South African Class 8Y 2-8-0

The South African Railways Class 8Y 2-8-0 of 1903 was a 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 "8th Class". For the others, see Cape Government Railways 8th Class locomotives.

CGR 8th Class 2-8-0 1903
South African Class 8Y 2-8-0
CGR 8th Class no. 820, SAR Class 8Y no. 899
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerCape Government Railways
(H.M. Beatty)
BuilderKitson and Company
Serial number4198-4201
ModelCGR 8th Class (2-8-0)
Build date1903
Total produced4
Specifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte2-8-0 (Consolidation)
 • UIC1'Dn2
Driver3rd coupled axle
Gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading dia.28+1⁄2 in (724 mm)
Coupled dia.48 in (1,219 mm)
Tender wheels33+1⁄2 in (851 mm) as built
34 in (864 mm) retyred
Wheelbase46 ft 10+1⁄2 in (14,288 mm)
 • Engine21 ft 8 in (6,604 mm)
 • Coupled14 ft 6 in (4,420 mm)
 • Tender14 ft 7 in (4,445 mm)
 • Tender bogie4 ft 7 in (1,397 mm)
Wheel spacing
(Asymmetrical)		1-2: 4 ft 7 in (1,397 mm)
2-3: 4 ft 3 in (1,295 mm)
3-4: 5 ft 8 in (1,727 mm)
Length:
​
 • Over couplers54 ft 9 in (16,688 mm)
Height12 ft 10 in (3,912 mm)
Frame typeBar
Axle load12 LT 8 cwt (12,600 kg)
 • Leading6 LT 8 cwt (6,503 kg)
 • Coupled12 LT 8 cwt (12,600 kg)
Adhesive weight49 LT 12 cwt (50,400 kg)
Loco weight56 LT (56,900 kg)
Tender typeXE1 (2-axle bogies)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel capacity9 LT (9.1 t)
Water cap.2,855 imp gal (13,000 L)
Firebox typeRound-top
 • Firegrate area30.9 sq ft (2.87 m2)
Boiler:
​
 • Pitch7 ft 3 in (2,210 mm)
 • Diameter4 ft 10+3⁄4 in (1,492 mm)
 • Tube plates12 ft 7+3⁄8 in (3,845 mm)
 • Small tubes196: 2 in (51 mm)
Boiler pressure180 psi (1,241 kPa)
Safety valveRamsbottom
Heating surface1,416.5 sq ft (131.60 m2)
 • Tubes1,311.5 sq ft (121.84 m2)
 • Firebox105 sq ft (9.8 m2)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size18+1⁄2 in (470 mm) bore
24 in (610 mm) stroke
Valve gearStephenson
Valve typeSlide
CouplersJohnston link-and-pin
AAR knuckle (1930s)
Performance figures
Tractive effort23,110 lbf (102.8 kN) @ 75%
Career
OperatorsCape Government Railways
South African Railways
ClassCGR 8th Class (2-8-0)
SAR Class 8Y
Number in class4
NumbersCGR 817-820, SAR 896-899
Delivered1903
First run1903
Withdrawn1938
The 2nd & 3rd coupled axles had flangeless wheels

In 1903, the Cape Government Railways placed four more Cape 8th Class 2-8-0 Consolidation type steam locomotives in service. In 1912, when they were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and designated Class 8Y.[1][2]

Manufacturer

The first locomotive in the Cape Government Railways (CGR) 2-8-0 Consolidation type 8th Class, later to be designated the South African Railways (SAR) Class 8X, was designed by H.M. Beatty, the CGR’s Chief Locomotive Superintendent from 1896 to 1910. This second batch of four engines was ordered in 1903 from Kitson and Company of Hunslet in Leeds, West Yorkshire. All four were allocated to the CGR’s Western System and numbered in the range from 817 to 820.[1]

H.M. Beatty

They were very similar to the earlier CGR Schenectady- and ALCO-built Consolidations, but with the boiler centre line raised by 2 inches (51 millimetres). Coupled with a shallow firebox, this enabled the firegrate to be extended out sideways over the fourth set of coupled wheels, which resulted in a grate area of 30.9 square feet (2.87 square metres), compared to the 20 square feet (1.9 square metres) of the previous model. These engines also used saturated steam and cylinders with overhead slide valves, actuated by inside Stephenson valve gear.[1][3]

Class 8 sub-classes

In spite of the difference in wheel arrangement, the CGR grouped its 2-8-0 Consolidation and post-7th Class 4-8-0 Mastodon locomotives together as the 8th Class.[1][3]

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 were only implemented with effect from 1 January 1912.[2][4]

In 1912, these four locomotives were designated Class 8Y on the South African Railways (SAR) and renumbered in the range from 896 to 899. All the CGR 8th Class 2-8-0 and 4-8-0 locomotives, together with the Classes 8-L1 to 8-L3 4-8-0 Mastodon locomotives from the Central South African Railways (CSAR), were grouped into ten different sub-classes by the SAR. The 4-8-0 locomotives became SAR Classes 8 and 8A to 8F and the 2-8-0 locomotives became Classes 8X to 8Z.[1][2][3][5]

Service

In SAR service, the 2-8-0 Class 8Y was used mainly in the Northern Cape until they were withdrawn by 1938.[3]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to South African Class 8Y 2-8-0.
  1. Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
  2. Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 9, 12, 15, 36 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
  3. Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. p. 50. ISBN 0869772112.
  4. The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 25.
  5. South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2’0” & 3’6” Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.