The Cape Government Railways Railmotor of 1906 was a South African steam railmotor locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

CGR Railmotor
South African Railmotor
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerNorth British Locomotive Company
BuilderEngine: North British Locomotive Company
Coach: Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage & Wagon
Serial number16627
Build date1905
Total produced1
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte0-4-0+4 (Four-coupled)
 • AARB-2
 • UICB'2'n2t
Driver2nd coupled axle
Gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Fuel typeCoal
Firebox:
 • TypeRound-top
Safety valveSalter
CylindersTwo outside
CouplersJohnston link-and-pin
Career
OperatorsCape Government Railways
South African Railways
ClassRailmotor
Number in class1
Delivered1906
First run1906
Withdrawn1918

In 1906, the Cape Government Railways acquired a single self-contained Railmotor for low-volume passenger service. The railmotor was a 0-4-0 side-tank locomotive with a passenger coach on a single bogie as an integral part of the locomotive itself.[1]

Manufacturer

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A single railmotor was built in 1905 and delivered to the Cape Government Railways (CGR) in 1906. The railmotor was a self-contained motor-coach in which the locomotive and coach were embodied in a single vehicle, with a driver's station at the rear end of the coach for reverse running. The locomotive part was a 0-4-0 side-tank engine which was built by North British Locomotive Company, while the coach part was built by Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage & Wagon. It was the first steam railmotor to enter service on the CGR.[1][2]

Layout

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The coach provides accommodation for 20 first class and 16 third class passengers.[2] It was the only known steam railcar with a cab forward locomotive. To negotiate curves and points, the power unit of the locomotive pivoted like a bogie.[1]

Service

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Cape Government Railways

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The railmotor was intended for low-volume passenger service and was initially placed in service on the Franschhoek branch line. In its later years the railmotor worked a shuttle service between Bellville and Salt River.[1]

South African Railways

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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.[3][4]

In 1912, the railmotor was taken onto the SAR roster as an unclassified locomotive and was excluded from the renumbering schedules.[4]

Withdrawal

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Works photo of the power unit.

The railmotor's advantage of easy reversing without the need to run a locomotive around at terminals, which would require a passing loop, was offset by the major disadvantage that any down-time for locomotive maintenance placed the entire vehicle out of service. This was possibly the reason why the railmotor did not have a long service life and was withdrawn from service in 1918.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Ostendorf, Rolf (1977). Dampftriebwagen, Bauarten, Typen und Systeme (in German). Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart. pp. 134–135. ISBN 3-87943-517-0.
  2. ^ a b "South African Railways". Locomotive, Railway Carriage & Wagon Review. Locomotive Publishing Company. 14 July 1906. p. 120.
  3. ^ The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978.
  4. ^ a b Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office, Pretoria, January 1912, p. 2 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
  5. ^ "GWR Steam Railmotor and Trailer Project - Why Railmotors?". Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.