The Cape Government Railways Type A 2-6-4T of 1902 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 1902, the Cape Government Railways placed two Type A narrow gauge steam locomotives in construction service on the Avontuur branch. In 1912, these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways and renumbered.Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1944). ''The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter II - The Cape Government Railways'' (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, April 1944. pp. 253-257.Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office, Pretoria, January 1912, p. 47 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)

Langkloof railway

In April 1902, authority was granted for the construction of the

Langkloof The Langkloof is a 160 km long valley in South Africa, lying between Herold, a small village northeast of George, and The Heights - just beyond Twee Riviere. History The kloof was given its name by Isaq Schrijver in 1689, and more thorough ...

narrow gauge railway from

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

via

Humansdorp Humansdorp is a small town and surrounding district in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with a population of around 29,000 during the census of 2011. It is part of the Kouga Local Municipality of the Sarah Baartman District. The town is th ...

Avontuur Avontuur is a town situated in the Garden Route District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The town is located 13km south-east of Uniondale on an intersection of the R339 and R62 regional routes. History The name is Af ...

, a total distance of . It was to become one of the most important narrow gauge railways in South Africa and passed through districts which were famous for general agriculture and the export of wheat and fruit, especially apples. The line was laid with rail and was completed to Avontuur on 10 December 1906. Map of Avontuur Railway

Coal consumption on the line averaged per train mile. A load from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur had to be hauled up and, on the return journey, . This, in conjunction with the innumerable sharp curves and steep gradients of 1 in 40 (2½%) compensated, prevented a continuous high speed from being attained.

Manufacturer

Two

2-6-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, a locomotive has two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and four trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called Adriatic. Overview With only a few known except ...

Adriatic type narrow gauge tank steam locomotives were supplied to 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 ...

(CGR) by Manning Wardle and Company in 1902. They were designated Type A and numbered 31 and 32.Harman, Fred W. ''The Locomotives built by Manning Wardle & Company. Volume 3 Broad Gauge & Works List'' (1st ed. (undated)). Century Locoprints, Bridlington, UK. p.77. . It is recorded that these locomotives, during tests, were able to haul a load of up a 1 in 40 (2½%) grade.

Service

Cape Government Railways

Both locomotives were placed in construction service on the Avontuur narrow gauge railway and were also used as the first road power on the railway. At a width of , they were extremely large and were the widest locomotives to see service on any of the narrow gauge lines in South Africa.Soul of A Railway - System 3: Cape Midland, based in Port Elizabeth – Part 1: The Port Elizabeth Narrow Gauge – Introduction - Captions 3 & 4
(Accessed on 10 December 2016)

South African Railways

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. Although 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 were only implemented with effect from 1 January 1912.''The South African Railways - Historical Survey''. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 25. The two locomotives were renumbered to NG25 and NG26 on the South African Railways (SAR), with the NG prefix identifying them as narrow gauge locomotives in the SAR registers. They remained in service on the Avontuur branch for the duration of their service lives, until they were withdrawn in 1929 without having been classified by the SAR.

References

{{Locomotives of South Africa 0450 1C2 locomotives 2-6-4T locomotives Manning Wardle locomotives 2 ft gauge locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1902 1902 in South Africa Scrapped locomotives