The Cape Government Railways 0-4-0ST ''Aid'' of 1878 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

era in the Cape of Good Hope. In June 1874, while construction work by the Kowie Harbour Improvement Company was underway at Port Alfred, the Cape Government Railways shipped their locomotive no. 9 ''Blackie'' from Cape Town to Port Alfred for use as construction locomotive. In 1878, when it became necessary to regularly ferry the locomotive from one bank of the Kowie River to the other, a second locomotive was obtained, a engine named ''Aid''.The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, pp. 5, 12.Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1943). ''The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter II - The Cape Government Railways'' (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, November 1943. p. 818.

Port Alfred harbour

In the middle of the 19th century,

Port Alfred A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

at the Kowie River mouth was considered as a possible third major port in the Eastern Cape, in addition to the ports of Port Elizabeth to the southwest and East London to the northeast. In 1857, the Kowie Harbour Improvement Company commenced work to construct embankments and increase the depth of the river mouth. The work was eventually taken over by the Cape Government, who spent more than £800,000 in the attempt to develop the harbour. In 1874, when the need arose for a construction locomotive on site, the locomotive no. 9 ''Blackie'', the first locomotive in South Africa, was shipped to Port Alfred by the

Cape Government Railways The Cape Government Railways (CGR) was the government-owned railway operator in the Cape Colony from 1874 until the creation of the South African Railways (SAR) in 1910. History Private railways The first railways at the Cape were privately own ...

. The engine ''Blackie'', officially named ''Frontier'', was put to work on the west bank of the Kowie river, but as pressure of work demanded, it became necessary to regularly ferry the locomotive from one bank of the Kowie to the other.

Manufacturer

To eliminate the time-consuming tedium of ferrying the locomotive to and fro across the river, an order for a second locomotive was placed through the Crown Agents for the Colonies in 1877. Fox, Walker and Company of Bristol in England supplied an locomotive which was shipped in two sections and on two brigs, the ''Frieda'' and the ''Lena'', which arrived at Port Alfred on 1 January 1878.

Service

The new locomotive, also built for gauge, was assembled on the east bank of the Kowie and named ''Aid''. It worked at Port Alfred until the harbour construction work was terminated around the turn of the twentieth century, as a result of the continuous silting up of the river mouth which made the project unviable. The engine ''Aid'' was then abandoned and left standing in a shed.

Disposal

At some time shortly after the end of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the engine ''Aid'' was stripped down and buried on site. Its remains were exhumed in January 1960 and presented to the museum at Port Elizabeth, where it was intended to rebuild the locomotive to a condition suitable for static exhibition, using dimensional drawings of the engine which had since been discovered. Nothing came of the restoration plans, however, and the exhumed remains of the locomotive were eventually sold as scrap metal.

References

{{Locomotives of South Africa 0060 0060 0-4-0ST locomotives B locomotives Fox, Walker locomotives 4 ft 8½ in gauge locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1878 1878 in South Africa Scrapped locomotives