CGR 2nd Class 2-6-2TT

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CGR 2nd Class 2-6-2TT

Loco CGR 2nd Class 2-6-2TT no 26.jpg

CGR 2nd Class 2-6-2TT no. M26, with tender and "front porch railings", Fish River Bridge, c. 1881
Type and origin
Power type Steam
Designer Robert Stephenson and Company
Builder Robert Stephenson and Company
Avonside Engine Company
Kitson and Company
Serial number RS 2205-2210, 2332-2339, 2353 (engines), RS 2215-2217, 2221-2223 (tenders)
Avonside 1110-1113, 1157-1158, 1193-1194, 1209-1210
Kitson 2038-2041
Build date 1875-1879
Total produced 29 (2 lost at sea)
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 •  Whyte 2-6-2TT (Prairie)
 •  UIC 1’C1’n2t
Driver 2nd coupled axle
Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading dia. 24 in (610 mm)
Coupled dia. 38 in (965 mm)
Trailing dia. 24 in (610 mm)
Wheelbase:
 • Engine		 20 ft 3 in (6,172 mm)
 • Coupled 8 ft (2,438 mm)
Wheel spacing
(Asymmetrical)		1-2: 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm)
2-3: 3 ft 4 in (1,016 mm)
Length:
​
 • Over couplers 27 ft (8,230 mm)
Height 12 ft (3,658 mm)
Frame type Plate
Axle load 9 LT 6 cwt 3 qtr (9,487 kg)
 •  Leading 2 LT 9 cwt (2,489 kg)
 • 1st coupled 7 LT 13 cwt (7,773 kg)
 • 2nd coupled 9 LT 6 cwt 3 qtr (9,487 kg)
 • 3rd coupled 6 LT 17 cwt 1 qtr (6,973 kg)
 •  Trailing 2 LT 9 cwt (2,489 kg)
Adhesive weight 23 LT 17 cwt (24,230 kg)
Loco weight 28 LT 14 cwt 4 qtr (29,210 kg)
Tender type 2-axle
Fuel type Coal
Fuel capacityEngine: 0 LT 15 cwt (0.8 t)
Tender: 2 LT (2.0 t)
Water capEngine: 650 imp gal (2,950 l)
Tender: 900 imp gal (4,090 l)
Firebox type Round-top
 • Firegrate area 11 sq ft (1.0 m2)
Boiler:
​
 • Pitch 5 ft 10 1⁄2 in (1,791 mm)
 • Tube plates 10 ft (3,048 mm)
Boiler pressure 130 psi (896 kPa)
Safety valve Salter
Heating surface 750 sq ft (70 m2)
 • Tubes 692 sq ft (64.3 m2)
 • Firebox 58 sq ft (5.4 m2)
Cylinders Two
Cylinder size 15 in (381 mm) bore
20 in (508 mm) stroke
Valve gear Stephenson
Train brakes Clarke's chain brakes
Couplers Johnston link-and-pin
Performance figures
Tractive effort 11,546 lbf (51.36 kN) @ 75%
Career
Operators Cape Government Railways
Class 2nd Class
Number in class 27
Numbers E17-E26, M5-M10, M25-M33, W1-W2
Delivered 1875-1879
First run 1875

The Cape Government Railways 2nd Class 2-6-2TT of 1875 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

Union of South Africa state in southern Africa from 1910 to 1961, predecessor to the Republic of South Africa

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.

Cape Colony Dutch and British colony in Southern Africa

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.

Contents

The first mixed traffic locomotives to enter service on the new 3 feet 6 inches Cape gauge mainlines of the Cape Government Railways were 2-6-2 Prairie type side-tank engines which were delivered between 1875 and 1879. Four-wheeled tenders were also acquired and the locomotives could be operated in either a tank or tank-and-tender engine configuration, as circumstances demanded. These locomotives were later designated the Cape 2nd Class. [1] [2]

Cape Government Railways railway operator in the Cape Colony

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.

Cape Government Railways

In 1872, the Cape Government took over the operation of all railways in the Cape of Good Hope and established the Cape Government Railways (CGR). Shortly before, it had been decided to adopt the narrower 3 feet 6 inches gauge instead of the existing 4 feet 8½ inches broad gauge for all further railway expansions, since it would decrease the cost of construction through the difficult terrain which lay inland from the three major ports of the Cape of Good Hope at Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London. This narrower gauge is still known as Cape gauge. [1] [3]

Since the operational area within the Colony was so vast, the CGR was divided into three semi-autonomous systems. The Eastern System was headquartered in East London, with A.E. Schmid as Chief Resident Engineer and J.D. Tilney as Locomotive Superintendent. The Midland System was headquartered in Port Elizabeth, with D. Jackson Scott as Chief Resident Engineer and Mr. Edwards as Locomotive Superintendent. The Western System was headquartered in Cape Town, with W.G. Brounger as Chief Resident Engineer as well as Consulting Engineer for the whole CGR, and Michael Stephens as Locomotive Superintendent. [3] [4]

East London, Eastern Cape Place in Eastern Cape, South Africa

East London is a city on the southeast coast of South Africa in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality of the Eastern Cape province. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo River and the Nahoon River, and hosts the country's only river port. As of 2011, East London had a population of over 267,000 with over 755,000 in the metropolitan area.

Port Elizabeth Place in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Port Elizabeth or The Bay is one of the major cities in South Africa; it is situated in the Eastern Cape Province, 770 km (478 mi) east of Cape Town. The city, often shortened to PE and nicknamed "The Windy City", stretches for 16 km along Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa. Port Elizabeth is the southernmost large city on the African continent, just farther south than Cape Town. Port Elizabeth was founded as a town in 1820 to house British settlers as a way of strengthening the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa. It now forms part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, which has a population of over 1.3 million.

Cape Town Capital city of the Western Cape province and legislative capital of South Africa

Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa, colloquially named the Mother City. It is the legislative capital of South Africa and primate city of the Western Cape province. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.

Manufacturers

The first Cape gauge mainline locomotives to enter service on the CGR were delivered in 1875. An order for six 2-6-2T Prairie type locomotives was placed with Robert Stephenson and Company, followed by a separate order for six four-wheeled tenders. The Stephenson locomotives were numbered W1 and W2 for the Western system and M7 to M10 for the Midland System. [2]

Robert Stephenson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823. It was the first company set up specifically to build railway engines.

At the same time, four more locomotives were ordered from the Avonside Engine Company. Two of the Avonside locomotives went to the Midland System, numbered M5 and M6. The other two were intended for the Eastern System, but they were lost at sea during delivery when the ship Memento sank off East London on 5 February 1876. [2]

The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Avon Street, St. Philip's, Bristol, England between 1864 and 1934. However the business originated with an earlier enterprise Henry Stothert and Company.

These locomotives were followed by nineteen more, all with optional tenders, ordered from three manufacturers.

When a locomotive classification system was introduced by the CGR, these locomotives were designated 2nd Class. [1]

Characteristics

Tenders

While all the locomotives were delivered with four-wheeled tenders, they could be operated with or without the tenders, as circumstances demanded. In practice, they were used in the tank engine configuration while performing shunting or short-distance work, and in the tank-and-tender configuration when an increased coal and water supply was required during longer distance mainline work. [1] [4]

Brakes

The locomotives were equipped with Clarke's chain brakes. The braking system proved to be unsatisfactory, since breaking of the chain was not uncommon. In one instance this resulted in a bad accident with loss of life while a train was descending the Hex River rail pass. [1]

The chain brake was operated by a 5⁄8 inch (16 millimetres) link chain, which was carried on sheaves underneath the train along the centre, connected by coupling hooks between carriages or trucks. Under each vehicle, the chain hanged slack while not in use. It passed under two pulleys which were attached to pulling-rods to operate the wooden brake blocks. To operate the brakes, the chain could be tightened from either end of the train. The guard's van could be used to retard a train on down grades, or to stop the entire train. In the event of a broken or disconnected chain, however, the brake system was useless. By c. 1876, a simple vacuum brake system was introduced as a reserve brake. [4]

Service

One of these locomotives is known to have been named, number W1 Byron. All of them were renumbered on occasions when the CGR altered its locomotive numbering systems c. 1886, 1888, 1890 and 1896. [1] [2]

By 1904, only three of them were still in service, being employed on shunting and construction tasks. By 1912, when locomotive classification and renumbering was implemented on the newly established South African Railways, none of these 2nd Class locomotives were still in service. [2]

Works numbers and renumbering

The builders, works numbers, years built, original numbers and known renumbering of the Cape 2nd Class of 1875 are listed in the table. [1] [2]

Illustration

The photographs illustrate the locomotive in various configurations.

Related Research Articles

The following lists events that happened during 1875 in South Africa.

South African Class 7 4-8-0 class of 38 South African 4-8-0 locomotives

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.

CGR 0-4-0ST 1881 <i>Coffee Pot</i> class of 2 South African 0-4-0ST locomotives

The Cape Government Railways 0-4-0ST 1881 Coffee Pot was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 2nd Class 4-4-0T

The Cape Government Railways 2nd Class 4-4-0T of 1882 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 1st Class 4-4-0T class of 11 South African 4-4-0T locomotives

The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 4-4-0T of 1875 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 1st Class 4-4-0TT class of 6 South African 4-4-0TT locomotives

The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 4-4-0TT of 1881 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 1st Class 4-4-0 class of 15 South African 4-4-0 locomotives

The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 4-4-0 of 1879 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 BP class of 18 South African 2-6-0 locomotives

The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 2-6-0 of 1876 by Beyer, Peacock and Avonside was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 1st Class 2-6-0ST

The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 2-6-0ST of 1876 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 2-6-0 of 1879 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1880 class of 18 South African 4-6-0TT locomotives

The Cape Government Railways 4th Class 4-6-0TT of 1880 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1882 class of 68 South African 4-6-0TT locomotives

The Cape Government Railways 4th Class 4-6-0TT of 1882 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1875 class of 6 South African 0-4-0ST locomotives

The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 0-4-0ST of 1875 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1876 class of 3 South African 0-4-0ST locomotives

The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 0-4-0ST of 1876 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 Kitson class of 8 South African 2-6-0 (later 2-6-0T) locomotives

The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 2-6-0 of 1876 by Kitson was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

The South African type ZB tender was a steam locomotive tender from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

South African type ZA tender

The South African type ZA tender was a steam locomotive tender from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

South African type YB tender

The South African type YB tender was a steam locomotive tender from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

South African steam locomotive tenders

South African steam locomotive tenders were classified by means of type letters and sometimes numbers, while locomotive specifications included a list of permissible tenders which could be used with each engine class.

The Cape Government Railways 4th Class 4-6-0TT of 1882 with Joy valve gear, 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 Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 23–25. ISBN   978-0-7153-5382-0.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 C.G.R. Numbering Revised, Article by Dave Littley, SA Rail May–June 1993, pp. 94-95.
  3. 1 2 The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, pp. 4, 8, 11.
  4. 1 2 3 Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1943). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter II - The Adoption of the 3 ft. 6 in. Gauge on the Cape Government Railways. South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, July 1943. pp. 515-518.
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