NGR Class I 2-6-2T

The Natal Government Railways Class I 2-6-2T of 1901 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Colony of Natal.

Zululand Railway 2-6-2T NGR Class I 2-6-2T
Zululand Railway Company no. 1, c. 1901
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Baldwin Locomotive Works Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 18565 Build date 1901 Total produced 1
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-6-2T (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. 41 in (1,041 mm) Trailing dia. 24 in (610 mm) Wheelbase 20 ft 8 in (6,299 mm)  • Coupled 9 ft (2,743 mm) Wheel spacing (Asymmetrical) 1-2: 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) 2-3: 4 ft 4 in (1,321 mm) Length: ​  • Over couplers 28 ft 10 in (8,788 mm) Height 10 ft 9 in (3,277 mm) Frame type Bar Axle load 6 LT 16 cwt (6,909 kg)  • Leading 2 LT 15 cwt (2,794 kg)  • 1st coupled 5 LT 8 cwt (5,487 kg)  • 2nd coupled 6 LT 4 cwt (6,299 kg)  • 3rd coupled 6 LT 16 cwt (6,909 kg)  • Trailing 2 LT 16 cwt (2,845 kg) Adhesive weight 18 LT 8 cwt (18,700 kg) Loco weight 23 LT 19 cwt (24,330 kg) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 2 LT 5 cwt (2.3 t) Water cap 542 imp gal (2,460 l) Firebox type Round-top  • Firegrate area 12 sq ft (1.1 m^2) Boiler: ​  • Pitch 5 ft 1 in (1,549 mm)  • Tube plates 7 ft 6 in (2,286 mm) Boiler pressure 160 psi (1,103 kPa) Heating surface 396 sq ft (36.8 m^2)  • Tubes 350 sq ft (33 m^2)  • Firebox 46 sq ft (4.3 m^2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 12 in (305 mm) bore 18 in (457 mm) stroke Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Slide Couplers Johnston link-and-pin
Performance figures Tractive effort 7,585 lbf (33.74 kN) @ 75%
Career Operators Zululand Railway Co. Natal Government Railways Number in class 1 Numbers ZRC 1, NGR 512 & 501, SAR 0501 Delivered 1901 First run 1901 Withdrawn 1916

In 1894, the Natal Government made provision for the extension of the North Coast line from Verulam to the Tugela River. The Zululand Railway Company was contracted for the construction of the line in 1895. In 1901, the company acquired one 2-6-2 side-tank locomotive as construction engine. Upon completion of the line in 1903, the locomotive was taken onto the roster of the Natal Government Railways and designated Class I.[1][2]

Zululand Railway Company

Provision for the extension of the North Coast line from Verulam to the Tugela River was made by Act 34 of 1894 of the Colony of Natal. On 19 December 1895, an agreement was reached with the Natal sugar magnate James Liege Hulett, representing the Zululand Railway Company, for the construction of the new line.[1][2]

The government stipulated that the line was to be 3 feet 6 inches Cape gauge and laid with 45 pounds per yard (22 kilograms per metre) steel rail. The agreement further stipulated that, upon its completion, the line would be taken over as part of the Natal Government Railways (NGR) system.[1][2]

Manufacturer

In 1901, the construction company acquired a single 2-6-2T locomotive from Baldwin Locomotive Works in the United States of America, for use as construction engine. The locomotive, which became the Zululand Railway no. 1, was designed and built to American specifications and narrow-gauge practice at the time and, as a result, conformed to NGR practice only in respect of its Johnston link-and-pin couplers and brake gear.[1][2][3]

Characteristics

The cylinders were arranged outside the bar frame while the slide valves, arranged above the cylinders, were actuated by Stephenson link motion through rocker shafts. Two sandboxes were mounted atop the boiler, fore and aft of the steam dome.[2]

Service

The Tugela line was opened to traffic in 1903 and Zululand no. 1 was taken onto the NGR roster, where it was allocated no. 512.[1][2]

It was later renumbered to 501 and was allocated to the Construction Department of the NGR. When a classification system was introduced at some stage between 1904 and 1908, it was designated NGR Class I.[4]

When the Union of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910, the three Colonial government railways (Cape Government Railways, NGR 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.[5][6]

In 1912, the Construction Department locomotives in Natal were considered obsolete. The locomotive was excluded from the South African Railways classification and renumbering schedules, renumbered to 0501 and remained unclassified. It was scrapped in March 1916.[6][7]

References

1. Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
2. Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1944). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter III - Natal Government Railways (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, September 1944. p. 671.
3. Dulez, Jean A. (2012). Railways of Southern Africa 150 Years (Commemorating One Hundred and Fifty Years of Railways on the Sub-Continent – Complete Motive Power Classifications and Famous Trains – 1860–2011) (1st ed.). Garden View, Johannesburg, South Africa: Vidrail Productions. pp. 25–26. ISBN 9 780620 512282.
4. The Railway Report for year ending 31 Dec. 1908, Natal Government Railways, p. 39, par 14.
5. The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 25.
6. Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office, Pretoria, January 1912, p. 2 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
7. Ex Zululand locomotives in SAR service