SAR class 26
| SAR class 26 | |
|---|---|
 26 3450 in rust red paint in Beaconsfield Loco Depot, Kimberley; April 1985
|
|
| Numbering: | 3450 |
| Number: | 1 |
| Manufacturer: |
Henschel
Salt River Works (renovation) |
| Year of construction (s): | 1953 (reconstruction 1981) |
| Type : | 2'D2 'h2 |
| Gauge : | 1067 mm ( cape track ) |
| Length over coupling: | 32,750 mm |
| Indexed performance : | 1565 kW |
| Driving wheel diameter: | 1,524 mm |
| Impeller diameter front: | 762 mm |
| Rear wheel diameter: | 762 mm |
| Cylinder diameter: | 690 mm |
| Piston stroke: | 711 mm |
| Boiler overpressure: | 156.96 N / cm² |
| Grate area: | 6.5 m² |
| Superheater area : | 59 m² |
| Evaporation heating surface: | 290 m² |
| Train brake: | Suction air brake |
The SAR class 26 “Red Devil” ( English for “Red Devil”) is a South African steam locomotive with a 2'D'2 ( Northern ) wheel arrangement . It is the most powerful narrow-gauge steam locomotive in the world. The locomotive, called “Red Devil” because of its red color, is numbered 3450. The owner is the state-owned transport company Transnet , which leased the locomotive to the Ceres Railway Company in 2018 for 20 years.
history
The English engineer David Wardale worked for SAR since 1974. In view of the oil crisis and the incipient scrapping of the South African steam locomotives, he made suggestions for improving the steam locomotives. First, he received permission to modify the class 19D locomotive No. 2644 on a budget. This already led to significantly lower fuel consumption.
In 1979 he received the approval to convert a 2'D2 'steam locomotive of class 25 NC , the most modern steam locomotive series of the SAR. The machine was u. a. equipped with a gas-generating combustion system (GPCS), improved valves, a double Lempor induced draft system and an enlarged superheater. The improvements were based on ideas from the Argentine engineer Livio Dante Porta .
The double induced draft system with its second chimney required an extension of the smoke chamber to the front, apart from the color, the most striking difference between the locomotive and class 25 NC. In addition, the circulation has been set a little higher, which makes the locomotive appear "long-legged". Another visual difference are the enlarged smoke deflectors . The machine was painted rust-red, which gave way to a different shade of red during the general overhaul in 2018.
Test and operational results
The measures showed significant improvements in efficiency compared to the unchanged 25NC machines:
- The specific coal consumption was reduced by 30% at low speeds and 60% at high speeds.
- The specific water consumption was reduced by 20% to 40%.
- The indicated power increased from 1,118 kW at 42.9 km / h to 1,565 kW at 42.45 km / h.
The performance at high speeds suggested that the locomotive would have been able to travel over 160 km / h (100 mph), but corresponding test drives were not approved, and the drive wheels with a diameter of only 1,524 mm would also have stood in the way.
In regular operation, the Red Devil showed coal savings of 15% on average (maximum 24%), water savings of 21.5% on average (maximum 25%) and a 26% lower consumption of lubricating oil.
Despite the considerable savings, the SAR continued to retire steam locomotives, so that no further new steam locomotives were used. Wardale left South Africa and pursued other steam locomotive projects in China and the USA.
Whereabouts
The Red Devil has been preserved and was used on special trips until 2003. After the locomotive had been parked for 15 years for financial reasons, a general overhaul took place in 2018 for the Ceres Railway Company, which will offer steam trips with the locomotive lasting several days. The first trip under its own steam was the transfer trip from the railway workshops in Worcester to Cape Town on July 3, 2018.
See also
literature
- Leith Paxton, David Bourne: Locomotives of the South African Railways. A Concise Guide. C. Strui (Pty) Ltd., Cape Town 1985, ISBN 0-86977-211-2 .
- John N. Middleton: Railways of Southern Africa. Locomotive guide. 5th edition. Beyer-Garratt Publications, Rickmansworth 1994, ISBN 0-620-18548-1 .
Web links
- Picture gallery
- The Red Devil and Other Tales from the Age of Steam (English)
- Video of the ferry ride on July 3, 2018
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Comeback of the "Red Devil" In: Lok Magazin 10/2019, p. 108 ff.