Durban Harbour's John Milne

Durban Harbour's John Milne of 1879 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Colony of Natal.

Durban Harbour's John Milne
Natal Harbours Department locomotive John Milne
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerHunslet Engine Company
BuilderHunslet Engine Company
Serial number225
Build date1879
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte0-6-0ST (Six-coupled)
 • UICCn2t
Driver2nd coupled axle
Gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Coupled dia.36 in (914 mm)
Wheelbase7 ft 6 in (2,286 mm)
Wheel spacing
(Asymmetrical)		1-2: 4 ft (1,219 mm)
2-3: 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Length:
​
 • Over couplers20 ft 11 in (6,375 mm)
 • Over beams18 ft 6 in (5,639 mm)
Height10 ft 8 in (3,251 mm)
Adhesive weight43,792 lb (19,864 kg)
Loco weight43,792 lb (19,864 kg)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity15 long hundredweight (0.8 t)
Water cap.450 imp gal (2,000 L)
Firebox typeRound-top
 • Firegrate area7 sq ft (0.65 m2)
Boiler:
​
 • Pitch5 ft (1,524 mm)
 • Diameter3 ft 2 in (965 mm) outside
 • Tube plates7 ft 6+1⁄2 in (2,299 mm)
 • Small tubes97: 1+7⁄8 in (48 mm)
Boiler pressure130 psi (896 kPa)
Safety valveSalter
Heating surface392 sq ft (36.4 m2)
 • Tubes353 sq ft (32.8 m2)
 • Firebox39 sq ft (3.6 m2)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size12 in (305 mm) bore
18 in (457 mm) stroke
Valve gearStephenson
CouplersJohnston link-and-pin
Performance figures
Tractive effort7,020 lbf (31.2 kN) @ 75%
Career
OperatorsHarbour Board of Natal
Number in class1
Official nameJohn Milne
Delivered1879
First run1879
The 2nd coupled axle had flangeless wheels

In 1879, the Harbour Board of Natal placed a single 0-6-0ST saddle-tank locomotive in service, its first own locomotive for shunting work on the docks.[1][2][3]

Harbour Board of Natal

A board of commissioners, known as the Harbour Board of Natal, was established by the government of the Colony of Natal at the port of Durban in 1877. It consisted of seven members, the Colonial Engineer, the Collector of Customs, the Port Captain, the Mayor of Durban, two nominees from the Durban Chamber of Commerce and one member appointed by the Natal Government. As in the Cape of Good Hope, the board was responsible for the continuous development of the harbour to be able to accommodate the ever-increasing size and number of ships calling at the port.[1]

Railway operations in the harbour became the responsibility of the Harbours Department of the Government of Natal.[4]

Manufacturer

It would appear that, until 1879, the Natal Government Railways (NGR) provided all the locomotive power for harbour working. The Harbour Board acquired its first own locomotive for shunting work on the docks in 1879. It was a 0-6-0ST saddle-tank engine which had been ordered from Hunslet Engine Company in Leeds and was named John Milne, after the first engineer who had been appointed in 1851 to remove the sand-bar at the entrance to Durban Harbour.[1][2][3]

Service

It is not known whether the engine John Milne had been scrapped or sold by 1912, but it was no longer in service when the South African Railways (SAR) renumbering and classification was implemented in 1912, since it does not appear in the classification and renumbering lists which were issued by the SAR Chief Mechanical Engineer in January 1912.[1][5]

References
  1. Holland, D. F. (1972). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 2: 1910-1955 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 126–127. ISBN 978-0-7153-5427-8.
  2. NGR Class K of 1879, John Milne & no. 15
  3. Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1944). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter III - Natal Government Railways (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, September 1944. p. 670.
  4. Harbours Department of the Government of Natal
  5. Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912. (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
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