CGR 6th Class 2-6-2 SAR Class 6Y 2-6-2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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No. 712 at Paardeneiland, c. 1930 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2nd coupled axle had flangeless wheels |
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 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 1903, the Cape Government Railways placed two 6th Class steam locomotives with a 2-6-2 Prairie type wheel arrangement in service. In 1912, when these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and designated Class 6Y. [1] [2] [3]
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.
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, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Prairie.
The Cape 6th Class 2-6-2 Prairie type locomotive was designed at the Salt River works of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) and was a further development of the 6th Class 2-6-4 Adriatic type. The 2-6-4 locomotive itself came about as an experimental development of the very successful 6th Class 4-6-0 locomotive and was initially also built with a 2-6-2 Prairie wheel arrangement, but eventually modified to a 2-6-4 wheel arrangement. [1]
The South African Railways Class 6Z 2-6-4 of 1901 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
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.
Good though the 6th Class 4-6-0 locomotives were, the requirement grew for larger and more powerful engines. It was becoming increasingly apparent at the time that such locomotives would require fireboxes with larger grate areas, which was not possible with the existing type of frame. [1]
To overcome this problem, CGR Chief Locomotive Superintendent H.M. Beatty prepared designs for a new locomotive with a 2-6-2 Prairie wheel arrangement in which the frame terminated in front of the firebox, where it connected to a casting which he termed the "bridle casting". This casting extended out on either side and had wider spaced frames attached to it, which allowed a wider and deeper firebox. [1] [3]
Because of the widened frames and larger firebox, trailing carrier wheels were incorporated to take the weight of the firebox. The coupled wheels were also located further forward to accommodate the deeper firebox and, as a result, the leading bogie was replaced by a single axle bissel truck. [1] [3]
A Bissel truck is a single-axled bogie which pivots towards the centre of a steam locomotive to enable it to negotiate curves more easily. Invented in 1857 by Levi Bissell and usually known as a pony truck, it is a very simple and common means of designing a carrying axle.
The first four locomotives of this design, later to be designated Class 6Z by the South African Railways (SAR), were placed in service in 1901. They displayed a tendency to be unsteady at speed and the design was therefore modified to a 2-6-4 Adriatic type wheel arrangement. Another four locomotives which incorporated this improvement were ordered in 1902, while the first four locomotives were modified accordingly. [1]
In spite of their totally different appearance and wheel arrangement, the CGR designated them as 6th Class as well, possibly because they were intended as an improved 6th Class. [2] [4]
With an improved design of bissel truck, another two locomotives were ordered from Kitson and Company in 1903 and were once again built with a 2-6-2 Prairie wheel arrangement. They had larger boilers as well as larger 60-inch diameter (1,524-millimetre) coupled wheels, compared to the 54-inch diameter (1,372-millimetre) coupled wheels of all other 6th Class locomotives. Numbered 901 and 902 for the Western System of the CGR, these two engines did not display the tendency to sway at speed and therefore retained their 2-6-2 wheel arrangement. [1] [2]
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]
In 1912, these two locomotives were renumbered 711 and 712 and designated Class 6Y on the SAR. The rest of the CGR's 6th Class locomotives, together with the Central South African Railways Classes 6-L1 to 6-L3 locomotives which had been inherited from the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwermentspoorwegen via the Imperial Military Railways, were grouped into thirteen more sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-6-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 6, 6A to 6H and 6J to 6L, and the eight 2-6-4 locomotives became Class 6Z. [2] [4] [6]
In service, these two locomotives proved to be very successful, being fast, powerful, and good steamers. The experience which was gained with these two engines led to the introduction of the Karoo Class 4-6-2 Pacific type later in 1903. The two engines spent practically their entire working lives on the Cape mainline in the Karoo region, until they were withdrawn and scrapped in 1934. [3] [4]
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The South African type YE tender was a steam locomotive tender from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
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