The Cape Government Railways Type C 0-4-0T ''Midget'' 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 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 ...

placed a single narrow gauge steam locomotive in service on the Avontuur branch. In 1912, this locomotive was assimilated into the South African Railways and renumbered. It was sold to the West Rand Consolidated Mines near Krugersdorp in 1921.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)

Manufacturer

The locomotive was built and delivered by Manning Wardle and Company in 1902, with works number 1583. Named ''Midget'', it was designated Type C and numbered 41 on the Cape Government Railways (CGR). The locomotive was delivered with an open cab, roofed, but not enclosed. To offer better protection to the crew, a spectacle plate and enclosed sides were added at some point soon after it entered service.

Service

Cape Government Railways

The engine ''Midget'' was placed in service on the Avontuur branch out of

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 ...

, where it was employed on construction work and as shunting engine. It was also used to haul short two-coach passenger trains, based on the light railways premise that a light engine on low-volume passenger service would reduce running costs by 50% compared to larger locomotives. CGR Type C no

The locomotive is reputed to have worked light two-carriage suburban passenger trains on the Walmer branch in Port Elizabeth at half the cost of the Type A and Type B locomotives. It was therefore possible to cater for traffic which, with the larger engines, would have been unremunerative.

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. In 1912, the locomotive was renumbered to no. NG20 on the South African Railways (SAR), with the letters NG identifying it as a narrow gauge locomotive in the SAR registers. In 1921, it was sold to the West Rand Consolidated Mines in

Krugersdorp Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for ''Kruger's Town'') is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a major town in the west ...

Preservation

Upon eventually being withdrawn from service at the mines, the engine ''Midget'' was placed in storage until the Crown Mines Museum was established south of

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

. The locomotive was restored, renamed ''Taffy'' and worked at Gold Reef City, as the museum was later named, until it was eventually retired once more and placed on static display at the museum.

Illustration

The following pictures show the engine ''Taffy'' in service at

Gold Reef City Gold Reef City is an amusement park in Johannesburg, South Africa. Located on an old gold mine which closed in 1971, the park is themed around the gold rush that started in 1886 on the Witwatersrand, the buildings on the park are designed to mim ...

in January 1982. File:CGR Type C 0-4-0T a.jpg File:CGR Type C 0-4-0T b.jpg File:CGR Type C 0-4-0T d.jpg

References

{{Locomotives of South Africa 0460 0460 0-4-0T locomotives B locomotives Manning Wardle locomotives 2 ft gauge locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1902 1902 in South Africa