In 1952 and 1953 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class S2 shunter steam locomotives with a 0-8-0 wheel arrangement in service, numbered in the range from 3701 to 3800. Friedrich Krupp AG undertook to build the locomotives to the required specifications, but it was discovered that they could not be built within the specified weight limit if the specified Watson Standard no. 1 boiler, the smallest of the standard boilers, were to be used. Krupp therefore designed a suitable smaller boiler to bring the locomotive’s weight down to the stipulated maximum and the end result was a locomotive that had the appearance of a Cape gauge locomotive with a Narrow gauge boiler, particularly when viewed from the front. It had a Vanderbilt type torpedo tender that rode on Buckeye three axle bogies to reduce the axle load.
See also the Wikipedia article on the South African Class S2 0-8-0. |