Between 1899 and 1903 the Natal Government Railways placed one hundred and one 4-10-2T tank steam locomotives in service, designed by Locomotive Superintendent G.W. Reid and commonly known as the Reid Tenwheelers. They were built in six batches by Dübs and Company and North British Locomotive Company. By 1910 five of them had been converted to a 4-8-2T wheel arrangement and in 1912, with the establishment of the South African Railways, these five were designated Class H2 and numbered in the range from 227 to 231. After 1912 the remaining 4-10-2T locomotives, which had been designated Class H in 1912, were gradually also modified to a 4-8-2T wheel arrangement. The first three of these, numbers 240, 294 and 305, were reclassified to Class H2 as well and were renumbered once again, to 329, 330 and 331 respectively. The rest retained their Class H numbers even after modification.
See also the Wikipedia article on the South African Class H2 4-8-2T. |