De Aar, part 1, "Loco Shed", SAR Class 8F No 1236

The history of De Aar is essentially tied up with the history of South Africa's railway system.

Owing to its central location, the government bought a portion of the farm De Aar for building a junction on the first railway line from Cape Town to Kimberley built in 1881.


click on picture for larger view

It was called Brounger Junction after the Colonial railway engineer William Brounger, but the name soon reverted back to the name of the farm. De Aar is a Dutch term that means "artery" and it refers to an underground watercourse in the area.

Although it is now closed, this was the second most important railway junction in South Africa, and it was here that the lines from the Eastern and Western Cape, as well as the northern provinces, Zimbabwe and Namibia met.


South African Railways class 12 AR locomotive number 2127 on the coaling stage bridge with class 23 locomotive number 2566 below, at De Aar, South Africa, 1968.

In the mid-1960's there were 110 km of track within the precincts of the town, and trains passed through at the rate of 92 per day, increasing considerably during peak periods. As a railway- and bridge-building depot the local SAR workshops played an important role in South Africa's rail network.

For many years De Aar junction could boast nothing more than a small collection of tin buildings, but in 1902 things began to happen and the town's real development started. De Aar became a municipality in 1904, and the significance of the railways was depicted on the town's coat of arms.

This picture comes from a 1931 tobacco & cigarette card series of "South African Coats of Arms" which were given out by United Tobacco Co (South Africa) Ltd.

Today the town is the main commercial and distribution centre for a large area of the central Great Karoo.

On 15 September 2005 we passed through De Aar in the hope of possibly seeing a plinthed steam locomotive at the station. Nothing was to be seen, and we rather spent our time visiting the Olive Schreiner house.

click on picture for larger view

Recently I studied the Google Earth View for De Aar, and came to the conclusion that indeed there was still one locomotive hidden behind one of the station buildings. I was most fortunate to be able to contact ds. Frandu Marais, who lives in De Aar, and whose deceased father actually worked at the railway depot in De Aar for 35 years, as a "tuber", or boiler pipe cleaner. Regularly cleaning the smoke pipes running through the boiler of a steam locomotive is a very important job which ensures that the locomotive runs as efficiently as possible on its fuel.

It came as a surprise to learn that De Aar still has a small locomotive graveyard! Besides the plinthed locomotive, there are three other long forgotten locomotives nearby - also rusting away.

DE AAR, Loco Shed, SAR Class 8F No 1236

Originally the plinthed locomotive was indicated as located at the "Loco Shed". In 2009 there is little evidence of the once very busy steam locomotive sheds, as everything has been torn down and removed a long time ago.


The locomotive is plinthed along with two wagons in tow.





No number plates


SAR Class 8F #1236 wheel arrangement 4-8-0 built in 1904.

The Cape Government Railways 8th class was conceived as a mixed-traffic locomotive equally suitable for goods and passenger work. The 1st batch of 23 Class 8 locomotives were delivered in 1902 and 1903. A Class 8B No 1153 locomotive is plinthed in the main street of Fauresmith.

SAR Class 8F was the final order in the Class 8 series from the Cape Government Railways for 10 locomotives numbered 1234-1243. They were built in 1904 by North British Locomotive Co.


Unknown Photographer & date - must have been taken many a year before 2009 - Engine number is still on the cab, and the present (2009) bush next to locomotive still has to germinate.

Plinthed in the yard of what was the steam shed, opposite the train crew office, is 8F 1236 (which used to be on the station platform - Comment from John Middleton).


They (the Class 8's in general) were a fine class of engine and saw service on every system of the SAR, becoming the mainstay of motive power on many branch lines in the 1920s. They ended their days on shunting service until 1972 when all were withdrawn.


The engine number 1236 is still clear on the front end.


Never to steam again ...


View in the No 1236's cab.

From the past: A sister engine when still operational

Class 8F 4-8-0 "Cape 8th"

photo: Leith Paxton : Click on picture to enlarge; SAR 8F No. 1243 [NBL 16170/1904 - ex CGR 838] (8FW as superheated) - at Paarden Eiland Loco Depot (Cape Town) 8 April 1969


Also read:

De Aar, part 2a, Locomotive Graveyard, SAR Class 24 No 3652
De Aar, part 2b, Locomotive Graveyard: SAR Class 12A No 2123
De Aar, part 2c, Locomotive Graveyard: SAR Class GO No 2586
De Aar, part 3, Station scenes in May 2009

Photos on this page (unless indicated otherwise) were very kindly taken by ds. F. Marais in April/May 2009.

Germiston, Reefsteamers Germiston Depot, "PATRYS" SAR Class A No 130

Photo kindly provided by Derek Walker

This is a 4-8-2T SAR Class A No 130 Tank locomotive which was one of 100 built in 1888 and 1889 by Dübs & Co. She is plinthed at the Reefsteamers Depot in Germiston and , and is named "Patrys". She was built as Dübs works no 2627 in 1890.

At some stage N0 130 was sold to Brakpan Mines Ltd where she worked as "No. 3".


May 2009 Photo kindly provided by Derek Walker


Photo kindly provided by Derek Walker

"Patrys" sits in front of a C-22 articulated saloon at the Reefsteamers premises.

From the past: #130 in Brakpan Mines livery.

1972: The engine was marked "No 3".

Original photo on fotopic.net by Ron Fisher taken Germiston, 19th August, 1972. Thanks to Bob Francis, in 2008 Ron learned that this was Brakpan Mines Ltd No.3. Previously, it had been S.A.R. 'A' class No.130, although it was originally built by Dübs & Co. for the Natal Government Railways in 1890.


This photo, provided courtesy of Roger Griffiths, was taken by Roger on 29 Oct. 1976 at Dunns Engineering at Witbank, and shows the works pilot named "DUBS" - this engine is ex SAR Class A no 134 (Dübs 2967/1892) - and is a near sister of "Patrys". Originally built for the NGR where she was numbered 88. Note the Belpaire boiler - many Dübs A's were fitted with Belpaire-type boilers - these were known as "Improved Dübs A" engines. Presently this locomotive is named "UMBILO", and in the care of the Umgeni Steam Railway - some more recent pictures of "UMBILO" may be seen here and here.


Another example of an ex-SAR Class A under steam, also with a Belpaire boiler - this engine was captured on film by Roger Griffiths on 15 October 1973, when it worked as No 3 at Grootvlei Proprietary Mine, near Springs. This locomotive was ex-SAR A no 185, ex-NGR no 147, and was built in 1899 by Dübs & Co as their works no 3833. In the SAR the last of the class A's were withdrawn in 1962. Many SAR class A's retired into mining service; some of the last of the Dübs A's saw service at GVPM. Unfortunately the beautiful engine in the photo above did not survive up to the present.

Paxton & Bourne offer the following notes:

"In 1887 William Milne, the locomotive superintendent of the Natal Government Railways, designed the first locomotive of a 4-8-2 wheel arrangement in use anywhere in the world. During 1888 and 1889, 100 of these tank locomotives were built by Dübs & Co. They were classified "Dübs A" on the NGR."


Class A as originally built

"After being displaced from the Natal main line, they were used on the Dundee-Hlobane branch, the Harrismith-Ladysmith section and the north coast line."

"On the SAR these engines became Class A, numbers 97-196. In 1915, during the acute motive power shortage resulting from the war, a further two Class A locomotives, No 332 and 333, were constructed wholly from spares in the Durban workshops. They were all fitted with plate frames and Stephenson's link motion."

"In later years, 21 of these locomotives were converted by the removal of the coal bunker and rear pony truck to become Class 17 tender-tank locomotives"

"The last of the Class A were withdrawn from SAR service in 1962." However, many of these locomotives were sold to industry and continued service there.


This aerial photo shows the location of Patrys.

A Reefsteamers Map will direct you to the plinthed locomotive. Otherwise consult the Reefsteamers pages.

Worcester Museum - old Loco Shed (4) - SAR Class 15F No. 2994

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This BLOG has 4 entries for the "loco terrain" extension of the Worcester Museum at Kleinplasie divided as follows:

• Exterior of museum (including Introduction & Background)
  
• Interior of museum (general views of the displays)
  
• A. Borsig works no 11646 built in 1924 (BESSIE) locomotive
• CURRENT ENTRY: SAR Class 15F engine No. 2994 locomotive

The 4-8-2 locomotive SAR Class 15F engine No. 2994 is stationed over the locomotive inspection pit in the old Locomotive Shed. The locomotive was a WW II wartime delivery - built in 1944, as works no 7109, by Beyer, Peacock & Co Ltd of Manchester, England. It is now preserved in the old locomotive shed at the Worcester Museum (Kleinpl on the outskirts of Worcester, Western Cape.

In the book THE SPIRIT OF STEAM, co-authored by AW Smith and David Bourne in 1983, David wrote:

"The task of servicing engines and preparing them for their next journey goes on around the clock. On arrival at the loco depot, the fireman and driver will book off, and the duty shed man will take over, and move the locomotive. The fire will be cleaned, the clinker being removed with long fire irons."

"At the larger depots, this takes place over water-filled troughs to douse the hot ashes. The tender will be filled with coal and water, before the running motion, and underframe are examined in inspection pits between the rails. If necessary, the smokebox door will be opened, the spark arrestor cleaned and the char which had collected there, removed."

"At regular intervals, the dirt and oily grime which have accumulated on the valve gear and underframe are removed with the aid of a steam lance. When, at regular intervals, the boiler needs washing out, the fire is completely extinguished. If however, the engine is to be used the next day, the fire will be kept alight, albeit at a low level, for firing-up is a time-consuming task."

"Minor repairs were carried out on shed, though for extensive work the engine would go to one of the major locomotive workshops. Several hours before an engine was due to be rostered, the fire would be made up, steam raised and it would wait, simmering."




This engine was last serviced in the Germiston locomotive shed, and then came down to Worcester under her own steam, and then under her own power backed in into the Locomotive Shed to this position, before her boiler pressure was finally run down to zero.


This big engine is a bit difficult to photograph in full in the limited space of the old shed. Her tender still has a full load of coal (not clear in this picture).





The complete cabin proves that the locomotive has been well protected from vandalism.


Note the mechanical stoker.








When the locomotive was parked in the shed, no one had a long term thought about the water in the tender. Finally. over years, the rust in the tender worked it's way through at the back of the tender. ( I guess this was a fairly regular occurrence with plinthed locomotives all over South Africa.) Some years ago, the museum had someone in to patch up the holes - this work is quite visible, but this looks much better than the real holes!


SAR Engine No. 2994 is parked over the work pit in the loco shed, just as she would have been if she came in for a real service.


One can inspect (if you have the nerve!) the locomotive from underneath as work shep personnel would have done when servicing a locomotive. Here the 4 wheels of the front bogie is nearest to the camera.





Image: © Patrick C. Höbel. A very fine painting, of a Class 15F at work, titled "Aloes and Steam", as published in the North British Locomotive Preservation Group Newsletter for January 2010. Permission to use this image here, was given in August 2010, by kind courtesy of the artist Pat. C. Höbel. Pat lives in South Africa, and likes to paint in the acrylic medium, and is interested in taking up commissions. Pat also sells prints of the originals. Currently he does not have much on the S.A.R., mostly overseas trains. He is about to start new paintings of the local steam scene, and will do subjects of famous name trains, like the original Orange Express. Last year he was commissioned to paint The Queen of Scots pullman for a person in Edinburgh. At the moment (August 2010), he is awaiting the go-ahead for two more train paintings from the U.K. One for the same gentleman in Edinburgh, & the other from someone in Cheshire. He also paints aircraft, airships, boats, landscapes, seascapes, wild life, spiritual themes etc. If you would like to see more of his work, Pat may by contacted at pat.art@telkomsa.net.

In his book "Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways" vol 2 (1910-1955) - D.F. Holland offers the following information about the SAR Class 15F :

"In 1938 further main-line locomotives were required and orders were placed for twenty-one, similar to the SAR Class 15E, but fitted with Walschaert's valve gear in place of the RC gear. Because of this modification they were classified SAR Class 15F. They were ordered from the Berliner Maschinenbau, who built Nos 2902 to 2908, works numbers 10820 to 10826, and Henschel & Sohn, Nos 2909-22, works numbers 23932-45."

"The boiler, which was of the standard class 3B type, was arranged for hand firing but provision was made for fitting mechanical stokers. A number of orders were placed at different times for these locomotives as may be seen from the table below, and they became the most numerous class for main-line working to see service on the SAR."

SAR Nos ---- Builders ---- Works Nos --- Date

2902-2908 Berliner Maschinenbau 10820-26 1938

2909-2922 Henschel & Sohn 23932-45 1938

2923-2966 North British Loco Co 24463-506 1939

2967-2996 Beyer, Peacock and Co 7082-111 1944

2997-3056 North British Loco Co 25536-95 1944

3057-3156 North British Loco Co 25941-6040 1948

"In 1944 a modification was made to the brake gear of these locomotives, and they were fitted with vacuum brakes to work in conjunction with the train brakes in place of the more usual steam brakes. SAR drivers have always been reluctant to make use of steam brakes, for fear of skidding the engine wheels. The trigger on the steam brake attachment, for isolating the proportional device for admitting steam to the brake cylinder automatically on the application of the vacuum brake, was invariably wedged down with a wooden peg which was carried by the drivers, and this eliminated the steam brake entirely. This arrangement of fitting vacuum brakes to the locomotives became standard practice from 1944 onwards. It was thought to be a completely new departure for South Africa, but the two tandem compounds introduced by the Cape Government Railways in 1902-3, Nos 804 and 839, were both fitted with vacuum brakes to the engine wheels."

Below are copies of the pages of a reprint of an article titled '4-8-2 "15" Locomotives for the South African Railways' published in the Sept. 20, 1946 edition of "The Railway Gazette".



















From the past: This same engine when it was still in steam.

photo: Leith Paxton : SAR Class 15F engine No. 2994 [Beyer Peacock 7109/1944] Wartime delivery - at Bloemfontein Loco Depot 2 May 1967

A Class 15F sister engine, SAR engine No 3007 found it way back to a Museum in Glasgow - it can be seen here.

Sources:

• Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways vol 2 (1910-1955) - D.F. Holland 1972
• THE SPIRIT OF STEAM - Locomotives in South Africa - AW Smith/DE Bourne - Struik 1983
  

Return to first entry: Exterior of museum

Theunissen, Town, SAR Class 16DA No 850

1 August 2012 Image courtesy of Jacque Wepener - rectangular (rust) holes have been left in the tender - the progress of this may be followed in many of the images below.

1 August 2012 Image courtesy of Jacque Wepener

This image was published in VOLKSBLAD in August 2012. (holes in tender seems to be filled?)

VOLKSBLAD of 22 August 2012 reported that the locomotive had again been repainted after about a decade in the former red coat as provided by the Land Service Movement - see images below. This time the initiative was taken by the Outdoor School Knoppiesvlei located outside the town. The school received various donations from the community - the locomotive was sanded down, rust holes were repaired, and an undercoat was applied before two final layers of paint were given. Special consideration was given to restore the locomotive in its original plinth colours.

2012: Before repainted recently, the locomotive was this sorry sight.

THEUNISSEN 1989: The locomotive shines! Photo kind courtesy of Jacque & John Wepener. This picture shows the locomotive on its original plinth, as a town guard and tourist attraction, at the northern entrance to the town of Theunissen.

This proud locomotive belongs the SAR Class 16DA, which often headed the likes of the Union Express and the Union Limited - both forerunners of the Blue Train. The locomotive worked fast passenger trains between Braamfontein and Kimberley and also between Braamfontein and Kroonstad. Locally it is said that this locomotive was retired after having done 2 800 000 kilometres, and that it holds a record for once running the distance of 185km between Harrismith and Warrenton without taking on water. The water tender's capacity is 27 276 liters.

All the class 16DA's were withdrawn in 1973. This locomotive no 850 was brought to Theunissen in 1976, and plinthed at the northern entrance to the town. 18 years later - in spite of meetings and protest by locals - in 1994 - the locomotive was moved to a less prominent site in town - because it was said to be spoiling the view in front of a certain business.

Since this move, the locomotive was damaged quite a bit and stripped of many fittings.

This locomotive SAR Class 16DA no 850 was built in 1929 the city of Eddystone in the USA as Baldwin Works no 60827.  

 

Philip Braithwaite posted this post-1994 image in the Atlantic Rail "Return to Steam" Class 16DA No.879 Appeal on facebook.

29th May 2005 Photo courtesy André Kritzinger's Album

André noted: She now serves as town guard at Theunissen. On my previous visits there, she was still black, but when I took this picture, the local high school had decided to do some maintenance on her, hence the red coat, somewhat faded here already, and the sign.

In April 1999, VOLKSBLAD reported that the local school's members of the Land Service Movement had started a fundraising project to repaint the locomotive. The fundsraising was expected to run for three years. This project resulted in the locomotive being painted red like shown in these images.

29th May 2005 Photo courtesy André Kritzinger

The red paint job must have happened in 2003 or before, as it's quite visible in the Google Earth view. More schools should adopt these forgotten engines ... it would do a lot for their engine and the town's image!!!

29th May 2005 Photo courtesy André Kritzinger

The Class 16 series was designed primarily for fast passenger service, with a 4-6-2 (usually called "Pacific") wheel arrangement. The first Class 16 consisted of 12 engines delivered in 1914 from North British Locomotive Co for use on the Pretoria-Johannesburg line and the Johannesburg-Volksrust section.

Various sub-Classes followed, and eventually 14 locomotives, classified as Class 16DA, were delivered in 1928 from Baldwin (no's 843-850) and Hohenzollern (no's 868-873). A last batch of 6 followed in 1929 from Henschel (no's 874 to 879)

2006: Photo kind courtesy of Jacque & John Wepener.

The 16DA's were placed initially in service between Johannesburg and Kimberley, and regularly worked the "Union Express" and the "Union Limited", until arrival of the Class 16E's, when they were sent to Bloemfontein. There they were used both north to Johannesburg, and south until the arrival of the 15F's, when they were relegated to suburban work, until withdrawn in 1973.

A sister engine No 878 is plinthed at the Transwerk Workshops in Bloemfontein.

June 2010 - photo taken by Paul Ash.

This photo and the one below were taken in June 2010 by Paul Ash - these photos appeared on the web pages (here and here) of the "Times Explorer. Paul noted: "The locomotive was a gift to the town from the South African Railways back in the 1970s. The SAR gave a lot of its surplus locomotives away, as reminders of the one thing that had once put these towns on the map – the railway. The plan was that each municipality would get the locomotive for free, including the installation on a plinth – as long as it was kept clean, and painted. These engines arrived with all their brass fittings, copper piping and heavy brass number plates intact. Today, most have been stripped by scrap metal thieves, and the hulks vandalised, and used as toilets. Theunissen’s – a class 16DA, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Company in 1928 – is rusted through, and its red paint job is long faded. Kind of like the town itself."

June 2010 - photo taken by Paul Ash.


Image (c) Richard Niven 2003


Image (c) Richard Niven 2003


Image (c) Gilbert Jessop


Image (c) Gilbert Jessop


Image (c) Gilbert Jessop


Image (c) Gilbert Jessop


Images (c) Gilbert Jessop


Image (c) Gilbert Jessop


Image (c) Gilbert Jessop



This picture shows sister engine 16DA 844 which retired into industrial service. Here it was on test from Dunns at Witbank Colliery on 16.10.1972: photo courtesy of Roger Griffiths.

From the Past: A sister engine No 870 when still in steam.

photo: Leith Paxton : No. 870 [Hohenzollern 4655/1928] at Bloemfontein Loco Depot 12 July 1962 - This picture shows the original 16DA design without the wider firebox modification as applied to 6 16DA's (no's 874 to 879 delivered by Henschel in 1929.

The town of Theunissen has a SAR Class 16DA N0. 850 steam locomotive on display, and this 2003 view of Google Earth shows the position of the locomotive.

google earth 2003 view