PPR 35 Tonner 4-6-0T Portuguese

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

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
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: ​  • Whyte 4-6-0T (Tenwheeler)  • UIC 2'Cn2t Driver 2nd coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia. 25 ^1⁄2 in (648 mm) Coupled dia. 44 in (1,118 mm) Wheelbase 19 ft 10 ^1⁄4 in (6,052 mm)  • Coupled 11 ft 3 in (3,429 mm) Wheel spacing (Asymmetrical) 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 11 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (3,569 mm) Loco weight 35 LT (35,560 kg) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 1 LT 10 cwt (1.5 t) Water cap 840 imp gal (3,820 l) Firebox type Round-top  • Firegrate area 11.5 sq ft (1.07 m^2) Boiler: ​  • Pitch 5 ft 8 in (1,727 mm)  • Small tubes 151: 1 ^1⁄2 in (38 mm) Boiler pressure 140 psi (965 kPa) Safety valve Ramsbottom Cylinders Two Cylinder size 14 in (356 mm) bore 20 in (508 mm) stroke Valve gear Stephenson Couplers Johnston 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 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.[1]

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 northwards from Pretoria West via Warmbad and Nylstroom to Pietersburg. The 176-mile long (283-kilometre) railway 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.[1]

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.[1]

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.[1]

Since the first part of their railway to Nylstroom was still being built, the PPR employed the Portuguese on construction work and general service. The locomotive had the honour to haul the first revenue-earning train between Pretoria and Nylstroom in July 1898.[1]

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 were seized by the ZAR government in October 1899, only five months after the line to Pietersburg was completed. The railway was then briefly worked by the Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NZASM).[1][2]

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.[2]

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).[1]

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.[1]

Illustration

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

• 
  The Portuguese in Wonderboompoort, heading towards Pretoria North, c. 1898
• 
  The Portuguese at the head of the first train to reach Nylstroom from Pretoria, July 1898
• 
  The Portuguese on a work train during the construction of the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway, c. 1898
• 
  Portuguese dressed in Vierkleur flags for the inauguration of the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway, May 1899

References

1. Holland, D.F. (1971). Steam Locomotives of the South African Railways. 1: 1859–1910 (1st ed.). Newton Abbott, Devon: David & Charles. pp. 118–119. ISBN 978-0-7153-5382-0.
2. The South African Railways - Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 20, 22-23.