Natal narrow-gauge super power - double-headed with the Alfred County Railway's modified gas producer NG/G16A No.141 'Red Dragon' leading, in its best external condition sporting a light grey cab roof and bronze dragons on the cab sides, followed by NG/G16A No.155 at Paddock Station in March 1991.

NGR Class N drawing © Leith Paxton 

01. NGR Class N No.2

02. NGR Class N 4-6-2T No.5, SAR Class NG3 No.5. 

Class NG3 No.5 was transferred in 1939 from Natal to Humewood Road, Port Elizabeth, and remained there until 1946, when the locomotive was taken out of service and sold. 

03. Image from The Illustrated War News, 26 January 1916.

After the occupation of former German South West Africa by the Union Defence Forces in 1915, NG Nos.4, 6 and 9 were transferred to the SWA Defence Department to supplement a shortage of motive power.² 

04. Ex-SAR Class NG3 No.4 at Knysna working for the South Western Railway Co. Ltd. (Knysna Forest Railway, operated a 19¼ mile-long line from Knysna to Ysterhoutrug [Deepwalls] from 1907 until 1949)

ALFRED COUNTY RAILWAY (PORT SHEPSTONE – HARDING)

These locomotives were the first 2ft 0in-gauge locomotives ordered by the newly constituted South African Railways for Natal's narrow-gauge branches. In September 1911, Kerr, Stuart & Co. Stoke-on-Trent, England, dispatched two Hendrie-designed tank locomotives with a 4-6-2-wheel arrangement for delivery to the Alfred County Railway (Port Shepstone-Harding). Assigned SAR road numbers NG No.10 and No.11 (works numbers 1207-1208); these locomotives were an upgraded version of the earlier 1906/07 NGR Class N 4-6-2T (SAR Class NG3) supplied by Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. They had a more prominent, modified boiler design to accommodate a larger firebox and pitch centred at 4ft 9in above the rails. Most parts were interchangeable between the Hawthorn, Leslie and Kerr, Stuart & Co. locomotives. No.10 was placed in traffic in September 1911 (in time for the official opening of the first section from Port Shepstone to Paddock on 8 November) and No.11 in September 1912. These engines were rated at 8 183 lbs tractive effort at 75 per cent boiler pressure and weighed 29 tons 14 cwt in full working order.

As side tank locomotives, the operating range on the steeply-graded section from Beach Terminus to Plains required spacing water tanks every 5 miles. The gradient profile shows a gradient of 1 in 37∙7 near milepost 15 between Bomela and Renken.

06. SAR Class NG4 No.16  (WN 1344/1913) was photographed by Neville Fields shunting at Port Shepstone on 21 September 1944. 

A subsequent order for two locomotives was placed in September 1912 with Kerr, Stuart & Co., resulting in the delivery of numbers NG No.12 and No.13 (works numbers 1294 & 1295). The two locomotives were placed in traffic on the Umlaas Road-Mid-Illovo Railway in April and May 1913, respectively. A third order placed with Kerr, Stuart & Co. in June 1913 (works numbers 1342-1344) saw NG Nos.14 and 15 allocated to the Port Shepstone-Harding Railway in July 1914, while No.16 went to the Estcourt-Weenen Railway. 

CLASSIFICATION

Following the introduction of the SAR's locomotive classification system in 1912, the letters NG were prefixed. In the late 1920s, the SAR implemented a system of grouping the narrow-gauge locomotives into classes that saw the Kerr, Stuart & Co. side tanks designated Class NG4. 

SERVICE

As far as it is known, the Class NG4 tank locomotives operated on three of the four narrow-gauge branches in Natal. Long-time driver on the Estcourt-Weenen Railway, Mr J 'Billy' Bester, recalls that as a schoolboy, he would go to the Weenen loco shed after school to help clean out the ash pan of engine No.16. "I thought this was a marvellous job cleaning the ash pan and the loco. It was the privilege of being on the loco that I enjoyed very much."

After the occupation of former German South West Africa by the Union Defence Forces in 1915, NG No.12 was transferred to the SWA Defence Department to supplement a shortage of motive power. It was subsequently returned to Natal. 

When the more powerful Garratts were introduced, the tank locomotives were made redundant and sold to private railways. Leith Paxton's records show tank locomotives Class NG4 Nos. 11 to 15 were sold between 1935 and 1942. The last remaining NG4, No.16, was relegated to shunting duties at Port Shepstone (based on a photograph taken in 1944) where it stayed until 1956 before being sold on 26 July (1956) to Surtees & Sons, acting as agents for the Rustenburg Platinum Mines.³

No.10: 9/1935         withdrawn & scrapped

No.11: 7/1942         sold to Rhodesian Timbers

No.12: 5/1940         withdrawn & scrapped

No.13: 5/1939         withdrawn & scrapped

No.14: 7/1942         sold to Rhodesian Timbers

No.15: 10/1937       withdrawn & scrapped

No.16: 26/7/1956    sold to Rustenburg Platinum Mines

Class NG6 drawing © Leith Paxton

Class NG6 drawing © Leith Paxton

07. NG6 No.105 fitted with a 'Fowler' type eight-wheel bogie tender.

Three of the light-duty 'Lawley' engines, Nos.104, 105 and 106*, are purported to have worked on three of Natal's Narrow Gauge branches from 1916 to 1924. These diminutive locomotives, which weighed just 11¼ tons, were distinguished by their flat running boards. Nos.105† and 106 engines were fitted with 'Fowler' type eight-wheel bogie tenders weighing 6½ tons with full supplies (the six-wheel tender held two tons of coal and 780 gallons of water). The wheel arrangement was 4-4-0, the diameter of the leading bogie wheels was 2ft, and the coupled wheels were 2ft 8in diameter. At 75 per cent boiler pressure of 140psi, the tractive effort was only 3 987 lbs. Their modest power output rendered them unsuitable for open-line use.

* They were of the F2 series, built in 1895/96 and supplied by the Brush Electrical Engineering Company at the Falcon Engineering and Car Works, Loughborough, England (builder's Nos.231, 234 & 235). Known as the 'Lawley' engines by the running staff after A L Lawley, the engineering manager of Pauling & Co, the company that was awarded the contract to build the Beira Railway from the Port of Beira in Portuguese East Africa to Umtali in Rhodesia. (SAR&H Magazine, October 1945, p.781)

† According to October 1945 SAR&H Magazine, p.781, only No.105 had an eight-wheeled bogie tender.

An undated rough sketch map of Natal's Narrow gauge branches compiled by Sydney Moir (author of '24 Inches Apart'), No.104 operated on the Esperanza-Donnybrook Railway from November 1917 to April 1920; while No.105 worked on the Estcourt-Weenen Railway from March 1917 to September 1924 and No.106 assigned to the Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo Railway from February 1916 to September 1924.

SERVICE

The late Tony Croxton perused the Lawley record cards in 1963, and the following records are as recorded by him. The cards, of course, gave details spanning the rest of the Lawleys' lives; what a shame that these were not noted other than the following dates: No.104 Ixopo 17-3-1917; No.105 Estcourt 17-3-1917 and No.106 Durban Shops 24-1-1916, Umlaas Road 8-2-1926.

So far, no photographic evidence of these locomotives working in Natal has emerged. There are photographs of NG6 Nos.105 and 106⁴ taken at Fort Beaufort when they were allocated to the Seymour branch from 1930 to 1934 (With acknowledgement to the information on the Sandstone Estate website; photographs credited to S H Carter and supplied by Hannes Paling)

CLASSIFICATION

In the late 1920s, the SAR implemented a system of grouping the narrow-gauge locomotives into classes that saw the 'Lawley' locomotives designated Class NG6.

09. Class leader NGG No.51, manufactured at Beyer Peacock & Co. Ltd., Gorton Foundry, Manchester, England, in 1919. This photograph of No.51 was taken at Umzinto.

10. Photo courtesy of Leith Paxton ©.

11. Although it is known that No.52 was in service on the Stuartstown Railway from 1920 to 1922, it is believed to have worked on the Estcourt-Weenen Railway sometime between 1952 and 1955 (mentioned by the long-time driver of the Estcourt-Weenen Railway J 'Billy' Bester in his memoirs). The SAR sold No.52 to the Rustenburg Platinum Mines (RPM) on 15 December 1955, where it was returned to service as RPM No.7.

12. The year of A H (Tony) Spit's photograph of NGG11 No.53 at Port Shepstone was not recorded. However, Charlie Lewis photographed No.53 in 1953 at Plains hauling a 'down' passenger train; it was reported working at Port Shepstone from 1953 to 1959. No.53 was sold out of service on 15 June 1959.

13. NGG11 No.54 photographed at Estcourt. 

Leith's records show NG/G11 No.55 assigned to the Stuartstown Railway in 1927; although no information is given on which branch No.54* first entered service, it is believed to have been also placed on the same line as No.55. After that, both Nos. 54 and 55 arrived in Estcourt in 1940, working on the Estcourt-Weenen line until 1965. Then, they were transferred to Humewood Road (No.54 on 29 October and No.55 on 18 December) and relegated to shunting duties until they retired from service on 10 May 1973.†

*It is on record that No.54 did a stint of service in South West Africa from 13 July 1948 until its return to Estcourt on 15 January 1949.

† A correction regarding the retirement of NGG11 No.54: Alan Buttrum comments, "I was part of an LCGB tour to South Africa in September / October 1973, and we saw 54 at Humewood on shed pilot duties, on 2 October to be precise. Pic. attached. Although it looks rather "dead", very gentle wisps of steam can be seen around the cylinders." In his book 'Garratt locomotives of the World', A E "Dusty", Durrant states that 54 and 55 were withdrawn about 1970, but in 'Twilight of SA Steam', he says they were withdrawn in October 1974. Take your pick!

13A. NGG11 No.54 at Humewood Road on shed pilot duties, photographed on 2 October 1973. Although the Garratt may look rather "dead", very gentle wisps of steam can be seen around the cylinders.

14. This undated THL photograph of NG/G11 No.55 was taken at Stanley siding on its way back to Estcourt.

15. NG/G12 No.57 (BP6366/FB2507/1927)

Built by the Belgian firm Société Anglo-Franco-Belge.

Although these two Garratts played no significant role in the motive power used on Natal's 2ft-gauge lines, it is interesting to note that according to records received from Leith Paxton, NG/G12 No.56 worked on the Port Shepstone-Harding Railway between 1950 and 1952. It is confirmed by Charlie Lewis, who observed this Garratt standing out of use at Port Shepstone in July 1952.

The manufacture of the two representatives of this Class of 'light-footed' Garratt was sub-contracted by Beyer Peacock to the Belgian firm Société Anglo-Franco-Belge and placed in service in 1927. The 2-6-2+2-6-2-wheel arrangement spread the locomotive's weight of 36 tons sufficiently to bring it within the four-ton per axle limit on 20 lb/yd rails. As a result, they were the smallest Garratts to enter service on the SAR. Nos.56 and 57 spent the first five years - from 1928 until 1933 - as an experiment on the Otavi Railway in South West Africa* (now Namibia). No.56 was rostered to work on the Kakamas branch in 1935, while No.57 was allocated to work on the Seymour branch before being transferred to Upington in 1942. At 75 per cent boiler pressure, the tractive effort was 10 400 lbs.

* "G N G" in the SAR South West Africa System load tables Private Working Time-Book November 1929.⁶

NG/G12: 56 & 57 were both sold to Rustenburg Platinum Mines as Nos. 5 and 6 in 9/1952 and 11/1953, respectively; they lasted until scrapped c.1959.

16. NG/G14 No.84

The Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG (Hanomag), Germany, built this sole representative of 'light-footed' Garratt, which took to the rails in 1931. It was fitted with outer roller bearings for carrier and Bissel bogie wheels. The 2-6-2+2-6-2-wheel arrangement spread the locomotive's 36 tons 12 cwt weight sufficiently to bring it within the four-ton per axle limit on 20 lb/yd rails. This Garratt first worked on the Fort Beaufort-Seymour branch until 1940, when this branch was re-gauged to 3ft 6in. After that, it worked on the Upington-Kakamas branch until re-gauging to 3ft 6in in 1949. At 75 per cent boiler pressure, the tractive effort was 11 664 lbs.

According to A E ('Dusty') Durrant's book 'Garratt Locomotives of the World', Class NG/G14 Garratt No.84 was allocated to the Estcourt-Weenen Railway (no mention of the year/s nor is this reflected in the records received from Leith Paxton). Unfortunately, no photographic evidence of this Garratt working on the Estcourt-Weenen Railway has come to light.

This locomotive ended its working career shunting at Humewood Road and was recorded as sold on 15 April 1952.

The Rolling Stock Register shows No.84 as scrapped in September 1954.

Monopolising Natal's narrow-gauge branches were the Class NG/G13 and the more numerous NG/G16 Garratts, which in terms of tractive effort, were the world's most powerful 2ft-gauge articulated steam locomotives. The introduction of the Garratt articulated locomotives gave the narrow gauge branches a new lease of life. There were appreciable savings in working expenditure employing Garratts to haul significantly increased trainloads without relaying the track with heavier rails and strengthening the bridges.

Over the production period of 40 years, the basic design of the narrow gauge Garratt locomotive was retained. However, as each generation of new builds took to the rails, there were notable mechanical improvements and subtle differences in their outward appearance. The bogie design is a significant mechanical difference between the NG/G13 and NG/G16. Whereas the NG/G13s pony trucks are fitted with axle boxes on the Gölsdorf system with plain bearings allowing lateral movement of the axles, the NG/G16s had roller-bearing axle boxes for the leading and trailing wheels. The pre-war NG/G16s have a rivetted front tank, whereas the later deliveries have a welded tank with a flat top. A barely noticeable difference in the outward appearance of the NG/G16s is the slightly larger cab, which hardly felt less cramped and hot by the crew. One of the more noticeable later modifications was moving the sandbox mounted on the top of the water tank and placed in pairs on the ends of the coal bunker and water tank. Having been placed next to the trap doors, any water cascading over the tank top inevitably wetted the sand. Other changes involved replacing the Stone Tonum headlight with twin-sealed beam lights.

One might have expected the newer NG/G16 locomotives to be more powerful than the earlier NG/G13s, but this was not the case. Instead, they operated at 180 psi boiler pressure and developed a tractive effort of 18 850 lbs at 75 per cent boiler pressure. These 'little' Garratts were rated to haul a load of 183 tons up a 1-in-33 gradient and, on easier-graded sections, could handle loads of up to 425 tons.

Designed to SAR specifications, the Hannoverische Maschinenbau AG (Hanomag), twelve Class NG/G13 Garratts were placed in traffic between 1927 and 1929 on the Humewood Road-Avontuur and the Port Shepstone-Harding narrow gauge lines. In November 1927, the initial order for three locomotives carried road numbers 58, 59 and 60 (works Nos.10549, 10550 & 10551); this was followed by two more, Nos.49 and 50 (works Nos.10598 & 10599), ordered in 1928, all of which entered service in Natal. In 1930, Nos.49 and 50 were transferred for a trial run on the Otavi Railway in South West Africa, where they were said to have performed well and returned to Natal by 1934.

17. Class leader of the NG/G13s, No.58, seen at Umlaas Road on 24 October 1976. The first NG/G13 Garratts Nos.58, 59 and 60, delivered in 1927 by the Hannoverische Maschinenbau AG (Hanomag), Germany, were regular performers on the Estcourt-Weenen and Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo lines. 

18. NG/G13 No.59 in its distinctive blue livery at Estcourt.

19. NG/G13 No.60 at Estcourt with legendary driver J 'Billy' Bester, on the right, and fireman, his name was unfortunately not recorded.

20. In its last years of operation, NG/G13 No.60 puts on a fine display on the Mid Illovo Branch, charging up to Tala on 17 January 1984.

21. Leith's narrow-gauge locomotive allocation table shows NG/G13 No.49 working on the Port Shepstone-Harding branch in 1952. This photograph of No.49 was taken by Leith on 6 September 1966 at Cenam Halt, between Otterburn and Izingolweni. 

22. This undated photograph of NG/G13 No.50 was taken by Neville Fields at Port Shepstone with its cab side plate displaying 'E 50'. 

23. NG/G13 No.77 at Eston Station with one of the last scheduled trains on the Mid Illovo branch on Saturday, 23 February 1985.

A subsequent order from Hanomag for seven more saw numbers 77 to 83 (works Nos.10629-10635) take to the Avontuur branch's rails in 1929. The capacity of their coal bunkers was increased from 4 to 5½ tons.

In 1966, two Garratts Nos.77 and 78, were transferred to Natal: No.77 was sent to Port Shepstone, while No.78 went to Estcourt. No.77 operated the last trains on the Weenen Branch in August/September 1983 and on the Mid Illovo Branch in February 1985.

24. NG/G13 No.78 heading out of Estcourt. No.78 was the main locomotive working on the line from 1966 until 1983.

25. NG/G16 class leader No.85 photographed at Umzinto on 22 October 1976. 

Works plate of Société Anonyme John Cockerill, Seraing, Belgium (WN 3265/1936).

26. NG/G16 No. E 86 was seen at Umzinto on 9 June 1979 at the end of its shift; after dropping off its load in the yard, it is preparing to head to the shed. It took to the rails on the Umzinto-Donnybrook line in March 1937. Except for 1948, when E86 was rostered on the Port Shepstone-Harding branch, this Garratt remained allocated to the Umzinto shed until withdrawn from service in 1985. 

A close-up shot of the unusual brass cab side plate displaying NGG16 E 86. 

27. NG/G16 No. 87 photographed on 25 September 1976 taking a break at Ixopo shed. Although the detailed allocation history for the years spanning from 1937 to 1967 is a blank page, it appears No.87 worked on the Port Shepstone-Harding line until 1968 before joining its classmates Nos.85 and 86 on the Stuartstown Railway.

The observant reader may spot the long bolt protruding from the cab plate's left bolt hole, which served as a footrest for the driver when his seat was swung out.

28. NG/G16 No.88 photographed at Paddock resplendent in Brunswick Green livery and sporting brass headboards 'Banana Express' and 'Snowy' complete with a polished brass dome cover and Teutonic Spike. 'Snowy' referred to Port Shepstone's station master, whose hair had turned white prematurely and thus earned him the nickname. The driver is the late Ronnie Deacon, who drove on the Harding line for practically his entire SAR/SATS career and subsequently for ACR - both entirely accident-free.  

29. NG/G16 No.110 was the second of the order of eight NG/G16 locomotives delivered from Beyer Peacock's Gorton Works in 1939. No. 110 worked on the Avontuur Line from April 1939 until 1974, when it was one of five Garratts transferred to Natal, of which four (Nos.110, 111, 114 & 116) were allotted to the Port Shepstone-Harding branch. (The fifth Garratt, No.109, went to the Stuartstown Railway)

The December 1977 issue of SA Rail reported that this Garratt had been finished in a rich blue livery and sported the name "Blou Swaan". However, the reason for choosing the colour and naming of the Garratt was not stated.

30. Photographed on 27 January 1965 at Esperanza Yard is NG/G16 No.112 departing for Highflats. Running chimney-first inland and returning bunker-first - 'backwards' - towards the coast was the order of the day. 

31. NG/G16 No.113's fuel supply is being replenished at the Umzinto high-level coaling stage. A system of cocopans operates up a ramp to discharge the coal into the bunker. The state-of-the-art coaling stage was part of the early 1970s refurbishment of the loco shed and workshop. 

32. NG/G13 No.113 heads the 'Closing Special Train' - although the last revenue-earning train was run on 30 June 1986 from Ixopo to Donnybrook, a symbolic closing down trip was organised by the Ixopo and District Historical Society for Saturday, 12 July. Taking on water for the return trip, No.113 stands at Donnybrook's narrow-gauge loco shed. Loco NG/G16 No.87 was initially assigned to do the honours of hauling the special, but after showing signs of a hot box at a late hour, No.113 was hurriedly transformed into super shine condition to deputise.

33. NG/G16 No. 114's driver has a siesta at Hlutankungu while the loco's tank is filled up after the 6¼-mile climb from Njane on 2300ft to the summit here on 3033ft. 

34. Leith captured this fine view of NG/G16 No.116, simmering quietly at Izingolweni in September 1966. Leith's narrow-gauge locomotive allocation table shows that No.116 was allocated to the Port Shepstone Harding Railway in 1939 and spent 45 of 47 years working on the line (assigned in 1958 & 59  to the Stuartstown Railway).

35. NG/G16 No.126, a Garratt transferred from Umlaas Road to Port Shepstone in 1985, carried the distinctive cab side plates with a green central background. 

36. NG/G16 No.128 carries the distinctive cab side plates with a green central background. No.128 arrived in Port Shepstone from Humewood Road, Port Elizabeth, in 1974. Encroaching on the left of the photo is Port Shepstone's rebuilt all narrow-gauge loco shed that opened in November 1980. 

37. NG/G16 No.129 photographed at Maxwell operating from Ixopo to Donnybrook on 24 July 1952.

No.129 entered service on the Stuartstown Railway on 27 April 1951 and worked there continuously until 1980 before going to Port Shepstone. The loco returned to Umzinto for two more years during 1983/84 and transferred to Port Shepstone in 1986.

38. NG/G16 No.131, rounds another of the endless 3 and 4 chain radius curves on the approach to Izingolweni. 

39. TC6, the Class leader of the 'Tsumeb' Garratts, was classified under the SAR as NG/G16 No.137. 

Seen at Paddock Station in 1975 displaying its E 137 cab side plate.

40. Several Garratts can be seen at Port Shepstone shed in this March 1986 scene. On the right stands immaculately presented NG/G16 No.138, still carrying small E 138 plates on the tank and bunker ends.  

41. NG/G16 No.140 with a mixed load for Umzinto photographed on 7 January 1970 approaching Kunata. The bridge over the Mtwalume River is just visible behind the curve. 

42. Producing a plume of black smoke blotting out the view of the Indian Ocean, NG/G16 No.142 negotiates a series of 207ft radius horseshoe curves ('The Balloon') on the 1 in 38∙5-graded climb from Beach Terminus towards Izotsha in April 1982.

43. NG/G16 No.143 illuminated in the morning sunlight traversing the level crossing at Ixopo Station at 06:00 with Train 1756 en route to Donnybrook on 22 October 1976. This was the last steam locomotive to be built at Beyer Peacock's Gorton Works in 1958.

44. Brand new NG/G16, the last of a noble strain, built in 1967/1968 by Hunslet-Taylor Consolidated (Pty) Ltd, Germiston*, No.155, photographed by Roger Perry on a test run.

* Although the works plate states Hunslet Taylor Consolidated Pty Ltd., Johannesburg, the business was located within the municipal boundary of Germiston.

The Star, Johannesburg, Friday 5 January 1968. The Industrial Editor couldn't have known that steam locomotives were still being built in India and China, the former into the 1970s and the latter into the 1980s.

45. NG/G16 – the boiler and firebox are assembled.

46. NG/G16 – the boiler, firebox and cab are assembled on the frame.

47. Assembly of NG/G16 No.150 (3895/1967) complete. It was delivered to Port Shepstone in February 1968.

48. The penultimate narrow-gauge Garratt was delivered to the SAR in August 1968, NG/G16 No.155, undergoing steam testing at the Hunslet Taylor Works.

49. The first of the Hunslet Taylor NG/G16s, No.149, newly delivered in January 1968, is seen after nine years in service, basking in the sun at Umzinto shed.  

50. Hunslet Taylor NG/G16 No.150 stopped at Braemar on 9 June 1979 with an inland goods train for Ixopo. 

51. Hunslet Taylor NG/G16 No.151 photographed at Ixopo shed on 22 October 1976. 

52. Hunslet Taylor NG/G16 No.152 pulled up at the water tank at Highflats. Locomotives were serviced here and handed over to another crew. According to the WTB, the Umzinto crews worked Umzinto-Highflats-Umzinto, and Ixopo crews Ixopo-Highflats-Ixopo (the latter generally with another working on the Ixopo branches to make it a worthwhile day). The journey from Umzinto to Highflats took from 5½ to 6½ hours, the return slightly less, and then turn round at Highflats was typically about ½ hour, quite a long day for the crew. Furthermore, there were only water facilities at Highflats, so the return trip from Umzinto to Highflats had to be done on one bunker of coal (102 miles). 

53. Hunslet Taylor NG/G16 No.153 photographed at Etterby in April 1979.

54. As NG/G16 No.153 heads the return working past a farm dam on the outskirts of Highflats on the afternoon of 18 September 1985, this photograph records the last train on the Highflats - Ixopo section of the Stuartstown Railway. 

55. NG/G16 No.154 patiently waits for the next job photographed at Harding Station on 9 July 1985.

56. NG/G16 No.156, photographed at Port Shepstone shed on 31 July 1976, was the last new Garratt delivered to the SAR in October 1968 by Hunslet-Taylor Consolidated (Pty) Ltd.

57. NG/G16A No.141, 'Red Dragon' ex-works at Port Shepstone in April 1989.

On 5 September 1988, Phil Girdlestone filled the key position of Chief Mechanical Engineer at the ACR. He brought a wealth of experience in modern steam practice from his engineering projects on the Ffestiniog Railway at Boston Lodge and Hugh Phillips Engineering in South Wales. A significant innovation was introducing a gas-producing combustion system to improve efficiency and reduce running costs of the 60-year-old Garratt locomotives. Two Class NG/G16 Garratts, No.141 (BP7866/1958) in 1989, the 'Red Dragon' and No.155 (HT3900/1968) in 1990, were modified with technology similar to that used on the 'Cape' gauge Class 26 No.3450 'Red Devil' such as Lempor exhausts, an improved spark arrester, lightweight multi-ring articulated piston valves, improved valve vents and improved mechanical lubrication. On a test run on 2 February 1990, from Harding to Port Shepstone, NG/G16A* No.141, the 'Red Dragon' hauled a record load of 290 tons (the ruling grade against loaded trains in this direction was 1/44). 

*The 'NGG16A' class designation was unofficial because it was not an SAR classification

58. Soon after Phil Girdlestone arrived at the ACR and before embarking on his GCPS program, he was already making his presence felt. NG/G16 No.139  (BP7864/1958) was improved by altering her tiny round filler hole into a slot four times longer and much wider than the previous dustbin lid provided by Beyer Peacock, the tool-box compartments in the front and rear tanks were welded closed, the rear tank rebuilt with increased coal and water capacity and a simple but effective spark arrestor fitted to the chimney. She immediately became a more traffic-friendly machine, and eventually, all engines were thus equipped.

Charlie Lewis explains: "The solution was obvious and surprising that the state-run railway had never considered it: the Garratts' unused tool compartments in the water tanks of both front and back units were welded closed, thereby increasing capacity by 16% - sufficient to eliminate both the problem water stations. In service with the ACR, the 'Tsumeb' Garratts Nos.139 and 140 had their rear tanks lengthened, thereby enabling them to reach Harding with only three intermediate water stops – Izotsha, Paddock and Quarry Siding – an appreciable saving in pumping costs and reduced running times."

59. NG/G16A No.155 (HT3900/1958) with Driver George van Niekerk at Izotsha in July 1998 in its attractive red livery with yellow lining and polished boiler bands.

The success of NG/G16A No.141 resulted in the early start of converting Garratt, No.155, the penultimate of the Hunslet Taylor locomotives (HT3900/1968), carrying a boiler in good condition. The modified No.155 re-entered service on 1 January 1991, and after some initial teething troubles were sorted out, the Garratt performed satisfactorily. Initially, this modified Garratt retained its standard black livery but later appeared in attractive ACR red, edged with yellow lining. 

60. Modified NG/G16 No.140 stands at Harding Shed with its raised coal bunker and attractive red Alfred County Railway livery edged with yellow lining.

Charlie Lewis explains the reason for the extension of the coal bunker on NG/G16 No.140: "Water capacity was the main problem; we had to cut out three of the six waterstops used by SAR (Bomela, Izingolweni and Bongwana), so we increased the water capacity by welding the front and back tool compartments closed. In the case of the Tsumeb Garratts, we couldn't afford to lose a payload by hauling a water tank, so we raised the coal bunker's floor to increase further its water capacity, which meant the sides of the coal bunkers had to be raised as well. With these simple modifications, the 'Tsumeb' engines joined their counterparts and only made three water stops. Also, as a result, ACR engines all got through to Harding on a full bunker of coal."

(Note that in this picture, the engine still has her rear-bunker tool cabinet.  This was soon welded shut.)

61. Pinnacle of steam development on the 2ft gauge: the record train with a mass of 750 tons hauled by three Garratts. The front engine is un-rebuilt NG/G16 No.139, the second is the second gas-producer Garratt, NG/G16A No.155, and the third is Phil Girdlestone's pioneer gas-producer NG/G16A No.141. The gross train mass was ultimately brought up to 820 tons in thirty-six bogie vehicles and a van by picking up three loads at Paddock. 

South Africa's two-foot Garratts of Classes NG/G13 and NG/G16 are the most powerful steam locomotives ever built for that rail gauge, yet the design dates back almost seventy years. For operation in the former South West Africa, now Namibia, a 2-8-2 tender engine was placed in service in 1912; over eighty years ago, these became SAR Class NG5 and were developed into the current Class NG15 of no greater power. NG5 and NG15 had a tractive effort (at 75 per cent boiler pressure) of 16 610lbs and a grate area of 16·7sq ft, giving a good ratio of 1 000lbs tractive effort for each square foot of grate area. The NG/13 &16 Garratts were slightly more powerful with tractive efforts of 18 850lbs fed by a grate with 19·5sq ft area, a slightly better ratio.

It has long been obvious that possibilities existed for a 2-8-2+2-8-2 Garratt, which, within the same axle load restrictions as the older engines, could be double the single 2-8-2 capacity, i.e. having a tractive effort of about 33 000lbs. A boiler with 33 to 35sq ft would be required to supply steam, similar in size to that of a GCA Garratt of 3ft 6in gauge. Such a locomotive would be 1·75 the capacity of an NG/G16 Garratt, and, surprisingly, no such machine was seriously contemplated, let alone built.

Most SAR narrow gauge lines have been relaid with 60lb/yd rails in recent years, allowing axle loadings of at least 13 tonnes. The only attempt to take advantage of this has been with the Class 91 diesel-electric locomotives, which have a 12-tonne axle load. Although, with the 91s, the realisation that the very restricted loading gauge used by the earlier steam locomotives was an unnecessary restriction, the 91s were much higher and wider than their steam predecessors. Why such limited cab room was insisted upon, making footplate conditions cramped and heated, cannot now be determined unless some bright spark thought that the engines should be 'to scale' with their larger sisters but engine crews are not available 'to scale' and the same size men need to be accommodated whatever the rail gauge!

Thus the thought came to the author that bearing in mind all relevant conditions and without exceeding any current parameters, it must be possible to build a Garratt with the same axle load, height and width as a Class 91 diesel and the same length of coupled wheelbase as an NG15 2-8-2. This represents very conventional thinking with nothing outlandish that can be condemned by even the most reactionary "it's never been done before" discard. For such a new Garratt, up-to-date criteria have been selected, and the engine units have cast steel beds and roller bearings throughout. The boiler includes a gas producer combustion system and double Lempor exhaust, the latter arranged transversely due to the limited room available. Even here, there has been a precedent, 3454 'BI EBING', plus earlier precedents in the Algerian Garratts, which had double Kylchap exhausts similarly side by side.

So, here is the proposed 'NG/G17 Garratt', showing what may be achieved on a two-foot gauge without exceeding any existing limitations. It is designed in the metric system following modern requirements but to compare with the older locomotives, and the imperial equivalents include a tractive effort at 75 per cent amounting to 50 850lbs, 2·7 times that of an NG/G16. The grate area is 50·2 square feet or about 2·6 that of the NG/G16. The starting tractive effort is similar to that of a pair of Class 91 diesel-electric locomotives, and the estimated horsepower is 1 500 kW, compared with only 1 300 kW of the two diesel-electrics; thus, the Garratt will be able to start the same load as two 91s and haul it faster on the upgrades.

Is such a machine a daydream? Will it ever be built? When producing the design in 1991, the author went through a costing exercise which showed that for a batch of five Garratts, the cost of each was a little more than the price of a single Class 91. Furthermore, experience on ACR has shown that fuel costs on their NG/G16A Garratts are less than the Class 91 diesel-electric, but these old Garratts suffer from heavy maintenance costs due to the outdated design plus the fact that two crews are needed to equal the work of a pair of Class 91 in multiple units. For the NG/G17, neither of these drawbacks apply – modern mechanical design means low maintenance costs, whilst the same crew as work two 91s can drive an NG/G17. Furthermore, the new Garratt should be even lighter on fuel than the NG/G16A due to the more modern cylinder and motion design, with straight ports and long travel valves, making it thoroughly economical.

Production of the real thing needs capital, which is not easy to obtain today, but an English friend of the author is currently building an NG/G17 in 7¼ inch scale, about 30 per cent linear scale. I am not sure that he realises what an enormous task he has set himself, but the finished machine will be looked forward to with great eagerness!

Even for the NG/G17 is not the end of the story. On Germany's slightly wider gauge of 750 mm, modern 2-10-2T engines were successfully designed to negotiate curves similar to South Africa's two-foot gauge lines. Using the same chassis design principles, one may imagine a 2-10-2+2-10-2 Garratt, an NG/G18, with a tractive effort of 60 000lbs, in other words, a narrow gauge Garratt with the haulage of a GMAM! One wonders why the broader gauges were ever bothered with, at least for heavy freight haulage!

(With acknowledgement to A E Durrant, 'Steam possibilities on Two-Foot Gauge' published in SA RAIL, Vol.35, No.1, January/February 1995, p.34)

Besides the RM 5 railcar service on the 'Cape' gauge Port Shepstone-Umzumbe section in 1925, of particular interest is the narrow-gauge railcar service operated with RM 501 (originally RMNG1) between Port Shepstone and Harding, which commenced on 16 May 1927.

The original narrow-gauge railcar RMNG1, later renumbered RMNG 501, of the 'char-à-banc' type, was designed and built in the Mechanical Department of the Pretoria Workshops for the Port Shepstone-Harding branch. It was completed on 15 March 1926. The railcar's body was mounted on a steel underframe with an overall length of 28ft 6in over the buffers, 6ft wide, and 9ft 0½in high. Buffers were provided at each end of the underframe, and a cowcatcher was fitted to the front end. The vehicle's total weight was 6∙36 tons, excluding passengers and baggage.

A 48-60hp four-cylinder Leyland petrol engine provided motive power with a gearbox giving four speeds forward and four reverse controlled by a 'special design balanced double dry disc clutch'. The running gear featured a leading bogie with four 1ft 8in diameter wheels and a single pair of 2ft diameter driving wheels at the rear. The wheelbase of the leading bogie was 4ft, and the distance from the centre of the bogie to the centre of the radial Bissel was 18ft. The tanks carried 50 gallons of petrol. Other features included a self-starter, dynamo, batteries, electric lighting and headlights for the vehicle.

Given the importance of restricting the vehicle's weight to maintain a 'fast' speed, the railcar carried 26 passengers accommodated in four compartments with transverse bench seating. While one first-class passenger could sit next to the driver, sixteen first-class passengers were seated in two compartments. Second-class passengers were accommodated in the fourth compartment, or the seats could be lifted, and the space was used for conveying small quantities of mail or luggage.

The provision of the railcar made it possible to provide a much speedier service than by ordinary train, as the following timing schedule shows:

                       Miles      Passenger       Rail-       Difference

                                        Train              car         in

                                        Schedule         Schedule Time

Port Shepstone-

Harding          76         7h 47min        4h 12min 3h 35min

Harding –

Port Shepstone 76         6h 58min        4h 16min 2h 42 min

The 2ft-gauge rail car performed very satisfactorily during the preliminary service trial runs. However, shortly after the vehicle entered service, it developed operating weaknesses and was consequently withdrawn from service to enable several mechanical modifications to be made. Nevertheless, despite being out of commission for a part of the year, the railcar clocked up 26 748 miles transporting 2 622 passengers, mail and parcels.

63. RMNG 502 was built in the Durban Mechanical Workshops and placed in traffic on the Port Shepstone-Harding service on 16 May 1929 to replace railcar RMNG 501. Two Hudson motor-car engines, which delivered 250hp, powered the railcar. Its shape was similar in appearance to the 3ft 6in-gauge railcars built at the time. So too, was the colour scheme with the body painted the same coach brown as the other passenger equipment with the number and initials SAR and SAS applied in the form of transfer letters in gold, white and red. The mechanical difficulties with the drive's design to the bogie were resolved by fitting RMNG 502 with front and rear bogies, and the power from the two motors was transmitted mechanically to the rear bogie. The vehicle was 31ft 11in long, 7ft wide, 9ft 6½in high, and provided seating for 30 passengers. The railcar weighed 21 580lbs with full fuel tanks without passengers and luggage. By 31 March 1930, the vehicle had travelled 27 440  miles and had conveyed 1 681 passengers.

From 25 November 1929, the Friday service from Harding to Port Shepstone and the Thursday service from Port Shepstone to Harding were discontinued. The decline in passenger numbers saw the railcar service withdrawn on 1 December 1930, and the vehicle subsequently transferred to the Upington-Kakamas branch, where it operated with considerable success. Railcar RM 502 was temporarily assigned to the Avontuur branch to provide a service between Port Elizabeth and Jeffrey's Bay. The service opened in December 1932, but this only lasted four months.

After Railcar RM 501 was repaired, it was transferred to the Donnybrook-Ixopo section primarily to convey milk during the summer months of 1929/30. However, there was insufficient traffic to justify continuing the service, and the railcar was withdrawn towards the close of the 1930 financial year.

64. The General Manager's Annual Report for 1940, on page 87, mentions a narrow-gauge railcar being built in the Durban Mechanical Workshops described as a new type given a streamlined appearance and a colour scheme of cream and maroon. With an overall length of 32 ft, a width of 7ft 4in and 9ft 3¼in high,  the vehicle weighed 23 180lbs with full fuel tanks. There was seating 28 passengers in two compartments separated by a compartment for baggage. The railcar was powered by two standard car six-cylinder motors, each rated with an output of 28·4 hp.

Of relevance to the above railcar is the diagram on page 99 and a photograph by S E Witt on plate XVIII in Sydney Moir's book '24 Inches Apart' showing railcar RM 503 (RC 503) at Ripley on a test run on the Umlaas Road-Mid Illovo branch before being despatched to the Kakamas branch. It was reported to have been the last narrow-gauge railcar built for the SAR.

65. Class NG15 No.146*, built by Henschel & Sohn Gmhb, Kassel, Germany, in 1957, belonged to a batch of five initially ordered by the Tsumeb Copper Corporation to work on the Otavi Railway in South West Africa (now Namibia). After gauge conversion from 600 mm to Cape Gauge in 1960, all Class NG15s were transferred to South Africa to continue working on the Avontuur line. Humewood Road footplate crews gave them their unofficial class name, 'Kalahari', a misnomer since the locomotives had always worked closer to the Namib than the Kalahari.

* In service with the Tsumeb Copper Corporation, this locomotive carried the number TC3.

66. Class 91-009 leading an unidentified 91-0xx photographed on the Avontuur Branch.

Class 91 General Electric type UM6B Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives worked from 1992 until 2003 between Port Shepstone and Harding when three, Nos.91-006, 91-008 and 91-009*, were initially hired from Spoornet by the ACR. Class 91 General Electric type UM6B Bo-Bo is an adaptation of GE's standard UM6B narrow-gauge model with bogies specifically designed for the 2ft gauge. It has a net traction power output of 480kW and a maximum axle load of 12 tons. The first Class 91 locomotive arrived at Port Shepstone on 9 February 1992. Locomotive No.91-006 travelled from Port Elizabeth mounted on specially modified 3ft 6in gauge bogies from a Class 36 diesel-electric with only the leading bogie powered.

Other Class 91 locomotives noted worked in rotation on the ACR were 91 001, 91-003, 91-004, 91-011 and 91-016. After the cessation of freight services on 16 March 2001, one diesel locomotive was retained to continue working the 'Banana Express' until October 2003.

* Grindrod rebuilt 91-009 as a 3ft 6in gauge Genset loco and sold it to ROVOS RAIL, Pretoria. It carries 91-011's number plates. 91-011 was exported to Argentina after regauging to 1-metre.

67. Bagnall (WGB3204/61) No.11 shunting at Harding. 

Three diesel locomotives standing out of use at the Rustenburg Platinum Mines (RPM) were purchased in 1989 by the ACR for R30 000. These versatile 26-tonne machines were eminently suited for shunting, equipped with Gardner six-cylinder engines and self-changing gearboxes. They were WGB 3124/57, 3125/57 and 3204/61, designated by the ACR as Bagnall Nos.9, 10 and 11. The first, No.11, was commissioned to work at Harding in mid-June and was immediately put to work making up trains and banking them out of town. The second, No.9, at Port Shepstone started work in July, while the third, No.10, was retained as a spare.