South African Class 15E 4-8-2

South African Class 15E 4-8-2

Henschel-built no. 2878 at Magaliesburg, 26 July 1992

Type and origin Power type Steam Designer South African Railways Builder Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns Henschel and Son Berliner Maschinenbau Serial number RSH 4090–4109 Henschel 23000-23010, 23111-23115 Berliner 10585-10592 Model Class 15E Build date 1935–1936 Total produced 44

Specifications Configuration 4-8-2 "Mountain" Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia 30 in (762 mm) Driver diameter 60 in (1,524 mm) Trailing dia 34 in (864 mm) Wheelbase Total: 65 ft 6.3125 in (19,972 mm) Engine: 6 ft 10 in (2,083 mm) bogie 15 ft 9 in (4,801 mm) coupled 35 ft 8 in (10,871 mm) total Tender: 6 ft 2 in (1,880 mm) bogie 20 ft 5 in (6,223 mm) total Length 73 ft 5.9375 in (22,401 mm) Height 12 ft 11.5 in (3,950 mm) Axle load 18.6 long tons (18.9 t) on 2nd driver (2858-2877) 18.7 long tons (19.0 t) on 2nd driver (2878-2901) Adhesive weight 73.4 long tons (74.6 t) (2858-2877) 72.15 long tons (73.3 t) (2878-2901) Loco weight 109 long tons (110.7 t) (2858-2877) 108.25 long tons (110.0 t) (2878-2901) Tender weight 66,416 lb (30.1 t) empty 69.4 long tons (70.5 t) w/o Tender type JT – JT, JV permitted * 2 axle bogies * 34 in (864 mm) wheels * Length 30 ft 9.0625 in (9,374 mm) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 14 long tons (14.2 t) Water cap 6,000 imp gal (27,000 L) Boiler 6 ft 2.25 in (1,886 mm) inside diameter 22 ft 6 in (6,858 mm) inside length 9 ft 2.5 in (2,807 mm) pitch Boiler pressure Firegrate area 63 sq ft (5.853 m2) Heating surface 3,400 sq ft (315.870 m2)  • Tubes 136 tubes 2.5 in (64 mm) diameter 36 tubes 5.5 in (140 mm) diameter 3,168 sq ft (294.317 m2)  • Flues 26 sq ft (2.415 m2)  • Firebox 206 sq ft (19.138 m2) Superheater:  • Heating area 676 sq ft (62.802 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 24 in (610 mm) bore 28 in (711 mm) stroke Valve gear RC Poppet

Performance figures Tractive effort 42,340 lbf (188 kN) at 75% pressure

Career Operators South African Railways Rhodesia Railways Caminhos de Ferro de Mocambique Class Class 15E Number in class 44 Numbers 2858-2901 Delivered 1935–1937 First run 1935

The South African Railways Class 15E 4-8-2 of 1935 is a steam locomotive.

Between 1935 and 1937 the South African Railways placed forty-four Class 15E steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain type wheel arrangement in service.

The Class 15D classification was never used.

Manufacturers

The Class 15E 4-8-2 Mountain type mixed traffic steam locomotive was a refinement of the Class 15C and Class 15CA. It was designed by A.G. Watson, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South African Railways (SAR) from 1929 to 1936, and incorporated many of the improvements that had been developed by him, two of which were a vastly enlarged standardised boiler and a Watson cab.

They were built by three manufacturers. In 1935 British locomotive builders Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns (RSH) delivered twenty locomotives, numbered in the range from 2858 to 2877. Henschel and Son of Germany built and delivered sixteen in two batches in 1936, numbered in the range from 2878 to 2893. In 1936 German locomotive builders Berliner Maschinenbau built another eight locomotives, which were delivered in 1937, numbered in the range from 2894 to 2901.

Design

Valve gear

Because of the free running that was achieved with the Class 19C and Class 16E that were equipped with Rotary Cam Poppet valve gear, Watson decided to concentrate on this type of valve gear for all his future designs. The Class 15E was therefore built with poppet valve gear. Like the other classes with poppet valve gear, the Class 15E was fast, but some trouble was initially experienced with the gear in the reverse position. This was corrected by modifying the reversing cams and these, as well as new forward cams, were manufactured at the Salt River shops in Cape Town.

Watson Standard boilers

The Class 15E was delivered with a Watson Standard no. 3B boiler and a Watson cab. In the 1930s Watson designed a standard boiler type as part of his standardisation policy. Many serving locomotives were reboilered with these Watson Standard boilers and in the process they were also equipped with Watson cabs, with their distinctive slanted fronts compared to the conventional vertical fronts of their original cabs. New locomotives that were acquired in the Watson era and later, such as the Class 15E, were built with such boilers and cabs.

Service

South African Railways

The Class 15E was placed in service on the line between Cape Town and Beaufort West. Later, when the Class 15F and Class 23 were placed in service, the Class 15E locomotives were relocated further north to work between Beaufort West and De Aar. In the 1950s they were again relocated, this time to Bethlehem in the Orange Free State, from where they worked to Harrismith, Bloemfontein and Kroonstad. They were all withdrawn from regular service in 1973, except number 2878 which was retained in running order for excursion trains.

Some of the locomotives that worked on sections with tunnels were equipped with smoke deflecting cowls around their chimneys.

Other operators

Eleven of the Class 15E locomotives were eventually sold to neighbouring countries or into industrial service. Six of them were sold to Rhodesia Railways (RR) in 1970, where they retained their 15E classification but were renumbered by omitting the first digit of their SAR numbers. The Rhodesian locomotives did not last long in RR service, however, and were scrapped in 1973.

Three locomotives were sold to Caminhos de Ferro de Mocambique (CFM) in 1972, where they were renumbered 721, 722 and 723 respectively.

Two locomotives were sold to Dunn's Locomotive Works to be employed at Durban Navigation Collieries (Durnacol) at Dannhauser in Natal.

The table shows the Class 15E engine numbers, builders, year built, works numbers and post SAR owners.

Class 15E 4-8-2
Builders, Works Numbers & Disposal

SAR No.	Builder	Year	Works No.	Sold to	New No.
2858	RSH	1935	4090
2859	RSH	1935	4091
2860	RSH	1935	4092
2861	RSH	1935	4093
2862	RSH	1935	4094
2863	RSH	1935	4095
2864	RSH	1935	4096
2865	RSH	1935	4097
2866	RSH	1935	4098
2867	RSH	1935	4099
2868	RSH	1935	4100
2869	RSH	1935	4101
2870	RSH	1935	4102	CFM	721
2871	RSH	1935	4103
2872	RSH	1935	4104	Dunn
2873	RSH	1935	4105
2874	RSH	1935	4106
2875	RSH	1935	4107
2876	RSH	1935	4108
2877	RSH	1935	4109
2878	Henschel	1936	23000
2879	Henschel	1936	23001
2880	Henschel	1936	23002
2881	Henschel	1936	23003	RR	881
2882	Henschel	1936	23004	RR	882
2883	Henschel	1936	23005	RR	883
2884	Henschel	1936	23006
2885	Henschel	1936	23007	RR	885
2886	Henschel	1936	23008	RR	886
2887	Henschel	1936	23009
2888	Henschel	1936	23010
2889	Henschel	1936	23111
2890	Henschel	1936	23112
2891	Henschel	1936	23113	CFM	722
2892	Henschel	1936	23114
2893	Henschel	1936	23115
2894	Berliner	1936	10585	CFM	723
2895	Berliner	1936	10586	Dunn
2896	Berliner	1936	10587
2897	Berliner	1936	10588
2898	Berliner	1936	10589	RR	898
2899	Berliner	1936	10590
2900	Berliner	1936	10591
2901	Berliner	1936	10592

Illustration

The main picture shows preserved Henschel-built number 2878 with smoke deflectors at Magaliesburg, Transvaal, on 26 July 1992, while the following pictures illustrate some differences in appearance over the years.

• Class 15E 2878 (4-8-2).jpg

  Henschel-built no. 2878 at Paardeneiland, Cape Town, c. 1940

• SAR Class 15E 2878 Millsite 230479.jpg

  Henschel-built no. 2878 at Millsite, 23 April 1979

• Class 15E 2879 (4-8-2).jpg

  Henschel-built no. 2879 with smoke deflecting cowl, c. 1940

• Class 15E 2897 (4-8-2).jpg

  Berliner-built no. 2897 at Paardeneiland, Cape Town, c. 1940