South African Class NG G13 2-6-2+2-6-2

South African Class NG G13 2-6-2+2-6-2

300px NG G13 no. 49 at Sandstone Estates, 9 April 2006

Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG Builder Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG Serial number 10549-10551, 10598-10599, 10629-10635 Model Class NG G13 Build date 1927-1928 Total produced 12

Specifications Configuration 2-6-2+2-6-2 (Double Prairie) Driver axle 3rd & 4th coupled axles Gauge 2 ft (610 mm) narrow Leading dia 21 in (533 mm) Coupled dia 33 in (838 mm) Trailing dia 21 in (533 mm) Minimum curve 150 ft (46 m) Wheelbase 42 ft 9 in (13,030 mm)  • Engine 13 ft 2 in (4,013 mm) each  • Coupled 6 ft 3 in (1,905 mm) each Length:  • Over couplers  • Pivot centres 23 ft 9 in (7,239 mm) Height 10 ft 4 in (3,150 mm) Frame type Bar Axle load  • Leading front rear  • 1st coupled  • 2nd coupled  • 3rd coupled  • 4th coupled  • 5th coupled  • 6th coupled  • Trailing front rear Adhesive weight Loco weight Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 4 LT (4.1 t) Water cap front rear Boiler:  • Pitch 5 ft 5 in (1,651 mm)  • Diameter  • Tube plates  • Small tubes 152:  • large tubes 15:  • Firebox type Round-top Boiler pressure 180 psi (1,241 kPa) Safety valve Pop Firegrate area 19.5 sq ft (1.81 m2) Heating surface 921.1 sq ft (85.57 m2)  • Tubes 839 sq ft (77.9 m2)  • Firebox 82.1 sq ft (7.63 m2) Superheater:  • Heating area 149 sq ft (13.8 m2) Cylinders Four Cylinder size 12 in (305 mm) bore 16 in (406 mm) stroke Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type Piston Couplers Bell link-and-pin (Natal) Bell lift-hook (Cape)

Performance figures Tractive effort 18,850 lbf (83.8 kN) @ 75%

Career Operators South African Railways Class Class NG G13 Number in class 12 Numbers 49-50, 58-60, 77-83 Delivered 1927-1929 First run 1927 Withdrawn 1973

The South African Railways Class NG G13 2-6-2+2-6-2 of 1927 was a narrow gauge articulated steam locomotive.

Between 1927 and 1929, the South African Railways placed twelve Class NG G13 Garratt articulated steam locomotives with a 2-6-2+2-6-2 Double Prairie type wheel arrangement in service on the Langkloof and Alfred County Railway narrow gauge lines.

Manufacturer

In 1927, Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG (Hanomag), in consultation with the South African Railways (SAR), designed a locomotive which was to become the standard 2 feet (610 millimetres) narrow gauge Garratt locomotive in South Africa for the next forty years. It was greatly improved from the Class NG G11, with trailing wheels added to each engine unit, outside bar frames instead of plate frames, round-toppped fireboxes instead of Belpaire fireboxes, and larger dimensions in most respects except the grate area.

File:SAR Class NG G13 80 (2-6-2+2-6-2) BP.JPG

x100px

The initial order was for three Class NG G13 locomotives, numbered in the range from NG58 to NG60, which were delivered and placed in service in November 1927. These locomotives were superheated and sported an extremely compact arrangement of Walschaerts valve gear and outside bar frames. The leading wheels were arranged as conventional pony trucks, while the inner carrying wheels were built to the Gölsdorf system, which allowed the axle some lateral movement.

Performance trials of the Class NG G13 proved it to be both powerful and free steaming, despite having a smaller grate area than the predecessor Class NG G11. This resulted in an immediate order for another two locomotives, numbers NG49 and NG50, and even before these were delivered, another seven, numbered in the range from NG77 to NG83. The second and third orders were both delivered in 1928, with the third order locomotives entering service during January 1929.

Service

The introduction of articulated locomotives on the 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge branches gave this gauge a new lease of life and made it easier to withstand the agitation from some quarters to convert these branches to Cape gauge. Apart from appreciable economies in working, they enabled train loads and the carrying capacity of the narrow gauge lines to be virtually doubled, without the need to strengthen track and bridges.

Natal

The first five locomotives, numbers NG49, NG50 and NG58 to NG60, were used almost exclusively on the narrow gauge lines in Natal. Some of these routes had curves of 45 metres (148 feet) radius and gradients of up to 3 in 100 (3%), but the Garratts were well suited to hauling the diverse freight traffic of pulpwood, sugar cane and bananas.

File:SAR Class NG G13 49 (2-6-2+2-6-2) ID.JPG

x100px

One of these lines, the 122 kilometres (76 miles) branchline from Port Shepstone to Paddock via Izotsha, was eventually privatised as the Port Shepstone and Alfred County Railway (ACR) after the SAR ceased operations there in 1986. The ACR conducted both freight and tourist passenger operations, with the tourist train becoming known as the Banana Express.

Cape Province

The third order of seven locomotives, numbers NG77 to NG83, initially all went to the Avontuur line, where most of them remained for their entire service lives. In 1965, numbers NG77 and NG78 were exchanged for two Class NG G11 locomotives, numbers NG54 and NG55, from the Natal system. The Avontuur locomotives ended their service lives working out of Loerie, either hauling limestone trains to Van Stadens or doing duty on the Patensie branchline.

The 283 kilometres (176 miles) Avontuur line stretches from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur through the Langkloof. The narrow gauge track enabled the trains to pick up fruit virtually directly from the Langkloof fruit farms and ship it directly, without reloading, to the ripening warehouses, distributors and ships at Port Elizabeth. The route became known as the Apple Express after the main crop it transported. The line also carried pulpwood, as well as limestone to supply the cement factories which were located on the route.

Retirement

File:SAR Class NG G13 80 (2-6-2+2-6-2) ID.JPG

x100px

When the lower section of the Avontuur line was dieselised upon the arrival of the Class 91-000 diesel-electric locomotives in 1973, the Class NG G13 locomotives were all withdrawn from service. Beginning at about the same time, the Natal locomotives were also progressively withdrawn from service.

Preservation

Since withdrawal from SAR service, some locomotives were sold into private hands, while others ended up in various degrees of preservation, ranging across the spectrum from operational to plinthing to total abandonment. One known ex SAR Class NG G13 Garratt, no. NG49 serving at the Sandstone Estates near Ficksburg, is being kept in excellent running order. Two were plinthed, no. NG80 at Joubertina station and no. NG81 at Patensie station. No. NG50 was restored and has been operational from 15 November 2015, at the Hempstead and Northern Railroad in Hempstead, Texas.

The last known locations of all the Class NG G13 locomotives are shown in the table.

South African Class NG G13 2-6-2+2-6-2
Locations as at c. 2009

Number	Works No.	Country	Location	Notes
NG49	10599/1928	South Africa	Sandstone Estates	Operational
NG50	10598/1928	United States	Hempstead, Texas	Operational from 15 November 2015 at the Hempstead and Northern Railroad in Hempstead, Texas
NG58	10549/1927	South Africa	SANRASM, Krugersdorp	First NG G13 delivered to SAR
NG59	10550/1927	South Africa	Scrapped	Wrecked after rolling over in an accident on the Weenen to Escourt line in the early 1980s
NG60	10551/1927	Switzerland	Schinznach-Dorf	Stored operational, due to track radius issues. (expected to move to a location where it can operate during 2016)
NG77	10629/1928	England	Exmoor Steam Ry.	In store
NG78	10630/1928	Germany	Berlin	German Museum of Technology since May 1988, carries works- and number plates for no. NG83
NG79	10631/1928	South Africa	Scrapped	Roofed over, but still open to the elements at Humewood Road for many years
NG80	10632/1928	South Africa	Joubertina station	Plinthed
NG81	10633/1928	South Africa	Patensie station	Plinthed
NG82	10634/1928	England	Phyllis Rampton Trust	In store at a private site in Surrey. Previously resided at the Brecon Mountain Railway
NG83	10635/1928	Germany	Emmerich	Privately owned by a Dr. Muhr since May 1988

Illustration

• Class NG G13 no. NG58.jpg

  No. NG58, the first Class NG G13 to be delivered, c. 1927

• Class NG G13 (2-6-2+2-6-2).jpg

  Class NG G13 on a passenger train at Port Elizabeth, c. 1940

• NGG81-classNGG13-1985-April-08-HGG.jpg

  No. NG81 plinthed at Patensie station, 8 April 1985

• 50 in steam.jpg

  No. NG50 in steam in Hempstead, Texas, 15 November 2015