Matjiesfontein Village - Class 7 No 987

This was one of the locomotives Roger Griffiths found at Paarden Eiland in October 1973. Compare with next image some years later.


On 12 October 1978 Alan Saunder (www.steamtrain.co.za) found this loco Class 7 no 987 at Paarden Eiland (Cape Town & Table Mountain in the background). No 987 had been restored at the workshops, and was ready to be delivered to Matjiesfontein, where she would become part of the display in the still-planned village museum. Earlier no 987 saw service on the Ladismith branch line - more details below.

Class 7 #987 (left) Class 8 #1132 (right) - PaardenEiland Loco late 1978 or early 1979 - courtesy David Werbeloff



Class 7 #987 - PaardenEiland Loco late 1978 or early 1979 - courtesy David Werbeloff. This locomotive is now plinthed at Matjiesfontein Village.


Class 7 #987 - PaardenEiland Loco late 1978 or early 1979 - courtesy David Werbeloff

Way back in the late-late 1970's this locomotive and a number of railway coaches were parked in the veld at Matjiesfontein Village.


1970's photo courtesy George Knatten (provided by Charles Baker, who blogs SA CONNECTA)


1970's photo courtesy George Knatten (provided by Charles Baker, who blogs SA CONNECTA)

These photos below were taken during our visit to Matjiesfontein in August 2008.

Later the Matjiesfontein Transport Museum was built nearby, and the locomotive ....


..... and coaches became part of the under cover display.


SAR no 987 (ex CGR) was built in 1893 as works no 4477 by Neilson and Co., of Glasgow, Scotland. Neilson and Co built 32 Class 7 engines - they became SAR engine no's 956-987.


These were the main goods locomotives for the last 20 years of the Cape Government Railways.



The Class 7 locomotive dates from pre-SAR days, 38 of these were put into service during the years 1892-1893. The 1st 6 engines in the class were built by Dübs, the balance was supplied by Neilson & Co.



The design was prepared in 1890 by H.M. Beatty.








This was followed by an order for 32 from Neilson and Co, which were delivered in 1892 and 1893, and placed into service in the Cape Midlands and eastern sections and classified Class 7 by the SAR.



All the locomotives in this series originally used saturated steam, had plate frames and Stephenson's link motion.

4-8-0 wheel arrangement.

You may look up some working days [May 1962] photos of No 987 by visiting the blog entry for the Touws River - Ladismith branch line (Makadas train) [1925-1981]

You may also compare this locomotive with Class 7 sisters no 950 at Upington, no 970 in Riversdale and no 975 at the Anglo-Boer War Museum, Bloemfontein.

Specification details for Class 7 may be found here.