photo: taken June 1987 by Dennis Summersgill as posted on sa-transport.
....... To this very sad scene ?
This picture was taken by Piet Redelinghuys and published in the December 2008 issue of the Steam in Action newsletter.
This engine is in a very poor condition.
This locomotive is SAR Class 10BR engine no 756 which was built in 1910 as works n0 18980 by North British Locomotive Co, Glasgow, Scotland.
This locomotive has a Class mate no. 750 plinthed at the Roodepoort station.
July 2008: Photo kind courtesy of Jacque & John Wepener.
The Class 10BR wheel arrangement is 4-6-2, the cylinder bore x stroke is 20"x28" with 5'2" diameter driving wheels. The total length of the locomotive and tender is just under 64 feet.
A further order for "Pacifics" (or locos with 4-6-2 wheel arrangement) to the design of G.G. Elliot placed by the CSAR with North British Locomotive in 1910, was split between 5 that used saturated steam and 5 that were superheated. The saturated engines (no.s 747-751) became Class 10A. During the 1930's, when many of these engines required new boilers, A.G.Watson rebuilt them with a standard No 1 boiler and they then became Class 10BR.
After beginning work on the passenger trains out of Johannesburg, they were ultimately used to good effect on the Reef suburban routes, while a few were also used around Cape Town. Most of their working lives, however, were spent on the Cape Midlands where they were used initially on the main line out of Port Elizabeth. Two engines of this class worked as station pilots at Kimberley until 1960 when they joined the rest of the class then working the Uitenhage suburban.
As train loads increased, they were put on the shunt until scrapped in 1974.
In 2012 a fire destroyed the historic Kroonstad station.
All photos by Lr-Col Van der Merwe of Kroonstad and published in The Ulolwe.
From the Past - Sister engine 751 when still in steam:
photo: Leith Paxton : Class 10BR 4-6-2 [ex CSAR class 10-A] - No. 751 [NBL 18975/1909 - ex CSAR 669] Reboilered SAR "Std No.1" - at Sydenham Loco Depot (Port Elizabeth) 15 September 1962
Sources:
- Railways of Southern Africa - Locomotive Guide - 2002 - John Middleton.
In the early 50s my dad (Jan De Graaff) worked in the Kroonstad Loco as a fitter and turner. He was an immigrant from the Netherlands. In 1956 he transferred to Koedoespoort Pretoria and was at the end of his service he was very much involved in the development of the "new" (if memory serves me Hengkel) swiveling boggie. He made us (three sons) aware of trains.
ReplyDeleteDisgraceful how 'they' have destroyed the kroonstad train station, once a magnificant historical building. Not to mention the now dilapidated train engine on display. Such a huge shame, shocking really. The gross mismanagement and corruption of the ANC government and the local municipality are too blame, of course. Always predicted.
ReplyDelete