South African Class 16D 4-6-2

South African Class 16D 4-6-2

300px No. 860 on the Union Limited, Paarl, c. 2001

Type and origin ♠ With 60 inch (1,520 mm) coupled wheels ♥ With 63 inch (1,600 mm) coupled wheels ♣ 22x26 Cylinders - ♦ 23x26 Cylinders Power type Steam Designer Baldwin Locomotive Works Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 58309-58310, 58703-58707 Model Class 16D Build date 1925-1926 Total produced 7

Specifications Configuration 4-6-2 (Pacific) Driver axle 2nd coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia 30 in (762 mm) Coupled dia ♠ 60 in (1,524 mm) ♥ 63 in (1,600 mm) Trailing dia 33 in (838 mm) Tender wheels 34 in (864 mm) Wheelbase  • Engine 30 ft 8 in (9,347 mm)  • Leading 6 ft 10 in (2,083 mm)  • Coupled 11 ft (3,353 mm)  • Tender 20 ft 5 in (6,223 mm)  • Tender bogie 6 ft 2 in (1,880 mm) Length:  • Over couplers Height ♠ 12 ft 10 in (3,912 mm) ♥ Frame type Bar Axle load ♠ ♥  • Leading ♠ ♥  • 1st coupled ♥  • 2nd coupled ♥  • 3rd coupled ♥  • Trailing ♠♥  • Tender bogie Bogie 1: Bogie 2:  • Tender axle Adhesive weight ♠ ♥ Loco weight ♠ ♥ Tender weight Loco & tender weight ♠ ♥ Tender type KT (2-axle bogies) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 14 LT (14.2 t) Water cap Boiler:  • Pitch ♠ 8 ft 6 in (2,591 mm) ♥  • Diameter  • Tube plates  • Small tubes 181: 2 in (51 mm)  • large tubes 30:  • Firebox type Round-top Boiler pressure ♠ 195 psi (1,344 kPa) ♥ 205 psi (1,413 kPa) Safety valve Pop Firegrate area 45 sq ft (4.2 m2) Heating surface 2,639 sq ft (245.2 m2)  • Tubes 2,453 sq ft (227.9 m2)  • Firebox 164 sq ft (15.2 m2) Superheater:  • Heating area 593 sq ft (55.1 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size ♣ 22 in (559 mm) bore ♦ 23 in (584 mm) bore ♣♦ 26 in (660 mm) stroke Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type Piston Couplers Bell link-and-pin AAR knuckle (c. 1930s-1950s)

Performance figures Tractive effort ♠♣ 30,670 lbf (136.4 kN) @ 75% ♠♦ 33,530 lbf (149.1 kN) @ 75% ♥♣ 30,710 lbf (136.6 kN) @ 75% ♥♦ 33,570 lbf (149.3 kN) @ 75%

Career Operators South African Railways Class Class 16D Number in class 7 Numbers 860-866 Nicknames Big Bertha Delivered 1925-1926 First run 1925 Withdrawn 1972

The South African Railways Class 16D 4-6-2 of 1925 was a steam locomotive.

In 1925, the South African Railways placed two American-built Class 16D locomotives with a 4-6-2 Pacific type wheel arrangement in passenger train service. Five more locomotives were ordered and placed in service in 1926.

Manufacturer

On 15 December 1924, after an official tour of investigation to the United States of America by G.E. Titren, the Superintendent Motive Power of the South African Railways (SAR), an order was placed with the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia for four experimental locomotives, two of which were of a 4-6-2 Pacific type wheel arrangement. These locomotives were all delivered in 1925. The two Pacifics were designated Class 16D and numbered 860 and 861.

The two Mountain types, which arrived from the same builders in the same shipment, were designated Class 15C. The Classes 16D and 15C were specially designed for working the Union Limited and Union Express fast passenger trains, the forerunners of the Blue Train, between Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Characteristics

These locomotives conformed to SAR requirements as far as practicable, but also incorporated the latest American railway engineering practices. The engines introduced several features which were new to the SAR at the time, such as top feeds to the boiler, self-cleaning smokeboxes, Sellar's drifting valves and grease lubrication to the coupled wheel axle boxes, crank pins and connecting rod big ends.

They had 5 inches (127 millimetres) thick bar frames, which extended from the front buffer beam to the rear dragbox. The boilers were equipped with three Coale pop type safety valves and a Schmidt type superheater. Their fireboxes were equipped with flexible side stays and water siphon arch tubes to support the brick arch and to improve circulation. Their Type KT tenders, arranged with self-trimming type coal bunkers, had a coal capacity of 14 long tons (14.2 tonnes) and a water capacity of , which was considered sufficient for the engines to travel 100 miles (161 kilometres) without having to replenish water.

The locomotive's size quickly earned it the nickname Big Bertha, while its contemporary Class 15C locomotive was nicknamed Big Bill. The first two Pacifics were followed by another five locomotives from the same manufacturer in 1926, numbered in the range from 862 to 866.

Modifications

Considerable improvements were effected on the Class 16D after they entered service. The first modification was to their cylinders, which were reamed from a 22 to 23 inches (559 to 584 millimetres) bore. During 1941, all seven engines had their coupled wheels retyred from diameter. To compensate for the loss of tractive effort due to the larger diameter wheels, their operating boiler pressure was increased from by an adjustment of the setting of their safety valves.

When larger tyres were fitted, the old tyres were left in position and turned down on the wheel centres to serve as liners, and the new tyres were then shrunk on over the liners. The practice of increasing the diameter of coupled wheels, wheel spacing and other considerations permitting, was begun by A.G. Watson during his term in office as Chief Mechanical Engineer and was continued by his successors. The reduction of tractive effort caused by the larger wheels, was made up by increasing boiler pressures or by fitting larger cylinders or both, as required. This policy resulted in more mileage between heavy repairs, less cost-per-mile on repairs and locomotives capable of higher speeds.

Service

The introduction of these large engines, along with their Class 15C 4-8-2 Mountain type Big Bill siblings, resulted in a complete revision of traffic operation between Cape Town and Johannesburg. The Pacifics were scheduled to work the 616 miles (991 kilometres) stretch between Johannesburg and Beaufort West, while the Big Bill Mountains entered service on the 340 miles (547 kilometres) stretch from Beaufort West to Cape Town, with its ruling gradient of 1 in 40 (2½%) and severe curvature for approximately 22 miles (35 kilometres) on the Hex River Pass section between Touws River and De Doorns.

On Thursday 13 August 1925, Big Bertha no. 860 made locomotive history by hauling the Union Limited, later to become the Blue Train, over a distance of 956 miles (1,539 kilometres) from Johannesburg to Cape Town in 29 hours. On the return journey, no. 860 took the Union Limited over from Big Bill no. 2060 at Beaufort West and hauled it all the way back to Johannesburg.

This continuous run by one locomotive set up a world record. Prior to this, it was customary to use three engines on the Cape Town run of these two named trains, with engine changes at Kimberley and Beaufort West. On ordinary trains, up to six locomotives were often used, with engine changes at Klerksdorp, Kimberley, De Aar, Beaufort West and Touws River.

Upon the arrival of larger locomotives, the Class 16D was later transferred to Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State, from where they worked north to Johannesburg. During the late 1930s, they were relocated to Cape Town, from where they hauled fast local commuter trains to Wellington and Malmesbury for the remainder of their careers. They were withdrawn from service in 1972.

Illustration

The main picture shows Big Bertha no. 860 piloting Class 16DA no. 879 on the Union Limited tourist train, departing from Paarl in 2001.

• Class 16D 4-6-2 no. 860.jpg

  Big Bertha no. 860, as delivered with Bell link-and-pin couplers, c. 1925

• 

  No. 860 on the Magaliesburg line, c. 1992

• SAR Class 16D 860 (4-6-2).JPG

  No. 860 at Monument station, May 2002