Kowie Railway 0-6-0T

Kowie Railway 0-6-0T
Kowie Railway 4-4-0T 1884

300px Kowie Railway 0-6-0T Port Alfred, as built

Type and origin ♠ - Original 0-6-0T locomotive, as built ♥ - Locomotive rebuilt to 4-4-0T Power type Steam Designer Hunslet Engine Company Builder Hunslet Engine Company Serial number 277-278 Build date 1882 Total produced 2 Rebuilder Kowie Railway Rebuild date 1884 Number rebuilt 2 to 4-4-0T

Specifications Configuration ♠ 0-6-0T (Six-coupled) ♥ 4-4-0T (American) Driver axle ♠ 2nd coupled axle ♥ 1st coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia ♥ 20 in (508 mm) Coupled dia 36 in (914 mm) Wheelbase ♠ 10 ft 3 in (3,124 mm) ♥  • Leading ♥ 4 ft 10 in (1,473 mm)  • Coupled ♠ 10 ft 3 in (3,124 mm) ♥ 5 ft 8 in (1,727 mm) Wheel spacing (Assymetrical) ♠ 1-2: 4 ft 7 in (1,397 mm) 2-3: 5 ft 8 in (1,727 mm) Length ♠ 24 ft 10 in (7,569 mm) ♥ Height Adhesive weight ♠ Loco weight ♠ w/o Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity ♠ 1 LT 10 cwt (1.5 t) Water cap ♠ Boiler:  • Pitch  • Diameter  • Tube plates 7 ft 10 in (2,388 mm)  • Small tubes 106:  • Firebox type Round-top Boiler pressure 160 psi (1,103 kPa) Safety valve Ramsbottom Firegrate area 7.75 sq ft (0.720 m2) Heating surface 441 sq ft (41.0 m2)  • Tubes 392 sq ft (36.4 m2)  • Firebox 49 sq ft (4.6 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 12 in (305 mm) bore 19 in (483 mm) stroke Valve gear Stephenson Couplers Bell link-and-pin

Performance figures Tractive effort ♠ 9,120 lbf (40.6 kN) @ 75%

Career Operators Kowie Railway South African Railways Number in class 2 Official name Port Alfred & Kowie Delivered 1882 First run 1882

The Kowie Railway 0-6-0T of 1882 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

In 1882, two 0-6-0 tank locomotives entered service on the private Kowie Railway, which was still being constructed between Port Alfred and Grahamstown. Both locomotives were rebuilt to a 4-4-0T wheel arrangement in 1884.

The Kowie Railway

The private Kowie Railway line, from Port Alfred to Grahamstown, was built and operated by three successive private enterprises. Early 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, northwestwards to Grahamstown. The company was established with a capital of £200,000 and, since the line was to link Grahamstown with the harbour at Port Alfred, the Government also undertook to subsidise it to the extent of £500,000.

File:Port Alfred railway line map.svg

The Port Alfred-Grahamstown-Alicedale line

In 1882, the 43-mile long (69-kilometre) line was partially opened to traffic as far as Blaauw­krantz, where it had to cross the Kowie River. The track had approximately 6% of 1 in 40 and 30% of 1 in 50 gradients. The greatest challenge to overcome during the building of the railway, was the construction of the Blaauw­krantz Bridge, which delayed progress. The line was only completed to Grahamstown and opened to traffic on 3 December 1884.

Manufacturer

On 22 May 1882, two 0-6-0 tank locomotives for the Grahamstown and Port Alfred Railway Company, built by Hunslet Engine Company with works numbers 277 and 278, were landed at Port Alfred off the SS Rothesay. The locomotives were acquired for goods working and were named Port Alfred and Kowie respectively.

Modification

In 1884, both locomotives were rebuilt to 4-4-0 tank locomotives. The necessary parts and equipment for the conversion were supplied by Hunslet and the rebuilding took place at Port Alfred. It involved the removal of the leading coupled wheels, extending the frame in front of the smokebox and the installation of a four-wheeled leading bogie.

Liquidations

Partly as a result of the delays which occurred during the Kowie Harbour development at Port Alfred, due to the continuous silting up of the Kowie River, the Grahamstown and Port Alfred Railway Company soon suffered financial difficulties and was forced into liquidation in 1887.

A group of Grahamstown residents, who formed a syndicate in 1888, took over the operation of the line to Port Alfred, until 1895, when they sold out to the Kowie Railway Company.

South African Railways

Following a major disaster, when a passenger train derailed on the Blaauwkrantz Bridge in 1911, the resultant claims against the Kowie Railway Company led to its bankruptcy. On 1 April 1913, the line and the locomotives were taken over by the Union Government and became part of the South African Railways. The two locomotives remained in service on this line until they were scrapped.