South African Class J 4-6-4T

The South African Railways Class J 4-6-4T of 1915 was a steam locomotive.

South African Class J 4-6-4T
Class J no. 345, c. 1950
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerSouth African Railways
(D.A. Hendrie)
BuilderNasmyth, Wilson and Company
Serial number1060-1065
ModelClass J
Build date1915
Total produced6
Specifications
Configuration:
  Whyte4-6-4T (Baltic)
  UIC2'C2'n2t
Driver2nd coupled axle
Gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading dia.25 34 in (654 mm)
Coupled dia.42 34 in (1,086 mm)
Trailing dia.25 34 in (654 mm)
Wheelbase27 ft 5 in (8,357 mm)
  Leading5 ft 4 in (1,626 mm)
  Coupled8 ft 6 in (2,591 mm)
  Trailing5 ft 4 in (1,626 mm)
Wheel spacing
(Asymmetrical)
1-2: 4 ft (1,219 mm)
2-3: 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm)
Length:
  Over couplers34 ft 34 in (10,382 mm)
Height12 ft (3,658 mm)
Axle load11 LT 4 cwt (11,380 kg)
  Leading9 LT 12 cwt (9,754 kg)
  1st coupled10 LT 10 cwt (10,670 kg)
  2nd coupled11 LT 4 cwt (11,380 kg)
  3rd coupled11 LT (11,180 kg)
  Trailing10 LT 2 cwt (10,260 kg)
Adhesive weight32 LT 14 cwt (33,220 kg)
Loco weight52 LT 8 cwt (53,240 kg)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity3 LT (3.0 t)
Water cap1,200 imp gal (5,460 l)
Firebox typeBelpaire
  Firegrate area15 sq ft (1.4 m2)
Boiler:
  Pitch6 ft 9 in (2,057 mm)
  Diameter3 ft 10 14 in (1,175 mm)
  Tube plates10 ft 5 34 in (3,194 mm)
  Small tubes171: 1 34 in (44 mm)
Boiler pressure175 psi (1,207 kPa)
Safety valveRamsbottom
Heating surface909 sq ft (84.4 m2)
  Tubes821 sq ft (76.3 m2)
  Firebox88 sq ft (8.2 m2)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size15 in (381 mm) bore
22 in (559 mm) stroke
Valve gearWalschaerts
Valve typePiston
CouplersJohnston link-and-pin
AAR knuckle (1930s)
Performance figures
Tractive effort15,200 lbf (68 kN) @ 75%
Career
OperatorsSouth African Railways
ClassClass J
Number in class6
Numbers341-346
Delivered1915
First run1915
Withdrawn1957

In 1915, the South African Railways placed six Class J tank steam locomotives with a 4-6-4 Baltic type wheel arrangement in service.[1][2][3][4]

Manufacturer

D.A. Hendrie

To cope with the increasing traffic on the Natal South Coast, D.A. Hendrie, the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South African Railways (SAR), reverted to the old Natal Government Railways preference and designed a new 4-6-4 Baltic type side-tank steam locomotive.[1][2][5]

Six of these locomotives were built by Nasmyth, Wilson and Company of Patricroft in Salford, England, and delivered in 1915, numbered in the range from 341 to 346. They were designated Class J and were the first side-tank engines to be acquired by the SAR since Union.[1][2][5]

Characteristics

The engines used saturated steam and had Walschaerts valve gear, piston valves and Belpaire fireboxes. They were designed to work as double-enders on the Natal South Coast line where there was limited engine turning facilities.[1][2]

Service

It was soon found, however, that due to their small proportions, they were of insufficient power to handle the rapidly increasing loads on the South Coast. They were therefore taken off the South Coast run and employed as shunting engines in the Durban harbour.[1][2]

Four of them were later allocated to Mossel Bay and the Cape Midland for similar duties. They remained there until they were withdrawn by 1957 after more than forty years in service. The remaining two locomotives, numbers 341 and 342, were sold to gold mines on the Reef.[1][2][5][6]

By the early 1970s, no. 341 was still at work on the East Daggafontein Mine as their no. 2. It was later acquired by the South African National Railway And Steam Museum (SANRASM) for preservation. It had to be scrapped in 2011, however, after being vandalised by scavenging scrap metal thieves at the SANRASM storage site in Chamdor.[6][7]

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Illustration

No. 341 was plinthed at SANRASM with a tender. The picture shows it as gate guard, prior to being vandalised into destruction c. 2010.

References

  1. Holland, D. F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
  2. Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1945). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter VII - South African Railways (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, August 1945. pp. 595-596.
  3. South African Railways & Harbours/Suid Afrikaanse Spoorweë en Hawens (15 Aug 1941). Locomotive Diagram Book/Lokomotiefdiagramboek, 3'6" Gauge/Spoorwydte. SAR/SAS Mechanical Department/Werktuigkundige Dept. Drawing Office/Tekenkantoor, Pretoria. p. 43.
  4. South African Railways & Harbours/Suid Afrikaanse Spoorweë en Hawens (15 Aug 1941). Locomotive Diagram Book/Lokomotiefdiagramboek, 2'0" & 3'6" Gauge/Spoorwydte, Steam Locomotives/Stoomlokomotiewe. SAR/SAS Mechanical Department/Werktuigkundige Dept. Drawing Office/Tekenkantoor, Pretoria. pp. 6a-7a, 41, 43.
  5. Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 33. ISBN 0869772112.
  6. Middleton, John N. (2002). Railways of Southern Africa Locomotive Guide - 2002 (as amended by Combined Amendment List 4, January 2009) (2nd, Dec 2002 ed.). Herts, England: Beyer-Garratt Publications. p. 16.
  7. SA Rail (Official Journal of the Railway Society of Southern Africa.
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