South African Class 19C 4-8-2
Encyclopedia
In 1935 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 19C steam locomotive
s with a Mountain wheel arrangement in service.
locomotives with Walschaerts valve gear. When the tenders were received it was found that the North British Locomotive Company
(NBL) of Glasgow
, Scotland
, had also tendered for a locomotive with Rotary Cam Poppet valve gear.
Even though this would increase the cost per locomotive by £200, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) A.G. Watson decided to adopt it in view of the good reports he had received concerning Poppet valve gear. This variation on the design led to these locomotives being classified as Class 19C when they were delivered in 1935.
All fifty Class 19C locomotives were erected at the Salt River shops, numbered 2435 to 2484, and many remained stationed at Cape Town while being subjected to exhaustive testing.
The photograph alongside shows a Class 19C locomotive after a record speed test run, during which the locomotive achieved a speed of 67 miles per hour (108 km/h). CME A.G. Watson is standing sixth from left in the group in front of the locomotive, with hat in hand.
In a break with prior custom, to facilitate easier removal of the boiler for repairs, the ash pan and running boards were affixed to the locomotive frame instead of to the boiler.
Copper or composite fireboxes are considerably more expensive to manufacture and repair than steel boxes. It was only by the late 1960s, when severe corrosion was no longer a big problem as a result of the availability of water treatment throughout the country, that copper and composite fireboxes were no longer considered necessary.
On the Class 19C the proportion of reciprocating parts balanced was reduced to 20%, which resulted in a big decrease of vertical hammer blow to not more than 0.9 long ton (0.914445 t) on any wheel at 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). Similar balancing metods on subsequent new locomotives enabled the SAR to adopt axle loads exceeding those permitted on many other railways of the world for comparable weight of rail.
area, the Eastern Cape
and Western Cape
. The Poppet valves made the Class 19C a very free-running locomotive, although it required special maintenance techniques.
As a result the whole class was allocated to the Western Cape during World War II
, based at the Paardeneiland shed in Cape Town. From here they worked on branch lines such as those from Cape Town
to Saldanha
, along the long branch line via Klawer to Bitterfontein
, and across Sir Lowry's Pass
to Caledon
and Protem in the Overberg
.
In later years, around 1970, a few were stationed at Bloemfontein
from where they worked the line to Aliwal North
. They were withdrawn from service in 1978.
One, number 2439, was preserved but none of them were sold into industry, firstly because of the special maintenance required for the Poppet valves, and secondly because Cape Town was a long distance away from any potential industrial operators, which would increase the cost of relocation.
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s with a Mountain wheel arrangement in service.
Manufacturer
When the need for more branch line locomotives became apparent in 1934, tenders were invited by the South African Railways (SAR) for another fifty Class 19BSouth African Class 19B 4-8-2
In 1930 the South African Railways placed fourteen Class 19B steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement in service. One of them was later reboilered and reclassified to Class 19BR.-Manufacturer:...
locomotives with Walschaerts valve gear. When the tenders were received it was found that the North British Locomotive Company
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
(NBL) of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, had also tendered for a locomotive with Rotary Cam Poppet valve gear.
Even though this would increase the cost per locomotive by £200, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) A.G. Watson decided to adopt it in view of the good reports he had received concerning Poppet valve gear. This variation on the design led to these locomotives being classified as Class 19C when they were delivered in 1935.
All fifty Class 19C locomotives were erected at the Salt River shops, numbered 2435 to 2484, and many remained stationed at Cape Town while being subjected to exhaustive testing.
The photograph alongside shows a Class 19C locomotive after a record speed test run, during which the locomotive achieved a speed of 67 miles per hour (108 km/h). CME A.G. Watson is standing sixth from left in the group in front of the locomotive, with hat in hand.
Watson Standard boilers
The Class 19C was delivered with a Watson Standard no. 1A boiler, one of the range of a standard boiler type designed by Watson as part of his standardisation policy. It had a larger superheater than the Class 19B and was equipped with the altered cab with the sloping front design that, like the Watson Standard boiler, was to become standard on later SAR steam locomotive classes.In a break with prior custom, to facilitate easier removal of the boiler for repairs, the ash pan and running boards were affixed to the locomotive frame instead of to the boiler.
Fireboxes
Some were built with steel fireboxes for use in those areas where good or treated water was readily available, while others were still equipped with copper or composite fireboxes for use in areas with poor water quality.Copper or composite fireboxes are considerably more expensive to manufacture and repair than steel boxes. It was only by the late 1960s, when severe corrosion was no longer a big problem as a result of the availability of water treatment throughout the country, that copper and composite fireboxes were no longer considered necessary.
Balancing
The balancing of these locomotives represented another advance on former practices. Until then, locomotives had been balanced to an extent of 50% to 70% of their reciprocating parts, and fully as regards their revolving parts.On the Class 19C the proportion of reciprocating parts balanced was reduced to 20%, which resulted in a big decrease of vertical hammer blow to not more than 0.9 long ton (0.914445 t) on any wheel at 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). Similar balancing metods on subsequent new locomotives enabled the SAR to adopt axle loads exceeding those permitted on many other railways of the world for comparable weight of rail.
Service
The Class 19C was designed for main line as well as branch line service. They initially worked in the WitwatersrandWitwatersrand
The Witwatersrand is a low, sedimentary range of hills, at an elevation of 1700–1800 metres above sea-level, which runs in an east-west direction through Gauteng in South Africa. The word in Afrikaans means "the ridge of white waters". Geologically it is complex, but the principal formations...
area, the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
and Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
. The Poppet valves made the Class 19C a very free-running locomotive, although it required special maintenance techniques.
As a result the whole class was allocated to the Western Cape during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, based at the Paardeneiland shed in Cape Town. From here they worked on branch lines such as those from Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
to Saldanha
Saldanha, Western Cape
Saldanha, also known as Saldanha Bay, is a town of 22,000 people, located north of Cape Town on the northern shore of Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its situation as a natural sheltered harbour has led to development as a port for the export of iron ore from Sishen in...
, along the long branch line via Klawer to Bitterfontein
Bitterfontein
Bitterfontein is a village in the Knersvlakte, the northernmost area of the Western Cape province of South Africa, north of Cape Town. It is the railhead of a line from Cape Town; ore from the copper mines at Okiep is transferred there from road transport to the railway...
, and across Sir Lowry's Pass
Sir Lowry's Pass
Sir Lowry's Pass is a mountain pass on the N2 national road in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It crosses the Hottentots-Holland mountain range between Somerset West and Grabouw on the main national road between Cape Town and the Garden Route...
to Caledon
Caledon
Caledon can refer to:* Caledon, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland* Caledon, Ontario in Canada* Caledon River in South Africa* Caledon, Western Cape, a town in South Africa* Caledon Bay in Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia....
and Protem in the Overberg
Overberg
Overberg is a district in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the east...
.
In later years, around 1970, a few were stationed at Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
from where they worked the line to Aliwal North
Aliwal North
Aliwal North is a town in central South Africa on the Orange River, Eastern Cape Province. Aliwal North is the seat of the Maletswai Local Municipality which falls within the Ukhahlamba District Municipality....
. They were withdrawn from service in 1978.
One, number 2439, was preserved but none of them were sold into industry, firstly because of the special maintenance required for the Poppet valves, and secondly because Cape Town was a long distance away from any potential industrial operators, which would increase the cost of relocation.
Gallery
The main picture shows Class 19C 2439 on the line between Humefield and Klipplaat on 1 October 1989.See also
- South African Class 19 4-8-2South African Class 19 4-8-2In 1928 the South African Railways placed four Class 19 steam locomotives with a wheel arrangement in service. One of them was later reboilered and reclassified to Class 19R.-Manufacturer:At the request of Colonel F.R...
- South African Class 19A 4-8-2South African Class 19A 4-8-2In 1929 the South African Railways placed thirty-six Class 19A steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 wheel arrangement in service. Five of them were later reboilered and reclassified to Class 19AR.-Manufacturer:...
- South African Class 19B 4-8-2South African Class 19B 4-8-2In 1930 the South African Railways placed fourteen Class 19B steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement in service. One of them was later reboilered and reclassified to Class 19BR.-Manufacturer:...
- South African Class 19D 4-8-2South African Class 19D 4-8-2Between 1937 and 1949 the South African Railways placed two hundred and thirty-five Class 19D steam locomotives wirh a 4-8-2 Mountain wheel arrangement in service...
- Tender locomotive numbering and classification
- Watson Standard boilers
- The 4-8-2 "Mountain"
- List of South African locomotive classes