NZASM 18 Tonner 0-6-0ST

The NZASM 18 Tonner 0-6-0ST of 1890 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in Transvaal.

In 1890, the Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal Republic) placed six saddle-tank locomotives with a 0-6-0 wheel arrangement in service on construction work. Since the railway classified its locomotives according to their weight, these engines were known as 18 Tonners.^[1][2]

The Delagoa Bay line

To have an outlet to a harbour, a railway from Delagoa Bay in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique to Pretoria had been proposed to the Volksraad of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) by President F.T. Burgers as far back as 1872. At that time, the Cape Government Railways had not yet begun with its inland expansion from Wellington and the Natal Government Railways had not yet been established.^[2][3]

The Portuguese supported the idea, since it would open a trade route from Mozambique into the interior. In 1883, Major Joachim Machado was sent to Transvaal to report on a proposed route through the Komati river and Crocodile river valleys towards the Highveld and Pretoria. The resulting agreement was for the Portuguese to construct the section from Delagoa Bay (now Maputo) to the border at Komatipoort, while the ZAR would be responsible for the continuation of the railway to Pretoria.^[2][3]

The Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NZASM) was established on 21 June 1887 and proposed to construct two railway lines simultaneously. One was a 16-mile long (26-kilometre) railway from Johannesburg to Boksburg, which became known as the Randtram line. The other was the first section of the Delagoa Bay railway from the Mozambique border, via Nelspruit to Pretoria.^[1][2][3]

The Randtram line was officially opened on 17 March 1890. The Portuguese line from Delagoa Bay had already reached the Transvaal border on 14 December 1887, but the first train from Delagoa Bay only entered Komatipoort on 1 July 1891 when the NZASM's contractors completed the bridge across the Komati river. The section from Komatipoort to Nelspruit was completed by 20 June 1892. Waterval Boven was reached on 20 June 1894 and Balmoral, near Witbank, on 20 October 1894. Here, connection was made with the section which had simultaneously been built eastwards from Pretoria.^[2][3]

Manufacturer

Six saddle-tank locomotives, built by Manning Wardle and Company, were placed in service by the NZASM in 1890 and were used mainly on construction work. Since the NZASM classified its locomotives according to their weight, they were known as 18 Tonners.^[1]

As was often the practice at the time, the locomotives were purchased from the manufacturer and imported by agents acting on behalf of the end customer, the agent in the case of the 18 Tonners being Mynssen and Company. They were built in two batches of three and shipped from the factory between March and June 1890.^[4]

Characteristics

The locomotives had inside cylinders, arranged at an incline, with slide valves which were actuated by Stephenson valve gear through rocker shafts. The cylinders and valve gear were placed between the plate frames and hidden from view by the wheels, which were coupled with external connecting rods. Together with the Cape Town Railway & Dock’s Blackie of 1859, these were the only two-cylinder locomotives with an inside cylinder and valve gear arrangement to see service in South Africa.^[1][2]

There were minor differences between the locomotives of the two batches, the most notable being different footplate contours and buffer beams on the second batch. All six were equipped with 460 imperial gallons (2,090 litres) capacity water tanks.^[4]

Numbering conundrum

The engine numbers on record for the 18 Tonners are a source of some confusion. They were rostered on the NZASM in the number range from 9 to 14, following on from the NZASM 10 Tonner engine numbers. The Manning Wardle works records, however, listed them as being numbered in the Delagoa Bay Railway number range from 53 to 58, following on from the engine numbers of the 10 Tonners which also served on the Delagoa Bay Railway. Furthermore, a Manning Wardle builder's picture of an 18 Tonner shows it with the Delagoa Bay Railway engine number 57.^[1][4][5]

Similarly, in the works list of the Dutch manufacturer Machinefabriek Breda in respect of the 10 Tonners, those locomotives are also recorded with Delagoa Bay Railway engine numbers 50 to 52 instead of NZASM engine numbers 6 to 8.^[6][7][8]

It appears, therefore, that the 10 Tonners and 18 Tonners entered service on, or were at least delivered to, the Delagoa Bay Railway and were only rostered on the NZASM at a later stage.^[5]

The 10 Tonners and 18 Tonners were all delivered in 1890. At the time the first ones entered service in March and April 1890, the Randtram line, where the 10 Tonners were to be placed in service, had just been opened, with the first train being hauled by a 14 Tonner locomotive. However, the construction of the extensions of the Randtram line were still in progress towards the east to Springs and towards the west via Roodepoort to Krugersdorp. The extension from Germiston to Pretoria was only completed in December 1892, when a start was also made on the line from Pretoria to meet the approaching Delagoa Bay line, but Eerste Fabrieken in Pretoria East was only reached on 13 May 1894.^[3]

18 Tonner at work during the construction of the Brinkspruit bridge

From the Mozambique end, the bridge across the Komati river was only completed in July 1891, Nelspruit was only reached in June 1892, Waterval Boven two years later in June 1894 and the link-up with Pretoria was only completed at Balmoral in October 1894, more than four years after the 18 Tonners entered service.^[3]

Since they were used on construction work, it can therefore be considered most likely that the 18 Tonners were first placed in service on the Delagoa Bay Railway, hence the Delagoa Bay Railway engine numbers, from where they progressed towards Pretoria as the railway was being built.^[1]

Whether this could have been the case with all six 18 Tonners as well as the 10 Tonners, or whether at least some of the 18 Tonners were used on construction work from the Pretoria end as well, is not known. The section from the Delagoa Bay end was completed all the way up to Waterval Boven on the Highveld at about the same time that the section from the Pretoria end reached Eerste Fabrieken in Pretoria East.^[3]

Service

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) during the Second Boer War. The IMR renumbering register made provision for all six 18 Tonners, in the number range from 606 to 611. Three of them were later converted to stationary boilers no. 1592, 1593 and 1704.^[5]

Central South African Railways

At the end of the war, when the IMR was transformed into the Central South African Railways (CSAR), either one or two of the 18 Tonners survived and were renumbered, either as CSAR no. E or as numbers D and E. The uncertainty arises from the fact that the renumbering register lists CSAR no. D both as 14 Tonner no. 5 and as one of the 18 Tonner locomotives.^[8]

Industrial service

Two of the 18 Tonners were sold to industry, but neither was identified by engine number. One went to the Rand Collieries Schapenrust Coal Mines and was later sold again to Apex Colliery, where it was their no. 1. Another one went to Brakpan Mines, where it was their no. 2.^[5]

By the time the South African Railways classification and renumbering program was implemented in 1912, none of them were in railway service any longer.

Works numbers

The NZASM 18 Tonner works numbers, factory shipping dates and Delagoa Bay Railway, NZASM and IMR engine numbers are listed in the table.^[1][4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to NZASM 18 Tonner 0-6-0ST.

Locomotives of the Central South African Railways
3' 6" gauge	CSAR 0-6-0ST 1896 CSAR 4-6-0T 1887 CSAR Class 6-L1 CSAR Class 6-L2 CSAR Class 6-L3 CSAR Class 7 CSAR Class 8-L1 CSAR Class 8-L2 CSAR Class 8-L3 CSAR Class 9 CSAR Class 10 1904 CSAR Class 10 1910 CSAR Class 10-2 Saturated CSAR Class 10-2 Superheated CSAR Class 10-C CSAR Class 11 CSAR Class B 0-6-4T CSAR Class C 2-8-4T CSAR Class D CSAR Class E 4-8-0TT CSAR Class E 4-8-2T CSAR Class E 4-10-2T CSAR Class F CSAR Class M CSAR Mallet Saturated CSAR Mallet Stoker CSAR Mallet Superheated CSAR Rack 4-6-4RT CSAR Railmotor IMR 0-6-0ST 1896 IMR 4-6-0T 1887 IMR 46 Tonner 0-6-4T IMR 55 Tonner 2-6-4T IMR 7th Class 4-8-0 IMR 8th Class 4-8-0 IMR Reid Tenwheeler 4-10-2T IMR Western Australian 2-8-4T NZASM 10 Tonner NZASM 13 Tonner NZASM 14 Tonner NZASM 18 Tonner NZASM 19 Tonner NZASM 32 Tonner NZASM 40 Tonner NZASM 46 Tonner OVGS 1st Class 4-4-0TT OVGS 2nd Class 2-6-0 OVGS 2nd Class 2-6-0ST OVGS 3rd Class 4-4-0 OVGS 4th Class G 4-6-0 OVGS 5th Class K 4-6-0 1890 OVGS 5th Class K 4-6-0 1891 OVGS 6th Class L 4-6-0 OVGS 6th Class L2 4-6-0 OVGS 6th Class L3 4-6-0 PPR 0-4-0ST Natal PPR 26 Tonner PPR 35 Tonner Portuguese PPR 55 Tonner
2' gauge	CSAR Pankop
List of South African locomotive classes South African locomotive history

Locomotives of South Africa
Steam	7' ¼" gauge East London 0-4-0VB Table Bay 0-4-0ST Table Bay 0-4-0T Table Bay 0-4-0WT 4' 8½" gauge Cape 0-4-0T Blackie Cape 0-4-2 Cape 2-4-0T CGR 0-4-0ST Aid Natal 0-4-0ST Durban Natal 0-4-0WT Natal Natal 4-4-0T Perseverance 3' 6" gauge Tank engines CGR 0-4-0ST 1873 CGR 0-4-0ST 1874 CGR 0-4-0ST 1881 CGR 0-4-0ST 1881 Coffee Pot CGR 0-6-0ST CGR 0-6-0T CGR 2-6-0ST 1900 CGR 2-6-0ST 1902 CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1875 CGR 1st Class 0-4-0ST 1876 CGR 1st Class 2-6-0ST CGR 1st Class 4-4-0T CGR 2nd Class 4-4-0T CGR 3rd Class 2-6-0T CGR Railmotor CSAR Class C CSAR Class E CSAR Rack 4-6-4RT CSAR Railmotor Durban's Congella Durban's Edward Innes Durban's John Milne Durban's Sir Albert Port Elizabeth 0-4-0ST Kowie Railway 0-6-0T Kowie Railway 4-4-0T Metropolitan & Suburban 4-6-2T NGR 2-6-0T Durban & Pietermaritzburg NGR Class I 2-6-2T NGR Class K 0-4-0ST NGR Class K 0-6-0ST NGR Class K 2-6-0T NZASM 10 Tonner NZASM 13 Tonner NZASM 14 Tonner NZASM 18 Tonner NZASM 19 Tonner NZASM 32 Tonner NZASM 40 Tonner PPR 26 Tonner PPR 35 Tonner Portuguese SAR Class A SAR Class B SAR Class C SAR Class C1 SAR Class C2 SAR Class D SAR Class E SAR Class F SAR Class G SAR Class H SAR Class H1 SAR Class H2 SAR Class J SAR Class K SAR Railmotor SAR Dock 0-4-0ST SAR Dock 0-4-0T SWA 2-8-0T 3' 6" gauge Tender engines CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 BP CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1876 Kitson CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1879 CGR 1st Class 2-6-0 1891 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0 CGR 1st Class 4-4-0TT CGR 2nd Class 2-6-2TT CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1883 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1884 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1889 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1898 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1901 CGR 3rd Class 4-4-0 1903 CGR 4th Class 4-4-2 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1880 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1882 CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1882 Joy CGR 4th Class 4-6-0TT 1884 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1890 CGR 5th Class 4-6-0 1891 NGR Havelock NGR Class I SAR Class Exp 1 SAR Class Exp 2 SAR Class Exp 3 SAR Class Exp 4 SAR Class Exp 5 SAR Class Exp 6 SAR Class S SAR Class S1 SAR Class S2 SAR Class 1 SAR Class 1A SAR Class 1B SAR Class 2 SAR Class 2C SAR Class 3 SAR Class 3A SAR Class 3B SAR Class 4 SAR Class 4A SAR Class 5 SAR Class 5A SAR Class 5B SAR Class 6 SAR Class 6A SAR Class 6B SAR Class 6C SAR Class 6D SAR Class 6E SAR Class 6F SAR Class 6G SAR Class 6H SAR Class 6J SAR Class 6K SAR Class 6L SAR Class 6Y SAR Class 6Z SAR Class 7 SAR Class 7A SAR Class 7B SAR Class 7C SAR Class 7D SAR Class 7E SAR Class 7F SAR Class 8 SAR Class 8A SAR Class 8B SAR Class 8C SAR Class 8D SAR Class 8E SAR Class 8F SAR Class 8R SAR Class 8X SAR Class 8Y SAR Class 8Z SAR Class 9 SAR Class 10 SAR Class 10A SAR Class 10B SAR Class 10C SAR Class 10D SAR Class 11 SAR Class 12 SAR Class 12A SAR Class 12B SAR Class 13 SAR Class 14 SAR Class 14A SAR Class 14B SAR Class 14C 1st SAR Class 14C 2nd SAR Class 14C 3rd SAR Class 14C 4th SAR Class 15 SAR Class 15A SAR Class 15B SAR Class 15C SAR Class 15CA SAR Class 15E SAR Class 15F SAR Class 16 SAR Class 16A SAR Class 16B SAR Class 16C SAR Class 16D SAR Class 16DA 1928 SAR Class 16DA 1930 SAR Class 16E SAR Class 17 SAR Class 18 SAR Class 19 SAR Class 19A SAR Class 19B SAR Class 19C SAR Class 19D SAR Class 20 SAR Class 21 SAR Class 23 SAR Class 24 SAR Class 25 SAR Class 25NC SAR Class 26 SAR Katanga SWA 2-8-0 3' 6" gauge Articulated engines CGR Fairlie CGR Kitson-Meyer SAR Class FC SAR Class FD SAR Class GA SAR Class GB SAR Class GC SAR Class GCA SAR Class GD SAR Class GDA SAR Class GE SAR Class GEA SAR Class GF SAR Class GG SAR Class GH SAR Class GK SAR Class GL SAR Class GM SAR Class GMA SAR Class GO SAR Class HF SAR Class KM SAR Class MA SAR Class MB SAR Class MC SAR Class MC1 SAR Class MD SAR Class ME SAR Class MF SAR Class MG SAR Class MH SAR Class MJ SAR Class MJ1 SAR Class U 2' 6" gauge Cape Copper John King & Miner Cape Copper Britannia Cape Copper Caledonia Cape Copper Clara Cape Copper Condenser Cape Copper Scotia Namaqua Copper Pioneer Walvis Bay 2-4-2T Hope 2' & 600mm gauges ACR Class NG-G16A CGR NG 0-4-0T CGR NG 0-6-0T CGR NG 4-6-2T CGR Type A 2-6-4T CGR Type C 0-4-0T NGR Class N 4-6-2T SAR Dutton SAR NG 0-4-0T SAR Class NG1 SAR Class NG2 SAR Class NG3 SAR Class NG4 SAR Class NG5 SAR Class NG6 SAR Class NG7 SAR Class NG8 SAR Class NG9 SAR Class NG10 SAR Class NG-G11 SAR Class NG-G12 SAR Class NG-G13 SAR Class NG-G14 SAR Class NG15 SAR Class NG-G16 SWA Class Ha SWA Class Hb SWA Class Hc SWA Class Hd SWA Jung SWA Zwillinge
Electric	Amcoal Class E38 SAR Class ES SAR Class ES1 SAR Class Exp-AC SAR Class 1E SAR Class 2E SAR Class 3E SAR Class 4E SAR Class 5E s1 SAR Class 5E s2 SAR Class 5E s3 SAR Class 5E1 s1 SAR Class 5E1 s2 SAR Class 5E1 s3 SAR Class 5E1 s4 SAR Class 5E1 s5 SAR Class 6E SAR Class 6E1 s1 SAR Class 6E1 s2 SAR Class 6E1 s3 SAR Class 6E1 s4 SAR Class 6E1 s5 SAR Class 6E1 s6 SAR Class 6E1 s7 SAR Class 6E1 s8 SAR Class 6E1 s9 SAR Class 6E1 s10 SAR Class 6E1 s11 SAR Class 7E SAR Class 7E1 SAR Class 7E2 s1 SAR Class 7E2 s2 SAR Class 7E3 s1 SAR Class 7E3 s2 Spoornet Class 7E4 SAR Class 8E SAR Class 9E s1 SAR Class 9E s2 SAR Class 10E SAR Class 10E1 s1 Spoornet Class 10E1 s2 SAR Class 10E2 SAR Class 11E SAR Class 12E Spoornet Class 14E Spoornet Class 14E1 TFR Class 15E Spoornet Class 16E Spoornet Class 17E Spoornet Class 18E s1 TFR Class 18E s2 TFR Class 19E TFR Class 20E TFR Class 21E TFR Class 22E
Gas-electric	SAR Gas-electric
Diesel	3' 6" gauge Diesel-electric PRASA Class Afro 4000 SAR Class DS SAR Class DS1 SAR Class 31-000 SAR Class 32-000 SAR Class 32-200 SAR Class 33-000 SAR Class 33-200 SAR Class 33-400 SAR Class 34-000 SAR Class 34-200 SAR Class 34-400 SAR Class 34-500 SAR Class 34-600 SAR Class 34-800 SAR Class 34-900 SAR Class 35-000 SAR Class 35-200 SAR Class 35-400 SAR Class 35-600 TFR Class 35-800 SAR Class 36-000 SAR Class 36-200 SAR Class 37-000 Spoornet Class 39-000 TFR Class 39-200 TFR Class 43-000 TFR Class 44-000 2' gauge Diesel-electric SAR Class 91-000 3' 6" gauge Diesel-hydraulic SAR Class 61-000 3' 6" gauge Electro-diesel Spoornet Class 38-000
List of South African locomotive classes South African locomotive numbering and classification