South African Class 15E 4-8-2

Henschel-built no. 2878 at Magaliesburg, 26 July 1992

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	South African Railways
Builder	Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Henschel and Son Berliner Maschinenbau
Serial number	RSH 4090–4109 Henschel 23000-23010, 23111-23115 Berliner 10585-10592
Model	Class 15E
Build date	1935–1936
Total produced	44

Specifications
Configuration	4-8-2 "Mountain"
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading dia	30 in (762 mm)
Driver diameter	60 in (1,524 mm)
Trailing dia	34 in (864 mm)
Wheelbase	Total: 65 ft 6.3125 in (19,972 mm) Engine: 6 ft 10 in (2,083 mm) bogie 15 ft 9 in (4,801 mm) coupled 35 ft 8 in (10,871 mm) total Tender: 6 ft 2 in (1,880 mm) bogie 20 ft 5 in (6,223 mm) total
Length	73 ft 5.9375 in (22,401 mm)
Height	12 ft 11.5 in (3,950 mm)
Axle load	18.6 long tons (18.9 t) on 2nd driver (2858-2877) 18.7 long tons (19.0 t) on 2nd driver (2878-2901)
Adhesive weight	73.4 long tons (74.6 t) (2858-2877) 72.15 long tons (73.3 t) (2878-2901)
Loco weight	109 long tons (110.7 t) (2858-2877) 108.25 long tons (110.0 t) (2878-2901)
Tender weight	66,416 lb (30.1 t) empty 69.4 long tons (70.5 t) w/o
Tender type	JT – JT, JV permitted * 2 axle bogies * 34 in (864 mm) wheels * Length 30 ft 9.0625 in (9,374 mm)
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	14 long tons (14.2 t)
Water cap	6,000 imp gal (27,000 l)
Firebox: • Firegrate area	63 sq ft (5.853 m²)
Boiler	6 ft 2.25 in (1,886 mm) inside diameter 22 ft 6 in (6,858 mm) inside length 9 ft 2.5 in (2,807 mm) pitch
Boiler pressure	210 psi (1,450 kPa)
Heating surface	3,400 sq ft (315.870 m²)
• Tubes	136 tubes 2.5 in (64 mm) diameter 36 tubes 5.5 in (140 mm) diameter 3,168 sq ft (294.317 m²)
• Flues	26 sq ft (2.415 m²)
• Firebox	206 sq ft (19.138 m²)
Superheater: • Heating area	676 sq ft (62.802 m²)
Cylinders	Two
Cylinder size	24 in (610 mm) bore 28 in (711 mm) stroke
Valve gear	RC Poppet

Performance figures
Tractive effort	42,340 lbf (188 kN) at 75% pressure

Career
Operators	South African Railways Rhodesia Railways Caminhos de Ferro de Mocambique
Class	Class 15E
Number in class	44
Numbers	2858-2901
Delivered	1935–1937
First run	1935

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The South African Railways Class 15E 4-8-2 of 1935 is a steam locomotive.

Between 1935 and 1937 the South African Railways placed forty-four Class 15E steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain type wheel arrangement in service.^[1]^[2]

The Class 15D classification was never used.^[3]

Manufacturers

The Class 15E 4-8-2 Mountain type mixed traffic steam locomotive was a refinement of the Class 15C and Class 15CA. It was designed by A.G. Watson, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South African Railways (SAR) from 1929 to 1936, and incorporated many of the improvements that had been developed by him, two of which were a vastly enlarged standardised boiler and a Watson cab.^[1]

They were built by three manufacturers. In 1935 British locomotive builders Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns (RSH) delivered twenty locomotives, numbered in the range from 2858 to 2877. Henschel and Son of Germany built and delivered sixteen in two batches in 1936, numbered in the range from 2878 to 2893. In 1936 German locomotive builders Berliner Maschinenbau built another eight locomotives, which were delivered in 1937, numbered in the range from 2894 to 2901.^[1]^[2]^[4]

Design

Valve gear

Because of the free running that was achieved with the Class 19C and Class 16E that were equipped with Rotary Cam Poppet valve gear, Watson decided to concentrate on this type of valve gear for all his future designs. The Class 15E was therefore built with poppet valve gear. Like the other classes with poppet valve gear, the Class 15E was fast, but some trouble was initially experienced with the gear in the reverse position. This was corrected by modifying the reversing cams and these, as well as new forward cams, were manufactured at the Salt River shops in Cape Town.^[1]

Watson Standard boilers

The Class 15E was delivered with a Watson Standard no. 3B boiler and a Watson cab. In the 1930s Watson designed a standard boiler type as part of his standardisation policy. Many serving locomotives were reboilered with these Watson Standard boilers and in the process they were also equipped with Watson cabs, with their distinctive slanted fronts compared to the conventional vertical fronts of their original cabs. New locomotives that were acquired in the Watson era and later, such as the Class 15E, were built with such boilers and cabs.^[2]^[3]

Service

South African Railways

The Class 15E was placed in service on the line between Cape Town and Beaufort West. Later, when the Class 15F and Class 23 were placed in service, the Class 15E locomotives were relocated further north to work between Beaufort West and De Aar. In the 1950s they were again relocated, this time to Bethlehem in the Orange Free State, from where they worked to Harrismith, Bloemfontein and Kroonstad. They were all withdrawn from regular service in 1973, except number 2878 which was retained in running order for excursion trains.^[2]

Some of the locomotives that worked on sections with tunnels were equipped with smoke deflecting cowls around their chimneys.

Other operators

Eleven of the Class 15E locomotives were eventually sold to neighbouring countries or into industrial service. Six of them were sold to Rhodesia Railways (RR) in 1970, where they retained their 15E classification but were renumbered by omitting the first digit of their SAR numbers. The Rhodesian locomotives did not last long in RR service, however, and were scrapped in 1973.^[5]

Three locomotives were sold to Caminhos de Ferro de Mocambique (CFM) in 1972, where they were renumbered 721, 722 and 723 respectively.^[5]

Two locomotives were sold to Dunn's Locomotive Works to be employed at Durban Navigation Collieries (Durnacol) at Dannhauser in Natal.^[5]

The table shows the Class 15E engine numbers, builders, year built, works numbers and post SAR owners.^[5]

Class 15E 4-8-2
Builders, Works Numbers & Disposal
SAR No.	Builder	Year	Works No.	Sold to	New No.
2858	RSH	1935	4090
2859	RSH	1935	4091
2860	RSH	1935	4092
2861	RSH	1935	4093
2862	RSH	1935	4094
2863	RSH	1935	4095
2864	RSH	1935	4096
2865	RSH	1935	4097
2866	RSH	1935	4098
2867	RSH	1935	4099
2868	RSH	1935	4100
2869	RSH	1935	4101
2870	RSH	1935	4102	CFM	721
2871	RSH	1935	4103
2872	RSH	1935	4104	Dunn
2873	RSH	1935	4105
2874	RSH	1935	4106
2875	RSH	1935	4107
2876	RSH	1935	4108
2877	RSH	1935	4109
2878	Henschel	1936	23000
2879	Henschel	1936	23001
2880	Henschel	1936	23002
2881	Henschel	1936	23003	RR	881
2882	Henschel	1936	23004	RR	882
2883	Henschel	1936	23005	RR	883
2884	Henschel	1936	23006
2885	Henschel	1936	23007	RR	885
2886	Henschel	1936	23008	RR	886
2887	Henschel	1936	23009
2888	Henschel	1936	23010
2889	Henschel	1936	23111
2890	Henschel	1936	23112
2891	Henschel	1936	23113	CFM	722
2892	Henschel	1936	23114
2893	Henschel	1936	23115
2894	Berliner	1936	10585	CFM	723
2895	Berliner	1936	10586	Dunn
2896	Berliner	1936	10587
2897	Berliner	1936	10588
2898	Berliner	1936	10589	RR	898
2899	Berliner	1936	10590
2900	Berliner	1936	10591
2901	Berliner	1936	10592

Illustration

The main picture shows preserved Henschel-built number 2878 with smoke deflectors at Magaliesburg, Transvaal, on 26 July 1992, while the following pictures illustrate some differences in appearance over the years.

Henschel-built no. 2878 at Paardeneiland, Cape Town, c. 1940
Henschel-built no. 2878 at Millsite, 23 April 1979

Henschel-built no. 2879 with smoke deflecting cowl, c. 1940
Berliner-built no. 2897 at Paardeneiland, Cape Town, c. 1940

References

1 2 3 4 Holland, D.F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways, Volume 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 72–73. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
1 2 3 4 Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 10–11, 62–63. ISBN 0869772112.
1 2 South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0” & 3’6” Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended
↑ Henschel-Lieferliste (Henschel & Son works list), compiled by Dietmar Stresow
1 2 3 4 Durrant, A E (1989). Twilight of South African Steam (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, London: David & Charles. p. 89. ISBN 0715386387.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South African Class 15E (4-8-2).

Locomotives of South Africa

Steam

7' ¼" gauge	East London Harbour 0-4-0 Table Bay Harbour 0-4-0ST Table Bay Harbour 0-4-0T Table Bay Harbour 0-4-0WT

4' 8½" gauge	Cape 0-4-0T Blackie Cape 0-4-2 Cape 2-4-0T CGR 0-4-0ST Aid Natal 0-4-0ST Durban Natal 0-4-0WT Natal Natal 4-4-0T Perseverance

3' 6" gauge Tank engines	CGR 0-4-0ST 1873 CGR 0-4-0ST 1874 CGR 0-4-0ST 1881 Coffee Pot CGR 0-6-0ST 1902 CGR 0-6-0T 1876 Back-to-Back CGR 2-6-0ST 1900 CGR 2-6-0ST 1902 CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1875 CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1876 CGR 1st Class 2-6-0ST 1876 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0T 1875 CGR 2nd Class 4-4-0T 1882 CGR 3rd Class 2-6-0T CGR Railmotor CSAR Class C CSAR Class E CSAR Rack CSAR Railmotor DSWA Eight-Coupled Tank 2-8-0T Durban's Congella Durban's Edward Innes Durban's John Milne Durban's Sir Albert Port Elizabeth Harbour 0-4-0ST Kowie Railway 0-6-0T Kowie Railway 4-4-0T Metropolitan & Suburban 4-6-2T NGR 2-6-0T Durban & Pietermaritzburg NGR Class I 2-6-2T NGR Class K 0-4-0ST NGR Class K 0-6-0ST NGR Class K 2-6-0T NZASM 10 Tonner NZASM 14 Tonner NZASM 18 Tonner NZASM 19 Tonner NZASM 32 Tonner NZASM 40 Tonner PPR 26 Tonner PPR 35 Tonner Portuguese SAR 0-4-0ST 1903 SAR 0-4-0T no. 69 SAR Class A SAR Class B SAR Class C SAR Class C1 SAR Class C2 SAR Class D SAR Class E SAR Class F SAR Class G SAR Class H SAR Class H1 SAR Class H2 SAR Class J SAR Class K SAR Clayton Railmotor

3' 6" gauge Tender engines	CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 Beyer, Peacock CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 Kitson CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1879 CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1891 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0 1879 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0TT 1881 CGR 2nd Class 2-6-2TT 1875 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1883 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1884 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1889 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1898 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1901 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1903 CGR 4th Class 4-4-2 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1880 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1882 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1884 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1890 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1891 DSWA Eight-Coupled Tender 2-8-0 NGR Havelock NGR Class I SAR Class Exp 1 SAR Class Exp 2 SAR Class Exp 3 SAR Class Exp 4 SAR Class Exp 5 SAR Class Exp 6 SAR Class S SAR Class S1 SAR Class S2 SAR Class 1 SAR Class 1A SAR Class 1B SAR Class 2 SAR Class 2C SAR Class 3 SAR Class 3A SAR Class 3B SAR Class 4 SAR Class 4A SAR Class 5 SAR Class 5A SAR Class 5B SAR Class 6 SAR Class 6A SAR Class 6B SAR Class 6C SAR Class 6D SAR Class 6E SAR Class 6F SAR Class 6G SAR Class 6H SAR Class 6J SAR Class 6K SAR Class 6L SAR Class 6Y SAR Class 6Z SAR Class 7 SAR Class 7A SAR Class 7B SAR Class 7C SAR Class 7D SAR Class 7E SAR Class 7F SAR Class 8 SAR Class 8A SAR Class 8B SAR Class 8C SAR Class 8D SAR Class 8E SAR Class 8F SAR Class 8R SAR Class 8X SAR Class 8Y SAR Class 8Z SAR Class 9 SAR Class 10 SAR Class 10A SAR Class 10B SAR Class 10C SAR Class 10D SAR Class 11 SAR Class 12 SAR Class 12A SAR Class 12B SAR Class 13 SAR Class 14 SAR Class 14A SAR Class 14B SAR Class 14C SAR Class 15 SAR Class 15A SAR Class 15B SAR Class 15C SAR Class 15CA SAR Class 15E SAR Class 15F SAR Class 16 SAR Class 16A SAR Class 16B SAR Class 16C SAR Class 16D SAR Class 16DA SAR Class 16E SAR Class 17 SAR Class 18 SAR Class 19 SAR Class 19A SAR Class 19B SAR Class 19C SAR Class 19D SAR Class 20 SAR Class 21 SAR Class 23 SAR Class 24 SAR Class 25 SAR Class 25NC SAR Class 26 Red Devil

3' 6" gauge Articulated engines	CGR Fairlie CGR Kitson-Meyer SAR Class FC SAR Class FD SAR Class GA SAR Class GB SAR Class GC SAR Class GCA SAR Class GD SAR Class GDA SAR Class GE SAR Class GEA SAR Class GF SAR Class GG SAR Class GH SAR Class GK SAR Class GL SAR Class GM SAR Class GMA SAR Class GO SAR Class HF SAR Class KM SAR Class MA SAR Class MB SAR Class MC SAR Class MC1 SAR Class MD SAR Class ME SAR Class MF SAR Class MG SAR Class MH SAR Class MJ SAR Class MJ1 SAR Class U

2' 6" gauge	Cape Copper 0-6-0T 1871 Cape Copper Britannia Cape Copper Caledonia Cape Copper Clara Class Cape Copper Condenser Cape Copper Scotia Class Namaqua Copper Pioneer

2' & 600mm gauges	ACR Class NG-G16A CGR NG 0-6-0T CGR NG 4-6-2T CGR Type A 2-6-4T CGR Type C 0-4-0T DSWA Class Ha DSWA Class Hb DSWA Class Hc DSWA Class Hd DSWA Jung DSWA Zwillinge NGR Class N 4-6-2T SAR NG 0-4-0T 1899 SAR Class NG1 SAR Class NG2 SAR Class NG3 SAR Class NG4 SAR Class NG5 SAR Class NG6 SAR Class NG7 SAR Class NG8 SAR Class NG9 SAR Class NG10 SAR Class NG-G11 SAR Class NG-G12 SAR Class NG-G13 SAR Class NG-G14 SAR Class NG15 SAR Class NG-G16

Electric

Amcoal Class E38

Diesel

3' 6" gauge Diesel-electric	PRASA Class Afro 4000 SAR Class DS SAR Class DS1 SAR Class 31-000 SAR Class 32-000 SAR Class 32-200 SAR Class 33-000 SAR Class 33-200 SAR Class 33-400 SAR Class 34-000 SAR Class 34-200 SAR Class 34-400 SAR Class 34-500 SAR Class 34-600 SAR Class 34-800 SAR Class 34-900 SAR Class 35-000 SAR Class 35-200 SAR Class 35-400 SAR Class 35-600 SAR Class 36-000 SAR Class 36-200 SAR Class 37-000 Spoornet Class 39-000 TFR Class 35-800 TFR Class 39-200 TFR Class 43-000 TFR Class 44-000

2' gauge Diesel-electric	SAR Class 91-000

3' 6" gauge Diesel-hydraulic	SAR Class 61-000

3' 6" gauge Electro-diesel	Spoornet Class 38-000

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