South West African 2-8-0

GSWA Eight-Coupled Tender 2-8-0 South West African 2-8-0
Eight-coupled Tender with auxiliary water tank wagon on a trainload of whale bones, Walvisbaai, c. 1925
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Orenstein & Koppel Builder Orenstein & Koppel Serial number 4614-4621 Build date 1911 Total produced 8
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-0 (Consolidation)  • UIC 1'Dn2 Driver 3rd coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia. 27+9⁄16 in (700 mm) Coupled dia. 39+3⁄8 in (1,000 mm) Tender wheels 27+9⁄16 in (700 mm) Wheelbase 40 ft 11+5⁄16 in (12,479 mm) ​  • Engine 24 ft 9+3⁄4 in (7,563 mm)  • Coupled 11 ft 9+3⁄4 in (3,600 mm)  • Tender 13 ft 5+7⁄16 in (4,101 mm)  • Tender bogie 4 ft 3+3⁄4 in (1,314 mm) Length: ​  • Over couplers 50 ft 3⁄4 in (15,259 mm) Height 12 ft 8+1⁄2 in (3,874 mm) Axle load 7 LT 8 cwt (7,519 kg) Loco weight 34 LT 10 cwt (35,050 kg) Tender weight 31 LT 10 cwt (32,010 kg) Total weight 66 LT (67,060 kg) Tender type 2-axle bogies Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 2 LT (2.0 t) Water cap. 3,520 imp gal (16,000 L) Firebox: ​  • Type Round-top  • Grate area 19.5 sq ft (1.81 m2) Boiler: ​  • Pitch 7 ft 6+9⁄16 in (2,300 mm)  • Small tubes 180: 1+3⁄4 in (44 mm) Boiler pressure 171 psi (1,179 kPa) Heating surface 899 sq ft (83.5 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 14+9⁄16 in (370 mm) bore 19+1⁄16 in (484 mm) stroke Valve gear Heusinger Valve type Murdoch's D slide Couplers Buffer-and-chains
Performance figures Tractive effort 13,580 lbf (60.4 kN) @ 75%
Career Operators Lüderitzbucht Eisenbahn South African Railways Number in class 8 Numbers LE 151-158 Delivered 1911 First run 1911

The South West African 2-8-0 of 1911 was a steam locomotive from the German South West Africa era.

In 1911, eight tender locomotives with a 2-8-0 Consolidation type wheel arrangement were placed in service by the Lüderitzbucht Eisenbahn (Lüderitzbucht Railway) in German South West Africa. After the First World War, the territory came under South African administration and all eight locomotives came onto the roster of the South African Railways. They were not classified or renumbered and were simply referred to as the Eight-Coupled Tenders.

Manufacturer

In 1911, eight Cape gauge tender locomotives with a 2-8-0 Consolidation type wheel arrangement were delivered to the Lüderitzbucht Eisenbahn in German South West Africa. They were built by Orenstein & Koppel between February and April 1911 and numbered in the range from 151 to 158.

Characteristics

These locomotives had larger boilers than the Eight-Coupled Tank locomotives which had been delivered from the same manufacturer between 1907 and 1910, but their cylinders, frames and motion were interchangeable with those of the tank engines. As on the tank engines, the second pair of coupled wheels had a total sideplay of 13⁄32 inch (10 millimetres), while the trailing coupled wheels had a sideplay of 1 inch (25 millimetres). The locomotives were equipped with dust shields over the coupled wheels and valve gear to protect the moving parts from blown sand in the Namib desert.

The tender rode on two four-wheeled bogies. As built, it had a water capacity of 3,520 imperial gallons (16,000 litres) and a coal capacity of only 2 long tons (2.0 tonnes). Photographs show that the coal bunker sides of the tenders were raised by fitting a slatted open-top cage made of rectangular steel rods on top of the coal bunker to increase the coal capacity.

Service

Lüderitzbucht Eisenbahn

The locomotives initially entered service on the Lüderitzbucht Eisenbahn or Südbahn, but they eventually mainly served on the Nord-Südbahn or North-South Railway between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop once that line was completed in 1912. As a result of the scarcity of water in the territory, they often ran with an auxiliary water tank wagon coupled behind their tenders.

South African Railways

On 1 April 1922, all railways in the former German colony came under the administration of the South African Railways (SAR). All eight locomotives had survived the First World War to be taken onto the SAR roster. They retained their German colonial era engine numbers and were not classified by the SAR, but were simply referred to as the Eight-Coupled Tenders.

The Eight-Coupled Tenders remained in SAR service in South West Africa into the late 1930s. One was photographed in service on a passenger train at Swakopmund as late as 7 October 1937.

Illustration

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  Side view of no. 156 with the dust panels opened
• 
  Eight-coupled tender locomotive, Karibib, c. 1925
• 
  On the new bridge which was built after the Swakop Flood of 1931