The Natal Government Railways Class K 0-6-0ST of 1880 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Colony of Natal.

NGR Class K 0-6-0ST
NGR Class K locomotive no. 15, c. 1880
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerHunslet Engine Company
BuilderHunslet Engine Company
Serial number249
Build date1880
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) ​
 • Axle 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 (2,050 L)
Firebox:
 • TypeRound-top
 • Grate area7 sq ft (0.65 m2)
Boiler:
 • Pitch5 ft (1,524 mm)
 • Diameter3 ft 2 in (965 mm) outside
 • Tube plates7 ft 6+12 in (2,299 mm)
 • Small tubes97: 1+78 in (48 mm)
Boiler pressure130 psi (896 kPa)
Heating surface:
 • Firebox39 sq ft (3.6 m2)
 • Tubes353 sq ft (32.8 m2)
 • Total surface392 sq ft (36.4 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
OperatorsNatal Government Railways
ClassClass K
Number in class1
Numbers15
Delivered1880
First run1880
The 2nd coupled axle had flangeless wheels

In 1880, the Natal Government Railways placed a single 0-6-0 saddle-tank locomotive in service. It was virtually identical to the Harbour Board of Natal's locomotive John Milne of 1879 and was built by the same manufacturer. During 1905 or 1906, the locomotive was designated NGR Class K.[1][2][3][4]

Manufacturer

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In 1880, the Natal Government Railways (NGR) placed an order for a single 0-6-0 saddle-tank locomotive with Hunslet Engine Company in Leeds. It was virtually identical to the engine John Milne which had been supplied to the Harbour Board of Natal from the same manufacturer in 1879, having been built to the same design, but with some differences in detail such as those visible on the sides of their respective smokeboxes. The locomotive was numbered 15 in the NGR number range, following on from the numbers allocated to the NGR's first batch of Kitson-built Class G 2-6-0T locomotives of 1879.[1][2][3][5][6]

Service

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The NGR's no. 15 was still in service by 1909. During 1905 or 1906, a locomotive classification system was introduced on the NGR and no. 15 became part of Class K, which consisted of a potpourri of different tank locomotive types with different wheel arrangements. The Class included the 0-4-0ST locomotives of 1891 and the surviving three of the 2-6-0T locomotives of 1877.[4][6]

Disposition

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It is not known whether the locomotive had been scrapped or sold by 1912. 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 issued by the SAR Chief Mechanical Engineer in January 1912.[1][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b The Railway Report for year ending 31 Dec. 1904, Natal Government Railways, Annexure B, Durban, January 1905.
  3. ^ a b NGR Class K of 1879, John Milne & no. 15
  4. ^ a b The Railway Report for year ending 31 Dec. 1906, Natal Government Railways.
  5. ^ The Railway Report for year ending 31 Dec. 1880, Natal Government Railways, p. JJ72.
  6. ^ a b The Railway Report for year ending 31 Dec. 1908, Natal Government Railways, p. 39, par 14.
  7. ^ 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)