View source for South African Class 7E 4-8-0

{{Short description|1899 design of steam locomotive}}
{{About|one of two different New Cape Central Railway locomotive types to be designated "7th Class"|the other|South African Class 7F 4-8-0}}
{{About|the South African steam locomotive|the electric locomotive|South African Class 7E}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Use South African English|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox locomotive
| name             = NCCR 7th Class 4-8-0 1899<br>South African Class 7E 4-8-0
| image            = SAR Class 7E 1347 (4-8-0) ex NCCR 4.jpg
| alt              =
| caption          = New Cape Central Railway no. 4<br>South African Railways no. 1347
| hatnote          = ♠ - Original locomotive, as built<br>♣ - Original locomotive with adjusted boiler pressure<br>{{font color|red|♥}} - Locomotive equipped with superheating
| powertype        = Steam
| designer         = [[Cape Government Railways]]<br>(H.M. Beatty)
| builder          = [[Neilson and Company#Turn of the 20th century|Neilson, Reid and Company]]<br>[[North British Locomotive Company]]
| ordernumber      =
| serialnumber     = Neilson, Reid 5653, 5702-5704<br>NBL 15903, 15904 & 16348
| buildmodel       = CGR 7th Class
| builddate        = 1899-1904
| totalproduction  = 7
| rebuilder        =
| rebuilddate      =
| numberrebuilt    =
| whytetype        = [[4-8-0]] (Mastodon)
| uicclass         = ♠ 2'Dn2 - {{font color|red|♥}} 2'Dh2
| driver           = 2nd coupled axle
| gauge            = {{Track gauge|Cape|allk=on}}
| leadingdiameter  = {{convert|28+1/2|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| coupleddiameter  = {{convert|42+3/4|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| trailingdiameter =
| tenderdiameter   = {{convert|33+1/2|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} as built<br>{{convert|34|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} retyred
| minimumcurve     =
| wheelbase        = {{convert|46|ft|2|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| engine total     = {{convert|21|ft|3+1/2|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| leading          = {{convert|5|ft|3|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| coupled          = {{convert|12|ft|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| trailing         =
| tender total     = {{convert|16|ft|1|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| tenderbogie      = {{convert|4|ft|7|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| wheelspacing     =
| length           =
| over couplers    = {{convert|53|ft|5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| over bufferbeams =
| pivotcentres     =
| width            =
| height           = {{convert|12|ft|10|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| frametype        = [[Locomotive frame#Plate frames|Plate]]
| axleload         = ♠ {{convert|9|lt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|9|lt|14|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| leadingbogie/pony= ♠ {{convert|10|lt|14|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|11|lt|2|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| coupled all      =
| coupled 1        = ♠ {{convert|9|lt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|9|lt|8|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| coupled 2        = ♠ {{convert|9|lt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|9|lt|14|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| coupled 3        = ♠ {{convert|8|lt|18|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|9|lt|10|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| coupled 4        = ♠ {{convert|8|lt|18|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|9|lt|8|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| coupled 5        =
| coupled 6        =
| coupled 7        =
| coupled 8        =
| trail bogie/pony =
| tenderbogieload  = '''Bogie 1:''' {{convert|17|lt|8|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}<br>'''Bogie 2:''' {{convert|18|lt|2|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| tenderaxle       = {{convert|9|lt|1|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| weightondrivers  = ♠ {{convert|35|lt|16|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|38|lt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| locoweight       = ♠ {{convert|46|lt|10|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|49|lt|2|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| tenderweight     = {{convert|35|lt|10|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| locotenderweight = ♠ {{convert|82|lt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|84|lt|12|lcwt|kg|sigfig=4|abbr=on}}
| tendertype       = [[South African type ZC tender|ZC]] (2-axle bogies)<br>[[South African type ZA tender|ZA]], [[South African type ZB tender|ZB]], ZC, [[South African type ZE tender|ZE]] permitted
| fueltype         = Coal
| fuelcap          = {{convert|6|lt|10|lcwt|t|1|abbr=on}}
| watercap         = {{convert|2600|impgal|L|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}
| tendercap        =
| sandcap          =
| boiler           =
| pitch            = ♠ {{convert|6|ft|8|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|6|ft|10|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| boilertype       =
| diameterinside   = ♠ {{convert|4|ft|4|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|4|ft|6|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| lengthinside     = {{convert|10|ft|9|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}}
| smalltubediameter= ♠ '''185:''' {{convert|1+7/8|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} '''100:''' {{convert|1+7/8|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| largetubediameter= {{font color|red|♥}} '''18:''' {{convert|5+1/2|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| fireboxtype      = Round-top
| boilerpressure   = ♠ {{convert|160|psi|kPa|0|abbr=on}}<br>♣ {{convert|170|psi|kPa|0|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|180|psi|kPa|0|abbr=on}}
| safetyvalvetype  = [[Safety valve#Ramsbottom safety valves|Ramsbottom]]
| feedwaterheater  =
| firearea         = ♠ {{convert|17.5|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|18|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
| totalsurface     = ♠ {{convert|1078|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|919|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
| tubearea         = ♠ {{convert|976|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|806|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
| fluearea         =
| tubesandflues    =
| fireboxarea      = ♠ {{convert|102|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|113|sqft|m2|3|abbr=on}}
| superheatertype  =
| superheaterarea  = {{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|206|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
| cylindercount    = Two
| cylindersize     = {{convert|17|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} bore<br>{{convert|23|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} stroke
| frontcylindersize=
| rearcylindersize =
| hpcylindersize   =
| lpcylindersize   =
| valvegear        = [[Stephenson valve gear|Stephenson]]
| valvetype        =
| valvetravel      =
| valvelap         =
| valvelead        =
| transmission     =
| trainheating     =
| locobrakes       =
| trainbrakes      =
| safety           =
| coupling         = [[Railway coupling#Johnston coupler|Johnston link-and-pin]]<br>[[Janney coupler|AAR knuckle]] (1930s)
| maxspeed         =
| poweroutput      =
| tractiveeffort   = ♠ {{convert|18660|lbf|kN|abbr=on}} @ 75%<br>♣ {{convert|19810|lbf|kN|abbr=on}} @ 75%<br>{{font color|red|♥}} {{convert|22240|lbf|kN|abbr=on}} @ 75%
| factorofadhesion = 4.3
| locobrakeforce   =
| operator         = New Cape Central Railway<br>[[South African Railways]]
| operatorclass    = NCCR 7th Class, SAR Class 7E
| powerclass       =
| numinclass       = 7
| fleetnumbers     = NCCR 1-7, SAR 1344-1350
| officialname     =
| nicknames        =
| axleloadclass    =
| locale           =
| deliverydate     = 1899-1904
| firstrundate     = 1899
| lastrundate      =
| withdrawndate    = 1965-1972
| preservedunits   =
| restoredate      =
| scrapdate        =
| currentowner     =
| disposition      =
| notes            = The leading coupled axle had flangeless wheels
}}
The '''South African Railways Class 7E 4-8-0''' of 1899 was a steam locomotive from the pre-[[Union of South Africa|Union]] era in the [[Cape Colony|Cape of Good Hope]].
In 1899, the New Cape Central Railway placed one Cape 7th Class [[4-8-0|{{nowrap|4-8-0}}]] Mastodon type steam locomotive in service. Another three were commissioned in 1900, two more in 1903 and another one in 1904. In 1925, when the New Cape Central Railway was amalgamated into the South African Railways, these seven locomotives were renumbered and designated Class 7E.<ref name="Holland 1">{{Holland-Vol 1|page=78}}</ref><ref name="Pattison 1">{{Pattison-Seventh|pages=10, 15}}</ref><ref name="Paxton-Bourne">{{Paxton-Bourne|pages=46–48}}</ref>
==New Cape Central Railway==
The New Cape Central Railway (NCCR) was formed in January 1893, when it purchased all the assets of the bankrupted Cape Central Railway (CCR), who had constructed a railway line from [[Worcester, Western Cape|Worcester]] via [[Robertson, Western Cape|Robertson]] to [[Ashton, Western Cape|Roodewal]]. In 1894, the NCCR began work to extend the line to [[Swellendam]]. From there, it continued via [[Heidelberg, Western Cape|Heidelberg]] to [[Riversdale, Western Cape|Riversdale]], which was reached on 3 December 1903.<ref name="Holland 1"/><ref name="Pattison 1"/>
The tracks were originally laid with {{convert|46+1/2|lb/yd|abbr=off}} rail. When Voorbaai near [[Mossel Bay|Mosselbaai]] was reached in 1904, {{convert|211|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} from Worcester, it made the NCCR the longest private railway in South Africa.<ref name="Holland 1"/><ref name="Pattison 1"/><ref name="SAR&H Apr 1944">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.</ref>
==Manufacturers==
[[File:H.M. Beatty.jpg|thumb|left|150px|H.M. Beatty]]
The original Cape 7th Class locomotive had been designed in 1892 by H.M. Beatty, at the time the Cape Government Railways Western System Locomotive Superintendent. The NCCR acquired its first seven Cape 7th Class locomotives piecemeal over a period of five years. The first locomotive, NCCR no. 1, was ordered from [[Neilson and Company#Turn of the 20th century|Neilson, Reid and Company]] in 1899, followed by three more from the same manufacturer in 1900, numbered in the range from 2 to 4.<ref name="Holland 1"/><ref name="Pattison 1"/><ref name="Paxton-Bourne"/><ref name="Neilson">Neilson, Reid works list, compiled by Austrian locomotive historian Bernhard Schmeiser</ref>
Two more were ordered from Neilson, Reid in 1903, numbered 5 and 6, but since three Scottish locomotive builders ([[Dübs and Company]], Neilson, Reid and [[Sharp, Stewart and Company]]) merged into the [[North British Locomotive Company]] (NBL) while the locomotives were being built, they were delivered as having been built by the newly established NBL at the Hyde Park works of the former Neilson, Reid.<ref name="Holland 1"/><ref name="Pattison 1"/><ref name="Paxton-Bourne"/><ref name="NBL">North British Locomotive Company works list, compiled by Austrian locomotive historian Bernhard Schmeiser</ref><ref name="NBL 2">North British Locomotive Co. (from J. Lambert)</ref>
The seventh 7th Class locomotive, no. 7, was acquired in 1904, also built by NBL. On the NBL works list, this locomotive is shown as actually having been built for [[Pauling & Co.|Pauling and Company]], the contractors who constructed the railway.<ref name="Holland 1"/><ref name="Pattison 1"/><ref name="Paxton-Bourne"/><ref name="NBL"/><ref name="NBL 2"/>
==Class 7 sub-classes==
In 1925, the NCCR was amalgamated into the South African Railways (SAR) and these seven 7th Class locomotives were taken onto the SAR roster, designated Class 7E and renumbered in the range from 1344 to 1350.<ref name="Holland 1"/><ref name="Paxton-Bourne"/>
Other 7th Class locomotives which had come onto the SAR roster from the Colonial railways in the Southern African region in 1912, namely the [[Cape Government Railways]] (CGR), [[Central South African Railways]] (CSAR), [[Natal Government Railways]] (NGR) and [[Rhodesia Railways]] (RR), as well as more 7th Class locomotives which were acquired by the NCCR in 1913, were grouped into six different sub-classes by the SAR, becoming SAR Classes 7, 7A to 7D and 7F.<ref name="diagram-book">South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2'0" & 3'6" Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended</ref>
==Modifications==
During the 1930s, many of the Class 7 family of locomotives were equipped with superheating and piston valves. On the [[South African Class 7B 4-8-0|Class 7B]] and [[South African Class 7C 4-8-0|Class 7C]], this conversion was sometimes indicated with an "S" suffix to the class letter on the locomotive number plates, but on the rest of the Class 7 family this distinction was not applied consistently. The superheated versions could be identified by the position of the chimney on the smokebox, the chimney having been displaced forward to provide space behind it in the smokebox for the superheater header.<ref name="Paxton-Bourne"/><ref name="diagram-book">South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2'0" & 3'6" Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended</ref>
==Service==
In SAR service, the Class 7 family served on every system in the country. They remained in branch line service, particularly at Tarkastad and Ladysmith and also on the Touws River-Ladismith branchline, where three [[South African Class 7 4-8-0|Classes 7]] and [[South African Class 7A 4-8-0|7A]] and one Class 7E were on strength in January 1956.<ref name="Paxton-Bourne"/><ref name="Soul of a Railway 1-4">[https://sites.google.com/site/soulorailway/home/system-1/soul-of-a-railway-system-1-part-4-touws-river-beaufort-west-by-cp-lewis Soul of A Railway - System 1 – Part 4: Touws River to Beaufort West – Caption 13] (Accessed on 27 November 2016)</ref><ref name="Soul of a Railway 1-13">[https://sites.google.com/site/soulorailway/home/system-1/other-cape-western-branchlines-1-the-ladismith-branch Soul of A Railway - System 1 – Part 13: The Ladismith branch - Captions 3, 5, 7, 8] (Accessed on 5 December 2016)</ref>
By April 1962, two Class 7Es, numbers 1347 and 1348, were still shedded at Touws River to work the Ladismith branch. The Class 7Es were long-lived and these last two engines of the class were withdrawn from service in 1965.<ref name="Soul of a Railway 1-13"/>
==Works numbers==
The Class 7E builders, years built, works numbers and renumbering are listed in the table.<ref name="Neilson"/><ref name="NBL"/><ref name="NBL 2"/>
{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable collapsed" style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:100%;"
|+'''Class 7E 4-8-0<br>Works numbers and renumbering'''
|-
!<br>Builder
!Year<br>
!Works<br>no.
!NCCR<br>no.
!SAR<br>no.
|-
|Neilson Reid
|1899
|5653
|1
|1344
|-
|Neilson Reid
|1900
|5702
|2
|1345
|-
|Neilson Reid
|1900
|5703
|3
|1346
|-
|Neilson Reid
|1900
|5704
|4
|1347
|-
|NBL
|1903
|15903
|5
|1348
|-
|NBL
|1903
|15904
|6
|1349
|-
|NBL
|1904
|16348
|7
|1350
|-
|}
==References==
{{Commonscat|South African Class 7E (4-8-0)|South African Class 7E 4-8-0|position=left}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Locomotives of the Cape Government Railways}}
{{Locomotives of South Africa}}
{{Steam locomotive tenders}}
[[Category:Steam locomotives of South Africa|1500]]
[[Category:H.M. Beatty locomotives|1500]]
[[Category:4-8-0 locomotives]]
[[Category:2D locomotives]]
[[Category:Neilson Reid locomotives]]
[[Category:NBL locomotives]]
[[Category:Cape gauge railway locomotives]]
[[Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1899]]
[[Category:1899 in South Africa]]
[[Category:Scrapped locomotives]]