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South African class MJ
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South Africa | 1914
18 produced
No. 1651
No. 1651
SAR archivees / collection Frank Holland

For heavy service on branch lines with a permitted axle load of less than 14 tonnes, D.A. Hendrie designed the 2-6-6-0 Mallet of the class MJ. It had a superheated boiler with a Belpaire firebox and Walschaerts valve gear. Ten were ordered from Maffei of Munich, of which the first two were delivered in 1914. But due to the outbreak of World War I, German manufacturers were not able anymore to deliver to South Africa. Instead, the eight missing locomotives were ordered from North British and delivered in 1917 and 1918. Meanwhile, the Montreal Locomotive Works delivered eight similar MJ1.

After the end of the war, Maffei felt that they had to fulfill the original order and delivered eight more, bringing the total number to 18. One of their tasks was pusher service on the Hex River Pass with a ruling grade of 1.8 percent and a five-mile section with 2.3 percent. In 1939, W.A.J. Day equipped this class and the MJ1 with a new common standard boiler. The last two MJ locomotives were scrapped in 1962 and were the last Mallets in active SAR service.

Variantas builtrebuilt
General
Built1914, 1917, 1921
ManufacturerMaffei, North British
Axle config2-6-6-0 
Gauge3 ft 6 in (Cape gauge)
Dimensions and Weights
Length67 ft 5 1/8 in
Wheelbase32 ft 8 in
Rigid wheelbase8 ft 4 in
Total wheelbase58 ft 11 1/2 in
Service weight188,160 lbs
Adhesive weight170,576 lbs
Total weight309,232 lbs
Axle load30,800 lbs
Water capacity5,104 us gal
Fuel capacity22,400 lbs (coal)
Boiler
Grate area40 sq ft
Firebox area130 sq ft133 sq ft
Tube heating area1,783 sq ft1,780 sq ft
Evaporative heating area1,913 sq ft
Superheater area343 sq ft350 sq ft
Total heating area2,256 sq ft2,263 sq ft
Variantas builtrebuilt
Power Plant
Driver diameter42.75 in
Boiler pressure200 psi
Expansion typecompound
Cylindersfour, HP: 16 1/2 x 24 in
and LP: 26 x 24 in
Power
Power sourcesteam
Estimated power1,250 hp (932 kW)
Optimal speed22 mph
Starting effort37,046 lbf
with start valve44,455 lbf
Calculated Values
steam locomotive
passenger
freight
Mallet
David Anderson Hendrie
last changed: 01/2025
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