CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1883

The Cape Government Railways 3rd Class 4-4-0 of 1883 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

This article is about one of several different Cape Government Railways locomotive types to be designated "3rd Class". For the others, see Cape Government Railways 3rd Class locomotives.

CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1883 OVGS 3rd Class 4-4-0 South African Class 03 4-4-0 1883
CGR 3rd Class no. 83 Sir Hercules
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Neilson and Company Builder Neilson and Company Serial number 2917-2934 Build date 1882 Total produced 18
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4-0 (American)  • UIC 2'Bn2 Driver 1st coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia. 27 in (686 mm) Coupled dia. 48 in (1,219 mm) Tender wheels 36 ^1⁄2 in (927 mm) Wheelbase 34 ft 11 ^1⁄2 in (10,655 mm)  • Engine 17 ft 9 in (5,410 mm)  • Leading 5 ft (1,524 mm)  • Coupled 6 ft 6 in (1,981 mm)  • Tender 8 ft (2,438 mm) Length: ​  • Over couplers 43 ft 3 in (13,183 mm) Height 12 ft (3,658 mm) Axle load 9 LT 3 cwt 2 qtr (9,322 kg)  • Leading 9 LT 9 cwt 2 qtr (9,627 kg)  • Coupled 9 LT 3 cwt 2 qtr (9,322 kg) Adhesive weight 18 LT 7 cwt (18,640 kg) Loco weight 29 LT 16 cwt 2 qtr (30,300 kg) Tender weight 19 LT 12 cwt 3 qtr (19,950 kg) Total weight 49 LT 9 cwt 1 qtr (50,260 kg) Tender type 3-axle Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 2 LT 15 cwt (2.8 t) Water cap 1,700 imp gal (7,700 l) Firebox type Round-top  • Firegrate area 11.25 sq ft (1.045 m^2) Boiler: ​  • Pitch 6 ft (1,829 mm)  • Tube plates 10 ft 4 ^1⁄2 in (3,162 mm)  • Small tubes 145: 1 ^3⁄4 in (44 mm) Boiler pressure 130 psi (896 kPa) Safety valve Salter Heating surface 752.5 sq ft (69.91 m^2)  • Tubes 690 sq ft (64 m^2)  • Firebox 62.5 sq ft (5.81 m^2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 15 in (381 mm) bore 20 in (508 mm) stroke Valve gear Joy Valve type Slide Couplers Johnston link-and-pin
Performance figures Tractive effort 9,140 lbf (40.7 kN) @ 75%
Career Operators Cape Government Railways OVGS South African Railways Class CGR 3rd Class, SAR Class 03 Number in class 18 Numbers W77-88, E15-E16, M80-M83 Nicknames Four-coupled Joy Delivered 1883 First run 1883

In 1882, the Cape Government Railways placed orders with Neilson and Company for eighteen 3rd Class tender locomotives with a 4-4-0 American type wheel arrangement. They were intended for fast passenger service on all three Cape Systems and were delivered early in 1883.[1][2][3]

Manufacturer

Eighteen 4-4-0 American type tender passenger locomotives were delivered to the Cape Government Railways (CGR) from Neilson and Company in 1883. They were numbered in the ranges from W77 to W88 for the Western System, E15 and E16 for the Eastern System and M80 to M83 for the Midland system. They had been ordered in 1882 for passenger service out of Cape Town, East London and Port Elizabeth respectively and were equipped with six-wheeled tenders.[1][2][4]

Characteristics

The locomotive's slide valves were arranged above the inclined cylinders and were actuated by Joy valve gear, which had been invented in 1879 by David Joy, the Locomotive Superintendent of the Oxford, Dorchester and Wolverhampton Railway. Joy valve gear did not make use of eccentrics like the Stephenson Link valve gear which had hitherto been used and which, at times, proved to be troublesome.[3]

The Roscoe-type lubricator to lubricate the cylinders was affixed on top of the smokebox to the rear of the chimney, since this position was convenient for obtaining a good connection with the main steam pipes.[3]

The locomotives were equipped with Adams' Vortex blast pipes. These had an outer annular orifice for steam and an inner circular opening for exhaust gases and formed the upper portion of a bell-mouth scoop. The lower portion of the scoop was open towards the bottom rows of tubes so that the draught though them was increased. The vortex blast pipes were, however, removed after a few years since it was found to choke up more readily than an ordinary blast pipe.[3]

Service

The locomotives became known as the Four-coupled Joys, from the Joy valve gear that they were equipped with. One of the locomotives is known to have been named Sir Hercules, after Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead, who had succeeded Sir Henry Bartle Frere as High Commissioner for Southern Africa in 1880 and after whom two towns in South Africa were named. The named engine was no. 83, which was either the Midland System's no. M83 or the Western System's no. W83. All these locomotives were later designated 3rd Class when a locomotive classification system was introduced by the CGR.[1]

Cape Government Railways

As was usual practice with passenger locomotives on the CGR, the engines were painted green and had polished brass domes. In service, the Joy valve gear proved unsatisfactory and three of the Western System's locomotives were later converted to Stephenson valve gear at the CGR's Salt River shops in Cape Town. Even though this improved their performance, the modification was not carried out on any of the other locomotives.[1][3]

At the time the Four-coupled Joy locomotives entered service in 1883, the Eastern System mainline from East London was open as far as Queenstown with a branch to King William's Town, the two Midland System main­lines from Port Eliza­beth were respectively open to Graaff Reinet and approaching Rosmead via Cradock with a branch to Grahamstown, while the Western System mainline from Cape Town was approaching De Aar with a branch to Malmesbury.[5]

All these locomotives were renumbered at times during the CGR era. By 1886, the system prefixes had been done away with. The locomotives on the Western System retained their numbers, while the Midland System's locomotives were renumbered to the range from 180 to 183. The Eastern System's two locomotives were renumbered from E15 and E16 to 610 and 611 respectively. By 1888, after the three systems had been linked up at De Aar on 31 March 1884, the Midland System's locomotives were renumbered once again, to the range from 89 to 92, following on from the numbers of the Western System's locomotives.[1][2][5]

Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen

In late 1896, some of these locomotives were sold to the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen, where they retained their classification as 3rd Class. The sale most probably involved the five locomotives whose numbers were absent from the CGR roster for the first time by year-end 1896, as listed in the table. These engines were later fitted with the Tilney-design extended type of smokebox with spark arresters.[1][6]

South African Railways

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 was only implemented with effect from 1 January 1912.[5][7]

By 1912, only one of these locomotives survived, the Eastern System's no. 611. It was considered obsolete by the SAR, designated Class 03 and renumbered to 0611. By 1918, it had been scrapped.[2][4][7]

Works numbers

The works numbers, original numbers and renumbering of the Cape 3rd Class of 1883 are listed in the table.[1][2][7]

CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 of 1883

Works no.	Orig. no.	1886 no.	1888 no.	1890 no.	1896 no.	SAR no. & notes
2917	W77	77	77	77	77
2918	W78	78	78	78	OVGS?
2919	E15	610	610	610	610
2920	E16	611	611	611	611	0611
2921	W79	79	79	79	OVGS?
2922	W80	80	80	80	80
2923	M80	180	89	89	89
2924	M81	181	90	90	90
2925	W81	81	81	81	OVGS?
2926	W82	82	82	82	82
2927	M82	182	91
2928	M83	183	92	92	92	Sir Hercules?
2929	W83	83	83	83	83	Sir Hercules?
2930	W84	84	84	84	84
2931	W85	85	85	85	OVGS?
2932	W86	86	86	86	86
2933	W87	87	87	87	OVGS?
2934	W88	88	88	88	88

Illustration

• 
  Midland System no. 180, ex no. M80, later no. 89, c. 1886
• 
  Western System no. 84, decorated in honour of Queen Victoria's jubilee, c. 1887
• 
  Western System no. W87, c. 1883

References

1. Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 37–38, 106–108. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
2. C.G.R. Numbering Revised, Article by Dave Littley, SA Rail May–June 1993, pp. 94-95.
3. Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1943). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter II - The Cape Government Railways (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, November 1943. pp. 811-812, 818.
4. Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 15, 17. ISBN 0869772112.
5. The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, pp. 12-13, 25.
6. Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1944). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter V - Other Transvaal and O.F.S. Railways. South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, December 1944. pp. 925, 928.
7. Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, p. 25. (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)