The Cape Government Railways 1st Class 0-4-0ST of 1876 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 The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

. In 1876 and 1877, three

Cape gauge A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

locomotives were placed in service on the Eastern System of 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 ...

. They were designated 1st Class when a classification system was adopted.''C.G.R. Numbering Revised'', Article by Dave Littley, SA Rail May–June 1993, pp. 94-95.

Manufacturer

The

Hunslet Engine Company The Hunslet Engine Company is a locomotive-building company, founded in 1864 in Hunslet, England. It manufactured steam locomotives for over 100 years and currently manufactures diesel shunting locomotives. The company is part of Ed Murray & S ...

delivered three locomotives to the Eastern System of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) in 1876 and 1877. They were similar to the 1st Class of 1875 in most respects, but instead of domeless boilers which took steam from the steam space above the firebox, they had steam domes with large polished brass covers. The first locomotive arrived in East London in 1876 and was numbered E2. Two more were delivered in 1877, numbered E3 and E4. When a classification system for locomotives was introduced on the CGR, these locomotives were designated 1st Class.''Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists'', issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer’s Office, Pretoria, January 1912, p. 17. (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)

Service

Railway construction out of East London on the Eastern System only began in earnest in 1876. Along with the domeless boilered no. E1, which had arrived in East London in October 1875, these three engines were in all probability also employed as construction locomotives from the outset.''The South African Railways - Historical Survey''. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, pp. 11, 25.

Works numbers and renumbering

By 1888, no. E3 was scrapped and in 1897 no. E2 was sold to the ''Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij'' (NZASM), where it was allocated no. 999. When the

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Trans ...

was established on 31 May 1910, the three Colonial government railways (CGR,

Natal Government Railways The Natal Government Railways (NGR) was formed in January 1877 in the Colony of Natal. In 1877, the Natal Government Railways acquired the Natal Railway Company for the sum of £40,000, gaining the line from the Point to Durban and from Durban ...

and

Central South African Railways The Central South African Railways (CSAR) was from 1902 to 1910 the operator of public railways in the Transvaal Colony and Orange River Colony in what is now South Africa. During the Anglo-Boer War, as British forces moved into the territory of ...

) were united under a single administration to control and administer the railways, ports and harbours of the Union. Even though the South African Railways and Harbours came into existence in 1910, the actual classification and renumbering of all the rolling stock of the three constituent railways required careful planning and was only implemented with effect from 1 January 1912. The sole survivor, no. E4, by then renumbered 602, was considered obsolete by the SAR and was therefore designated Class 01 and renumbered 0602. The works numbers, years in service, original numbers and known renumbering of the locomotives of 1876 are listed in the table.

References

{{Locomotives of South Africa 0140 0-4-0ST locomotives B locomotives Hunslet locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1876 1876 in South Africa Cape gauge railway locomotives Scrapped locomotives