The Cape Copper Company 0-4-2T ''Britannia'' of 1905 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre- Union 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 1905, a single 0-4-2 tank locomotive was placed in service by the Cape Copper Company as a shunting engine at

Port Nolloth Port Nolloth is a town and small domestic seaport in the Namaqualand region on the northwestern coast of South Africa, northwest of Springbok, Northern Cape, Springbok. It is the seat of the Richtersveld Local Municipality. The port was previousl ...

in the Cape of Good Hope.

Namaqualand Railway

The Namaqualand Railway was constructed between 1869 and 1876 by the Cape Copper Mining Company, restructured as the Cape Copper Company in 1888. The railway from

on the West Coast to the copper mines around O'okiep was initially exclusively mule-powered, but in 1871 the first experimental steam locomotives named ''John King'' and ''Miner'' were acquired by the mining company.''The South African Railways - Historical Survey''. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 9.Lee, Charles E. (1951). ''The Walfish Bay Railway''. Article in The Railway Magazine with which is incorporated "Transport & Travel Monthly", September 1951. Tothill Press Limited, London. pp. 627-628, 631. They were followed, between 1886 and 1888, by three condensing locomotives and, between 1890 and 1904, by eight Clara Class and Scotia Class Mountain type tender locomotives. A single locomotive named ''Caledonia'' entered shunting service in 1904.

The ''Britannia''

In 1905, a single 0-4-2 tank locomotive named ''Britannia'' was acquired as an additional shunting locomotive from

Dick, Kerr & Company Dick, Kerr and Company was a locomotive and tramcar manufacturer based in Kilmarnock, Scotland and Preston, England. Early history W.B. Dick and Company was founded in 1854 in Glasgow by William Bruce Dick. The company were initially oil r ...

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

in Scotland. Apart from being named, it was also numbered 13 on the Cape Copper Company locomotive roster. The locomotive was landed at Port Nolloth in May 1905 and was placed in shunting service at the port. Like the inverted saddle-tank shunting locomotive ''Caledonia'' from the same builder, the engine ''Britannia'' had a balloon chimney. In addition, it was equipped with sheet-metal casing below the running boards to protect the motion and bearings from wind-blown sand. The encasement was hinged to allow easy access to the motion.

Illustration

At some stage during its career, the balloon chimney was replaced with a stovepipe chimney and the casing covering the wheels and motion was removed. The accompanying two photographs show the locomotive in this modified form. File:CCC 0-4-2T Britannia b.jpg, ''Britannia'' on the Namaqua Copper Company branch line between Braakpits Junction and Concordia File:CCC 0-4-2T Britannia c.jpg, ''Britannia'' with its number "13" barely visible on the side tank, c. 1938

References

{{Locomotives of South Africa 0620 0620 0-4-2 locomotives B1 locomotives Dick, Kerr locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1905 1905 in South Africa 2 ft 6 in gauge locomotives Scrapped locomotives Shunting locomotives