Kowie Railway 4-4-0T

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Kowie Railway 4-4-0T
Kowie Railway 4-4-0T Grahamstown.jpg
Kowie Railway 4-4-0T Grahamstown
hideType and origin
Power typeSteam
DesignerHunslet Engine Company
BuilderHunslet Engine Company
Serial number294-295
Build date1882
Total produced2
hideSpecifications
Configuration:
​
 • Whyte4-4-0T
 • UIC2'Bn2t
Driver1st coupled axle
Gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge
Leading dia.27+1⁄2 in (698 mm)
Coupled dia.48 in (1,219 mm)
Wheelbase18 ft 5 in (5,613 mm)
 • Leading4 ft 10 in (1,473 mm)
 • Coupled7 ft (2,134 mm)
Length:
​
 • Over couplers29 ft (8,839 mm)
Height12 ft 2 in (3,708 mm)
Loco weight27 LT (27,430 kg)
Fuel typeWood or coal
Fuel capacity1 LT 10 cwt (1.5 t)
Water cap650 imp gal (2,950 l)
Firebox typeRound-top
 • Firegrate area9.75 sq ft (0.906 m2)
Boiler:
​
 • Pitch5 ft 9 in (1,753 mm)
 • Tube plates9 ft 3+3⁄4 in (2,838 mm)
 • Small tubes115: 1+3⁄4 in (44 mm)
Boiler pressure160 psi (1,103 kPa)
Safety valveRamsbottom
Heating surface556 sq ft (51.7 m2)
 • Tubes495 sq ft (46.0 m2)
 • Firebox61 sq ft (5.7 m2)
CylindersTwo
Cylinder size13 in (330 mm) bore
20 in (508 mm) stroke
Valve gearStephenson
CouplersJohnston link-and-pin
hidePerformance figures
Tractive effort8,450 lbf (37.6 kN) @ 75%
hideCareer
OperatorsKowie Railway
South African Railways
Number in class2
Official nameGrahamstown & Bathurst
Delivered1882
First run1882

The Kowie Railway 4-4-0T of 1882 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

In 1882, two 4-4-0T "American" type tank locomotives entered passenger service on the private Kowie Railway which was under construction between Port Alfred and Grahamstown.[1]

The Kowie Railway[]

The private Kowie Railway between Port Alfred and Grahamstown was built and operated by three successive private enterprises, all of which ran into financial difficulties.[2]

In 1881, the Government of the Cape of Good Hope passed a Bill to authorise the London-based Grahamstown and Port Alfred Railway Company to construct a railway from Port Alfred to Grahamstown. The contract for construction was awarded to Pauling & Co. and the first sod was officially turned on 21 October 1881.[2][3][4]

The Port Alfred-Grahamstown-Alicedale line

The surveyed route of the line crossed the Kowie River at Blaauwkrantz, where a high bridge needed to be constructed. It had been estimated that the line would be completed by the end of 1883, but since the construction of the Blaauwkrantz Bridge delayed progress, the 43-mile long (69-kilometre) line was only partially opened to traffic from Port Alfred as far as Blaauwkrantz on 24 December 1883. Here, passengers had to disembark and complete the journey to Grahamstown on the post cart.[2][3][4]

On 1 October 1884, the bridge was completed and opened to traffic. The Kowie Railway linked up with the Cape Government Railways at Grahamstown on 11 November 1884.[3]

Manufacturer[]

In 1882, two 4-4-0T locomotives, with works numbers 294 and 295, were delivered from Hunslet Engine Company to the Grahamstown and Port Alfred Railway Company. The locomotives were acquired for passenger working and were named Grahamstown and Bathurst respectively. They were designed for wood-burning and were equipped with large American-style balloon smokestacks which incorporated spark arresters.[1][4]

Liquidation[]

Partly as a result of the difficulties experienced with harbour development at Port Alfred, the Grahamstown and Port Alfred Railway Company soon experienced financial difficulties and was forced into liquidation in 1887. In 1888, a group of Grahamstown residents formed a syndicate and took over the operation of the line to Port Alfred until 1895, when they sold out to the Kowie Railway Company.[2]

The Kowie Railway was never prosperous. After the Cape Government eventually abandoned its attempts at harbour development at Port Alfred in 1898 due to the continuous silting up of the Kowie River, the line's financial difficulties increased. Track maintenance was neglected and the situation was aggravated by a series of minor accidents.[1]

The Blaauwkrantz disaster[]

Kowie Railway 4-4-0T, crossing Blaauwkrantz Bridge with a mixed train, c. 1910

The Kowie Railway's death blow came on 22 April 1911 as a result of the Blaauwkrantz Bridge disaster. A mixed train from Port Alfred, made up of six goods trucks, three passenger carriages and a guard's van, came to grief when one of the goods trucks derailed on the Blaauwkrantz Bridge and, with the three carriages and the guard's van, plunged into the ravine 200 feet (61 metres) below. Of the 55 passengers, 31 were killed and 23 seriously injured. The resultant claims against the Kowie Railway Company forced it into bankruptcy.[1][2][3][5]

South African Railways[]

On 1 April 1913, the line was taken over by the Union Government and became part of the South African Railways. The two passenger locomotives, along with the two goods engines Port Alfred and Kowie, and three Cape 4th Class 4-6-0TT locomotives which had been purchased from the Cape Government Railways around 1904, remained in service on this line until they were scrapped.[1][2]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, England: David & Charles. p. 80-83. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, pp. 12-13.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Heritage Portal: The Port Alfred to Grahamstown Railway Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Espitalier, T.J.; Day, W.A.J. (1943). The Locomotive in South Africa - A Brief History of Railway Development. Chapter II - The Cape Government Railways (Continued). South African Railways and Harbours Magazine, November 1943. pp. 811-812, 818.
  5. ^ The Port Alfred Kowie Railway 1883-1913
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