South African Class NG15 2-8-2

NG15 no. NG124 on the Van Stadens river bridge, 26 October 1985

Type and origin
Power type	Steam
Designer	South African Railways
Builder	Henschel and Son Société Franco-Belge
Serial number	Henschel: 21905-21907, 24475-24479, 29585-29589 Franco-Belge: 2667-2671, 2682-2686
Model	Class NG15
Build date	1931-1957
Total produced	21

Specifications
Configuration	2-8-2 "Mikado"
Gauge	600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁵⁄₈ in) narrow gauge
Leading dia	21 in (533 mm)
Driver diameter	33.875 in (860 mm)
Trailing dia	21 in (533 mm)
Wheelbase	Total: 44 ft 7.625 in (13,605 mm) Engine: 9 ft 7 in (2,921 mm) coupled 20 ft 2.9375 in (6,171 mm) total Tender: 4 ft (1,219 mm) bogie 15 ft (4,572 mm) total
Length	54 ft 3.1875 in (16,540 mm)
Height	10 ft 5 in (3,175 mm)
Frame	Plate frame
Axle load	6.7875 long tons (6.9 t) on 4th driver
Adhesive weight	26.4375 long tons (26.9 t)
Loco weight	56.6 long tons (57.5 t) w/o 70,473 lb (32.0 t) empty
Tender weight	31.2 long tons (31.7 t) w/o 28,423 lb (12.9 t) empty
Loco & tender weight	87.8 long tons (89.2 t) w/o 98,896 lb (44.9 t) empty
Tender type	2 axle bogies 21 in (533 mm) wheels
Fuel type	Coal
Fuel capacity	5.5 long tons (5.6 t)
Water cap	2,860 imp gal (13,000 l)
Firebox: • Firegrate area	16.7 sq ft (1.551 m²)
Boiler	3 ft 11.75 in (1,213 mm) inside diameter 13 ft 1.5 in (4,000 mm) inside length 5 ft 8.875 in (1,749 mm) pitch
Boiler pressure	171 psi (1,180 kPa)
Heating surface	796 sq ft (73.951 m²)
• Tubes	94 tubes 1.75 in (44 mm) diameter 15 tubes 4.71875 in (120 mm) diameter 728 sq ft (67.633 m²)
• Firebox	68 sq ft (6.317 m²)
Superheater: • Heating area	180 sq ft (16.723 m²)
Cylinders	Two
Cylinder size	15.75 in (400 mm) bore 17.75 in (451 mm) stroke
Valve gear	Walschaerts

Performance figures
Tractive effort	16,610 lbf (74 kN) at 75% pressure

Career
Operators	Otavi Mining and Railway Company Tsumeb Copper Corporation South African Railways
Class	Class NG15
Number in class	21
Numbers	NG17-NG19, NG117-NG124, NG132-NG136, NG144-NG148
Nicknames	Kalahari
Delivered	1931-1958
First run	1931

Error in template * unknown parameter name (Template:Infobox_locomotive): 'framesize'

The South African Railways Class NG15 2-8-2 of 1931 is a narrow gauge steam locomotive.

In 1931 three narrow gauge Class NG15 locomotives with a 2-8-2 Mikado type wheel arrangement, similar in design to their existing Class Hd and Class NG5 locomotives, were acquired for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company in South West Africa. More were purchased for the Otavi and for the Tsumeb Copper Corporation during the subsequent years, eventually bringing the total number of these locomotives up to twenty-one by 1958.^[1]

When the narrow gauge Otavi Railway was regauged to Cape gauge in 1960, all twenty-one locomotives were taken over by the South African Railways. They were transferred to the Eastern Cape for further service on the narrow gauge line from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur.^[1]

Manufacturers

The Class NG15 2-8-2 Mikado type narrow gauge steam locomotive was designed by the South African Railways (SAR) and built by Henschel and Son for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company. The company operated a 352 miles (566 kilometres) narrow gauge line across the Namib Desert from Swakopmund on the Atlantic coast to Tsumeb and Grootfontein in South West Africa (SWA, now Namibia). The first three locomotives were delivered in 1931, numbered in the range from NG17 to NG19, followed by three more in 1939, numbered in the range from NG117 to NG119.^[2]

Ten more of these locomotives were built for the Otavi line by Société Franco-Belge and delivered in two batches of five in 1950 and 1953, numbered in the ranges from NG120 to NG124 and NG132 to NG136 respectively.^[1]

In 1958 five more of these locomotives, once again built by Henschel, were delivered to the Tsumeb Copper Corporation, numbered in the range from TC1 to TC5, for use by the SAR in terms of an agreement between the SAR and the Corporation. They were later renumbered in the SAR range from NG144 to NG148.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Evolution

The Class NG15 2-8-2 locomotive was a development of the Otavi Class Hd and SAR Class NG5 locomotives of the Otavi Mining and Railway Company in SWA.

Otavi Class Hd

Three Otavi Class Hd 2-8-2 locomotives, built by Henschel with builder's works numbers 10720 to 10722, were supplied on lease to the Otavi Mining and Railway Company in Deutsch-Südwest-Afrika (DSWA, now Namibia) by the German government in 1912. They were numbered 40 to 42 in the Otavi fleet. These locomotives had piston valves and, at 59 long tons (59.9 tonnes), they were considerably larger than earlier mainline Otavi locomotives, which were typically less than 23 long tons (23.4 tonnes) in full working order.

The Otavi Class Hd locomotives came into SAR ownership in 1923 when the Otavi Railway was nationalised. Ex Otavi Railway locomotives retained their pre-SAR engine numbers, but had the prefix SW (for South West) added to their existing numbers to distinguish them from SAR narrow gauge locomotives that bore the same engine numbers.

Number SW40 is believed to have been the last locomotive in steam on the narrow gauge Otavi Railway during September 1961, shortly before the demolition of the line was completed. It was then placed on display at Usakos station, which had become the southern terminus and works location of the narrow gauge line after World War I.
Number SW41 was retained with the intention to display it in a museum in Windhoek. In 1960 it was plinthed at Otjiwarongo station.
Number SW42 was sold as scrap in 1962.

Class NG5

Six similar Henschel built locomotives were placed in service in 1922, subsequently classified as Class NG5 by the SAR who had become responsible for operating all railways in SWA after World War I.

These locomotives had slide valves instead of the piston valves that were used on the Class Hd and the driving wheel suspension arrangement also differed. One of these Class NG5 locomotives was sent to the Avontuur line in South Africa for trials, but since it jammed on the tighter curves in the Langkloof despite having one set of flangeless driving wheels, it was returned to SWA.

All six Class NG5 locomotives were sold as scrap in 1962.

Class NG15

The drawing board work for the Class NG15 has been attributed to the one time Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Otavi Railway, a German engineer known in SWA as Mr. Peters, who was employed as a draughtsman by the SAR. The usual practice of the SAR in the steam era was to design locomotives in their own drawing offices and to then go out and find a builder.

Since the earlier trials with the Class NG5 locomotive, the sharpest curves on the Avontuur line had been eased and the experience gained in the process was taken into consideration during the design of the Class NG15. The leading pair of driving wheels of the Class NG15 have a limited amount of sideplay and are linked to the leading pony truck, while the axle of the leading driving wheels still remain parallel to the other three driving axles at all times.

This linking of a pony truck and driving axle is known as a Krauss-Helmholtz bogie, an invention of Richard von Helmholtz who was the chief designer at the Krauss works in Munich from 1884 to 1917. On standard gauge railways in Europe the inclusion of a Krauss-Helmholtz bogie has allowed the use of large 2-10-0 locomotives on sharply curved mountain sections. Some early electric locomotives also used Krauss-Helmholtz bogies.

Relocation

Number plate with "NG" prefix to number

Number plate without a number prefix

In SWA the Otavi Class Hd, Class NG5 and Class NG15 Mikado locomotives operated in a common pool. In 1960, when all the SWA narrow gauge lines were widened to Cape gauge, the Class Hd and Class NG5 locomotives were retired, while the twenty-one Class NG15 locomotives were all purchased by the SAR and relocated to the Langkloof line between Port Elizabeth and Avontuur. In the Langkloof the Class NG15 was nicknamed Kalahari, inappropriately so since its previous stamping ground was across the Namib desert, not in the Kalahari.^[1]

When it was first introduced on the Avontuur line, the Class NG15 was not allowed to work beyond Humansdorp from Port Elizabeth because of a lack of turning facilities in the Langkloof. This was rectified by the construction of a triangle at the end of the line at Avontuur, something that until then had not been required in the Langkloof since it had been the domain of bi-directional Garratt locomotives.

In the last years of steam traction on the Avontuur line the Class NG15 was unique in being the only non-Garratt steam locomotive working in the Langkloof. Outside the apple season the Class NG15 became well known for hauling the Apple Express from the Humewood Road railway station in Port Elizabeth to Loerie and back every Saturday to cater for tourists. It gained further fame when the Apple Express instituted an annual train race marathon where athletes could compete against an Apple Express filled with spectators.^[4]

The builders, works numbers and SAR renumberings of the Class NG15 locomotives are set out in the table below.^[2]

Class NG15 *Kalahari*
Builders, works numbers and renumbering
Builder	Works no.	Year built	Tsumeb no.	SAR no.
Henschel	21905	1931		NG 17
Henschel	21906	1931		NG 18
Henschel	21907	1931		NG 19
Henschel	24475	1938		NG117
Henschel	24476	1938		NG118
Henschel	24477	1938		NG119
Franco-Belge	2667	1949		NG120
Franco-Belge	2668	1949		NG121
Franco-Belge	2669	1949		NG122
Franco-Belge	2670	1949		NG123
Franco-Belge	2671	1949		NG124
Franco-Belge	2682	1952		NG132
Franco-Belge	2683	1952		NG133
Franco-Belge	2684	1952		NG134
Franco-Belge	2685	1952		NG135
Franco-Belge	2686	1952		NG136
Henschel	29585	1957	TC1	NG144
Henschel	29586	1957	TC2	NG145
Henschel	29587	1957	TC3	NG146
Henschel	29588	1957	TC4	NG147
Henschel	29589	1957	TC5	NG148

End of the line

During the 1970s steam traction in the Langkloof began to be replaced by diesel power with the introduction of the General Electric built Class 91-000 diesel-electric locomotive in 1973. Diesel and steam served the Langkloof together for some years, but by the mid 1980s road transport had triumphed over rail transport on the apple route as well, and the narrow gauge steam fleet was retired.^[5]

Current locomotive status

Since the preservation of heritage locomotives is always dependent on the attitude and disposition of the current incumbents of positions of authority, the current status as set out below should be considered as a snapshot of the situation at a point in time. Updated December 17th 2015

Number	Current location and condition
NG17	In running order at Sandstone Estates.
NG18	Hempstead & Northern RR, Texas, United States of America. Exported from South Africa to the USA in 1985. Currently out of service but being considered for a return to operating condition after the completion of NG/G13 50 in November 2015.
NG19	At Sandstone Estates.
NG117	Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Seen in an image being worked on December 17th 2015.
NG118	Bennett Brook Railway, Perth, Western Australia. In service on the railway from 15 October 1994 through to 2003. Stored awaiting an overhaul. Exported from South Africa to Australia in 1985.
NG120	Welsh Highland Heritage Railway. Purchased by a member of the WHR Ltd. It will be restored at a private site with the intention that it will run on Welsh Highland Railway Ltd. services in the future.
NG121	Phyllis Rampton Trust, Surrey, United Kingdom.
NG122	At the museum in George, South Africa.
NG123	Bennett Brook Railway, Perth, Western Australia. Restored to traffic as from 10 May 2007. Exported from South Africa to Australia in 1985.
NG133	Owned by the Festiniog Railway Company. Acquired for potential use on the Welsh Highland Railway. Stored in the open at the Dinas station of the Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon).
NG134	Owned by the Festiniog Railway Company. Acquired for use on the Welsh Highland Railway. Located in Dinas works, restoration making steady progress towards returning the locomotive to working order. Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon).
NG135	Owned by the Exmoor Steam Railway. In storage.
NG146	Owned by the Brecon Mountain Railway. In storage.
NG147	Plinthed at Avontuur station.

Illustration

The main picture shows Franco-Belge-built number NG124, equipped with smoke deflectors, crossing the Van Stadens River with the Apple Express on 26 October 1985.

Henschel-built Class NG15 on the Otavi Railway, c. 1932
Henschel-built no. NG17 at Sandstone Estates, 25 February 2005
Frame of Franco-Belge-built no. NG120, Gelert's Farm, Porthmadog, Wales, 2009
Franco-Belge-built no. NG123 on the Bennett Brook Railway in Australia, 7 June 2009
Franco-Belge-built no. NG124 at Van Stadens station, 8 April 1985
Henschel-built no. NG147 plinthed at Avontuur station, 18 October 2009

References

1 2 3 4 5 Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 10–11, 108. ISBN 0869772112.
1 2 3 Henschel-Lieferliste (Henschel & Son works list), compiled by Dietmar Stresow
↑ South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0” & 3’6” Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended
↑ Durrant, A E (1989). Twilight of South African Steam (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, London: David & Charles. p. 125. ISBN 0715386387.
↑ 100 Years of Being at the Heart of It All, Spoornet brochure, Circa 2003

Additional reading

Namib Narrow Gauge, by S.M. Moir and H. Temple. Crittenden, The Oakwood Press.
24 Inches Apart, by Sidney Moir. Janus Publishing, 1981.
The Locomotive in South Africa, by T.J. Espitalier and W.A.J. Day. South African Transport Services Museum, 1989.
The Kei Explorer 1989, South African Transport Services Museum and Railway Society of S.A.
The Steam Locomotive, A History, by David Ross. Tempus Publishing Limited, 2006

External links

Class NG15 No. NG134 restoration project

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South African Class NG15 (2-8-2).

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

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, December 17, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.