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The reference for locomotives and railcars

South African class NG G13

South Africa 1927 12 produced
No. 60 “Drakensberg” at the Vale of Rheidol Railway Peter Glyn CC BY-SA 3.0

The NG G13 was created as the successor to the NG G11 for the two-foot narrow-gauge network. It was significantly enlarged compared to its predecessor and was given an inner carrying axle on each bogie, leading to the 2-6-2+2-6-2T wheel arrangement. While the outer carrying axles were designed as radially adjustable Adams axles, the carrying axles could only be moved laterally with the Gölsdorf system.

Since the South African government had much better contacts with Germany than with Great Britain at the time, the twelve locomotives were ordered from Hanomag. At the time of their commissioning, they were the heaviest locomotives in the world built for a gauge of two feet. With the NG G13, the train weights on the narrow-gauge lines could be significantly increased, which even made it unnecessary to convert some lines to Cape gauge. In Natal, it was used successfully on lines with curve radii of 148 feet and a gradient of 1 in 33.

One of the negative points of the locomotives was that the cab was too small, in which the heat accumulated due to several devices. The crews therefore apparently took advantage of the movable stools and often leaned out of the doors while exploiting the locomotive's capabilities. The withdrawals took place in quick succession in 1973 after the introduction of the class 91-000 diesel locomotives. Three are still operational today, one at the Sandstone Estates in South Africa, one on the Vale of Rheidol Railway in Wales and one on the Hempstead and Northern Railroad in Texas. All but two of the rest still exist today, but some are in a scrap condition.

Die Lokomotive, November 1929

Technical data

General

Built
1927-1928
Manufacturers
Hanomag
Wheel arrangement
2-6-2+2-6-2T (Double Prairie (Garratt))
Gauge
610 mm (Two feet)

Dimensions and weights

Length
14.76 m
Wheelbase
4.01 m
Total wheelbase
13.03 m
Service mass
62.7 t
Adhesion mass
41.7 t
Rigid wheelbase
1.91 m
Axle load
7.2 t
Water capacity
8,298 l
Fuel capacity
4.1 t (coal)

Boiler

Grate area
1.812 m²
Firebox surface
7.627 m²
Tube heating surface
77.936 m²
Evaporative heating surface
85.564 m²
Superheater surface
13.843 m²
Total heating surface
99.4 m²

Power plant

Driver diameter
838 mm
Boiler pressure
12.4 bar
Expansion type
simple expansion
Cylinders
four, 305 x 406 mm

Power

Power source
steam
Estimated power
522 kW (710 PS)
Top speed
40 km/h
Starting effort
95.0 kN

Calculated values

Factor of adhesion
1 : 4.31
Optimal speed
34 km/h
Power-to-weight ratio
8.3 kW/t
Heating Surface Equivalent
151.4 m²
Cylinder volume/HSE
1 : 783.53
Adhesive weight/Total
1 : 1.50
Tractive force/Heating surface
1 : 19.97
Grate area/Heating surface
1 : 54.86
Firebox/Tube surface
1 : 10.22
Total/Superheater
1 : 6.18

Topics

  • steam locomotive
  • freight
  • narrow gauge
  • Garratt
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Last changed: 07/2022

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