SAR class 19
| SAR classes 19, 19B, 19C, 19D | |
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 19D of the Rovos Rail in Pretoria
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| Numbering: | see text |
| Number: | 19: 4, 19B: 14, 19C: 50, 19D: 235 |
| Manufacturer: | see text |
| Year of construction (s): | 1937-1949 |
| Type : | 2'D1 'h2 |
| Gauge : | 1067 mm ( cape track ) |
| Length over coupling: | 20,511–20,587 mm 26,273 mm with Vanderbilt tender |
| Service mass: | 79.6-80.9 t |
| Service mass with tender: | 131.3–139.8 t 155.4 t with Vanderbilt tender |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1,370 mm |
| Impeller diameter front: | 724 mm |
| Rear wheel diameter: | 864 mm |
| Cylinder diameter: | 533 mm |
| Piston stroke: | 660 mm |
| Boiler overpressure: | 138 N / cm² |
| Grate area: | 3.34 m² |
| Superheater area : | 36.5 m² |
| Evaporation heating surface: | 158 m² |
| Train brake: | Suction air brake |
The class 19 locomotives of the South African Railways (SAR) are steam locomotives with the wheel arrangement 2'D1 '( Mountain ). The various deliveries were divided into subclasses 19, 19B, 19C and 19D. The Class 19A differs from them by a smaller Treibrad- and cylinder diameter.
The locomotives were used as universal locomotives with a relatively low axle load, mainly on branch lines throughout the country and were among the last steam locomotives in the SAR's scheduled service.
Deliveries and subclasses
The first four locomotives (track numbers 1366-1369) were built in 1928 by the Berliner Maschinenbau AG according to designs by the chief mechanical engineer of the SAR, Col. Collins . Just one year later, 36 class 19A locomotives were put into service. In 1930, 14 more copies from the manufacturer of the first four locomotives (No. 1401–1414) followed, in which the axle base of the bogie was slightly larger. For this reason they were classified as a new subclass 19B . The last of these machines was experimentally equipped with a Caprotti control , but this was replaced by a normal Heusinger control in 1943 .
The next 50 locomotives, designated as class 19C and provided with the track numbers 2435-2484, were also equipped with a Caprotti control system, which they kept until they were decommissioned. These locomotives were supplied by the North British Locomotive Company in 1934 . From the beginning they were equipped with the standard 1A boiler and with a modified driver's cab with a forward-sloping front side, as was found on many South African locomotives from this point on.
One locomotive each of classes 19 and 19B (No. 1367 and 1410) were retrofitted with a standard boiler in the 1960s and designated as classes 19R and 19BR .
The deliveries from 1936 were again equipped with Heusinger controls and were designated as class 19D . 135 19D (No. 2506-2545 and 2626-2720) were supplied by Krupp , Borsig and Škoda before the Second World War. A special feature of the 20 Krupp machines was a boiler without a steam dome , which otherwise corresponded to the standard boiler . Due to the usual exchange of boilers at SAR as part of maintenance and repair work, these domeless boilers have also found their way onto locomotives from other manufacturers and subclasses.
Immediately after the war, Stephenson & Hawthorns delivered 50 more copies (nos. 2721–2770). In contrast to the pre-war deliveries, they were equipped with a suction air brake instead of a vapor brake. The class designation 19D was retained.
The last 50 machines (No. 3321-3370) came again in 1949 from North British. They received a six-axle Vanderbilt tender with a cylindrical water tank, which increased their overall length by more than five meters. Despite the increased water capacity, it was still necessary on some routes to carry additional water in a tanker. By swapping tenders, Vanderbilt tenders could later also be found on older 19Ds, and at least one 19C, No. 2475, also drove such a tender.
A total of 235 class 19D locomotives were built; after class 15F (255 units) it was numerically the second most powerful steam locomotive series of the SAR and in all of Africa.
In 1979 the 19D No. 2644 was rebuilt to improve its economy, and the results of these tests were incorporated into the development of Class 26 .
Whereabouts
Classes 19 and 19B were retired in 1977, class 19C a year later. The 19B No. 1412 has remained operational, and the 19C No. 2439 was kept in service by the SAR for special trips.
The class 19D, however, was used in South Africa until the end of the steam locomotive era; 19D trains were also in use on the George – Knysna route as scheduled (see pictures, the route is currently closed after a landslide). Other serviceable specimens are privately owned, including Krupp-built No. 2654, which was restored by the Sandstone Heritage Trust until 2009 .
No. 2694 on the turntable in Knysna
No. 2640 between George and Knysna
A 19D pulls a train across the bridge over the Kaaimans River
Class 19 in Rhodesia
Locomotives corresponding to class 19D were also delivered to Rhodesia and to mining railways, among others by Henschel . By chance they were given the class designation 19 in Rhodesia.
The locomotive No. 336 (designated as Class 19C, but not to be confused with the 19C of the SAR), delivered to Rhodesian Railways in 1954, is noteworthy . Inspired by experiments in South Africa, she received a condensation tender . The locomotive showed the desired water savings, but could not prevail because of its insufficient power for the intended routes, so it remained with one copy. In 1956, after an accident, the locomotive received a normal tender and was in use until 1981.
One of the Rhodesian 19 is still in daily use together with three 19Ds bought by SAR on the connecting line of a copper mine operated by the Bamangwato Concessions mining company in Botswana .
