]
Works no. | CGR no. | CGR Sys. | SAR no. |
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18319 | 301 | Western | 649 |
18320 | 302 | Western | 650 |
18321 | 303 | Western | 651 |
18352 | 304 | Western | 652 |
18353 | 305 | Western | 653 |
18351 | 795 | Eastern | 654 |
18322 | 796 | Eastern | 655 |
18349 | 797 | Eastern | 656 |
18348 | 798 | Eastern | 657 |
18350 | 799 | Eastern | 658 |
The South African Railways Class 8X 2-8-0 of 1901 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 8Y 2-8-0 of 1903 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 8Z 2-8-0 of 1904 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 8 4-8-0 of 1902 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 8D 4-8-0 of 1903 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 8E 4-8-0 of 1903 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 6B 4-6-0 of 1897 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 6F 4-6-0 of 1900 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 6H 4-6-0 of 1901 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 6J 4-6-0 of 1902 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 6Y 2-6-2 of 1903 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 5A 4-6-2 of 1903 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 4 4-8-2 of 1911 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class Experimental 4 2-8-2 of 1903 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 2-6-0 of 1891 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The Cape Government Railways 3rd Class 4-4-0 of 1901 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African Railways Class 8R 4-8-0 of 1930 was a steam locomotive.
The South African type ZB tender was a steam locomotive tender from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African type YE tender was a steam locomotive tender from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
The South African type YE1 tender was a steam locomotive tender from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
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