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South African type XC1 tender

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South African type XC1 tender
Type XC1 tender on CGR 6th Class of 1897
Type and origin
LocomotiveCGR 6th Class of 1897
OVGS 6th Class L3
DesignerCape Government Railways
(H.M. Beatty)
BuilderDübs and Company
Neilson and Company
Neilson, Reid and Company
Sharp, Stewart and Company
In service1897-1898
RebuilderSouth African Railways
Rebuild datec. 1925
Rebuilt toType XE
Specifications
Configuration2-axle bogies
Gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Length23 ft 9+18 in (7,242 mm)
Wheel dia.33+12 in (851 mm) as built
34 in (864 mm) retyred
Wheelbase16 ft 1 in (4,902 mm)
 • Bogie4 ft 7 in (1,397 mm)
Axle load8 LT 16 cwt 2 qtr (8,967 kg)
 • Front bogie16 LT 12 cwt (16,870 kg)
 • Rear bogie17 LT 13 cwt (17,930 kg)
Weight empty38,400 lb (17,400 kg)
Weight w/o34 LT 5 cwt (34,800 kg)
Fuel typeCoal
Fuel cap.5 LT 10 cwt (5.6 t)
Water cap.2,600 imp gal (11,820 L)
StokingManual
CouplersDrawbar & Johnston link-and-pin
Drawbar & AAR knuckle (1930s)
Career
OperatorsCape Government Railways
OVGS
Imperial Military Railways
Central South African Railways
Benguela Railway
South African Railways
NumbersSAR 490-540, 598-603

The South African type XC1 tender was a steam locomotive tender from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

The Type XC1 tender first entered service in 1897, as tenders to the third batch of 6th Class 4-6-0 Tenwheeler type steam locomotives to be acquired by the Cape Government Railways. These locomotives were designated Class 6B on the South African Railways in 1912.[1][2][3]

Manufacturers

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Type XC1 tenders were built in 1897 and 1898 by Dübs and Company, Neilson and Company, Neilson, Reid and Company and Sharp, Stewart and Company.[1][2][3]

The original 6th Class locomotive and tender had been designed at the Salt River works of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) in Cape Town in 1892, under the supervision of Western System Locomotive Superintendent H.M. Beatty. In 1897 and 1898, the CGR placed a third batch of 55 6th Class 4-6-0 steam locomotives in service, which would be designated Class 6B on the South African Railways (SAR) in 1912.[1][2][3][4]

The Type XC1 entered service as tenders to these locomotives. More entered service in 1898, as tenders to the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen (OVGS) 6th Class L3.[1][2][3]

Characteristics

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As built, the tender had a maximum axle load of 8 long tons 16 hundredweight 2 quarters (8,967 kilograms), a coal capacity of 5 long tons 10 hundredweight (5.6 tonnes) and a water capacity of 2,600 imperial gallons (11,800 litres; 3,120 US gallons).[1][2][3]

Locomotives

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In the SAR years, tenders were numbered for the engines they were delivered with. In most cases, an oval number plate, bearing the engine number and often also the locomotive class and tender type, would be attached to the rear end of the tender. During the classification and renumbering of locomotives onto the SAR roster in 1912, no separate classification and renumbering list was published for tenders, which should have been renumbered according to the locomotive renumbering list.[5]

Two locomotive classes were delivered new with Type XC1 tenders. Bearing in mind that tenders could and did migrate between engines, these tenders should have been numbered in the SAR number ranges as shown.[1][2][3]

Classification letters

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Since many tender types are interchangeable between different locomotive classes and types, a tender classification system was adopted by the SAR. The first letter of the tender type indicates the classes of engines to which it can be coupled. The "X_" tenders could be used with the locomotive classes as shown.[3]

The second letter indicates the tender's water capacity. The "_C" tenders had a capacity of between 2,590 and 2,600 imperial gallons (11,770 and 11,820 litres; 3,110 and 3,122 US gallons).[3]

A number, when added after the letter code, indicates differences between similar tender types, such as function, wheelbase or coal bunker capacity.[3]

Modifications and rebuilding

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Modification

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Builder's works pictures of the Classes 6B and 6E show them with the same 5 long tons 10 hundredweight (5.6 tonnes) coal capacity Type XC1 tender.[2][3]

Pictures of most of these locomotives in service, however, show them with Type XC1 tenders with built-up sides to the coal bunker, to increase the coal capacity. Early versions of the built-up coal bunker sides were in the form of a slatted open-top cage, made of rectangular steel rods. In the second example depicted, one of the four CGR locomotives which were sold to the Benguela Railway in Angola in 1907 is shown with a Type XC1 tender with such a slatted extension of extraordinary proportions. Later SAR versions were constructed of sheet-metal.[2][3]

Rebuilding to Type XE

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From c. 1925, some of the Type XC1 tenders were rebuilt by the SAR by mounting a completely new upper structure on the existing underframe, with new water tanks and a larger coal capacity. These rebuilt tenders had a more modern appearance, with flush sides all the way to the top of the coal bunker. They had a coal capacity of 8 long tons (8.1 tonnes), a water capacity of 2,850 imperial gallons (13,000 litres) and were reclassified as Type XE.[2][3][6]

The program to rebuild several older tender types with new upper structures was begun by Col F.R. Collins DSO, who approved several of the detailed drawings for the work during his term in office as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the SAR from 1922 to 1929. It was continued by his successor, A.G. Watson.[6]

Illustration

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. Vol. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. pp. 46–47, 107–108. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i South African Railways & Harbours/Suid Afrikaanse Spoorweë en Hawens (15 Aug 1941). Locomotive Diagram Book/Lokomotiefdiagramboek, 3'6" Gauge/Spoorwydte. SAR/SAS Mechanical Department/Werktuigkundige Dept. Drawing Office/Tekenkantoor, Pretoria. p. 42.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l South African Railways & Harbours/Suid Afrikaanse Spoorweë en Hawens (15 Aug 1941). Locomotive Diagram Book/Lokomotiefdiagramboek, 2'0" & 3'6" Gauge/Spoorwydte, Steam Locomotives/Stoomlokomotiewe. SAR/SAS Mechanical Department/Werktuigkundige Dept. Drawing Office/Tekenkantoor, Pretoria. pp. 6a-7a, 42.
  4. ^ Paxton, Leith; Bourne, David (1985). Locomotives of the South African Railways (1st ed.). Cape Town: Struik. pp. 41–44. ISBN 0869772112.
  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)
  6. ^ a b SAR Mechanical Department. New Tender Tank - Class 6B, 6E (XE), 7A, 7B, 7C (ZE). SAR Mechanical Department Drawing Office, Drawing L-5618, 1925.