PPR 35 Tonner 4-6-0T Portuguese

Delagoa Bay Railway 4-6-0T
PPR 35 Tonner 4-6-0T Portuguese
NZASM 35 Tonner 4-6-0T
IMR 4-6-0T 1887
CSAR 4-6-0T 1887

300px 35 Tonner Portuguese, c. 1898

Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Nasmyth, Wilson & Company Builder Nasmyth, Wilson & Company Serial number 324-325 Build date 1887 Total produced 2

Specifications Configuration 4-6-0T (Tenwheeler) Driver axle 2nd coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia Coupled dia 44 in (1,118 mm) Wheelbase  • Coupled 11 ft 3 in (3,429 mm) Wheel spacing (Assymetrical) 1-2: 3 ft 11 in (1,194 mm) 2-3: 7 ft 4 in (2,235 mm) Length:  • Over couplers 28 ft 8 in (8,738 mm) Height Loco weight Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 1 LT 10 cwt (1.5 t) Water cap Boiler:  • Pitch 5 ft 8 in (1,727 mm)  • Small tubes 151:  • Firebox type Round-top Boiler pressure 140 psi (965 kPa) Safety valve Ramsbottom Firegrate area 11.5 sq ft (1.07 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 14 in (356 mm) bore 20 in (508 mm) stroke Valve gear Stephenson Couplers Bell link-and-pin

Performance figures Tractive effort 9,354 lbf (41.61 kN) @ 75%

Career Operators Delagoa Bay Railway Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway NZASM Imperial Military Railways Central South African Railways Olifantsfontein Brick & Tile Class PPR 35 Tonner Number in class 1 Numbers Delagoa Bay no. 3 Official name Portuguese Delivered 1897 First run 1887

For lack of a classification, the locomotive is referred to as a 35 Tonner since the NZASM, who took possession of the PPR, classified its own locomotives according to their weight

The Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway 35 Tonner 4-6-0T of 1887 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in Transvaal.

The Lourenco Marques, Delagoa Bay and East Africa Railway in Mozambique placed two tank locomotives with a 4-6-0 Tenwheeler type wheel arrangement in service in 1887. One of them was sold to the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway in the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek in 1897. The 35 Tonner locomotive was not classified, but named Portuguese and referred to by name.

The Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway

The Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway Company (PPR), incorporated in London on 13 May 1896 with a capital of £500,000, constructed a railway which operated northward from Pretoria West via Warmbad and Nylstroom to Pietersburg. The 176 miles (283 kilometres) line was constructed under a concession, granted by the government of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) to Hendrik Jacobus Schoeman on 30 October 1895. Construction commenced in 1897 and the first 80 miles (130 kilometres) to Nylstroom was opened to traffic by 1 July 1898. Pietersburg was reached on 31 May 1899.

Origin and manufacturer

The Lourenco Marques, Delagoa Bay and East Africa Railway (the Delagoa Bay Railway) in Mozambique placed two tank locomotives with a 4-6-0 Tenwheeler type wheel arrangement in service in 1887, built by Nasmyth, Wilson and Company and numbered 3 and 4.

Service

Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway

Ten years later, in 1897, the Delagoa Bay's engine no. 3 was sold to the PPR. The locomotive was not classified or numbered by the PPR, but named Portuguese. It became commonly known as the Portuguese Tank.

Since the first part of their line to Nylstroom was still being built, the PPR employed the Portuguese for construction work and general service. The locomotive had the honour to haul the first revenue-earning train between Pretoria and Nylstroom in July 1898.

NZASM

As a result of the outbreak of the Second Boer War and, since the PPR was owned by a British registered company, the railway and its rolling stock was seized by the ZAR government in October 1899, only five months after the line to Pietersburg was completed. The line was then briefly worked by the Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NZASM).

Imperial Military Railways

All railway operations in the two Boer Republics, the ZAR and the Orange Free State, were taken over by the Imperial Military Railways (IMR) in late 1899 and were operated as a single railway system for the duration of the war.

Central South African Railways

The engine Portuguese survived the war. At the end of the war in 1902, the IMR was transformed into the Central South African Railways (CSAR).

Industry

In 1908, the CSAR sold the Portuguese to the Olifantsfontein Brick and Tile Company for £750. It was used there as a yard shunting locomotive for the remainder of its working years.

Illustration

The pictures illustrate the Portuguese at work during construction of the line to Pietersburg.

• PPR 35 Tonner 4-6-0T c. 1898.jpg

  The Portuguese in Wonderboompoort, heading towards Pretoria North, c. 1898

• PPR 35 Tonner 4-6-0T Portuguese Tank.jpg

  The Portuguese at the head of the first train to reach Nylstroom from Pretoria, July 1898

• PPR 35 Tonner 4-6-0T Portuguese b.jpg

  The Portuguese on a work train during the construction of the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway, c. 1898

• PPR 35 Tonner 4-6-0T Portuguese h.jpg

  The Portuguese dressed up in Vierkleur flags for the inauguration of the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway, May 1899