South African Class 14C 4-8-2, 1st batch

South African Class 14C, 14CB, 14CR & 14CRB 4-8-2, 1st batch
No. 1766, as built with a Belpaire firebox, c. 1930
Type and origin ♠ Class 14C, standard, as built with a Belpaire firebox ♥ Class 14CB, rebalanced for branchline working ♣ Class 14CR, standard, Watson Standard boiler ♦ Class 14CRB, branchline, Watson Standard boiler ʘ 22 in (559 mm) bore - ʘ 21 3⁄4 in (552 mm) bore Power type Steam Designer Montreal Locomotive Works Builder Montreal Locomotive Works Serial number 58637-58656 Model Class 14C Build date 1918-1919 Total produced 20
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-2 (Mountain)  • UIC 2'D1'h2 Driver 2nd coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia. 28 1⁄2 in (724 mm) Coupled dia. 48 in (1,219 mm) Trailing dia. 33 in (838 mm) Tender wheels 34 in (864 mm) Wheelbase 59 ft 1⁄4 in (17,990 mm)  • Engine 30 ft 8 in (9,347 mm)  • Leading 6 ft 2 in (1,880 mm)  • Coupled 12 ft 9 in (3,886 mm)  • Tender 17 ft 11 in (5,461 mm)  • Tender bogie 4 ft 7 in (1,397 mm) Length: ​  • Over couplers 66 ft 10 1⁄8 in (20,374 mm) Height ♠♥ 12 ft 9 3⁄8 in (3,896 mm) ♣♦ 13 ft 3⁄4 in (3,981 mm) Frame type Bar Axle load ♠ 15 LT 16 cwt (16,050 kg) ♥ 14 LT 16 cwt (15,040 kg) ♣ 16 LT 15 cwt (17,020 kg) ♦ 14 LT 17 cwt (15,090 kg)  • Leading ♠ 14 LT 8 cwt (14,630 kg) ♥ 14 LT 6 cwt (14,530 kg) ♣ 16 LT 2 cwt (16,360 kg) ♦ 14 LT 8 cwt (14,630 kg)  • 1st coupled ♠ 15 LT 10 cwt (15,750 kg) ♥ 14 LT 16 cwt (15,040 kg) ♣ 16 LT 8 cwt (16,660 kg) ♦ 14 LT 17 cwt (15,090 kg)  • 2nd coupled ♠ 14 LT 19 cwt (15,190 kg) ♥ 14 LT 14 cwt (14,940 kg) ♣ 15 LT 15 cwt (16,000 kg) ♦ 14 LT 14 cwt (14,940 kg)  • 3rd coupled ♠ 15 LT 12 cwt (15,850 kg) ♥ 14 LT 14 cwt (14,940 kg) ♣ 16 LT 10 cwt (16,760 kg) ♦ 14 LT 15 cwt (14,990 kg)  • 4th coupled ♠ 15 LT 16 cwt (16,050 kg) ♥ 14 LT 16 cwt (15,040 kg) ♣ 16 LT 15 cwt (17,020 kg) ♦ 14 LT 17 cwt (15,090 kg)  • Trailing ♠ 8 LT 12 cwt (8,738 kg) ♥ 10 LT 1 cwt (10,210 kg) ♣ 9 LT 1 cwt (9,195 kg) ♦ 10 LT 1 cwt (10,210 kg)  • Tender axle 12 LT 14 cwt 2 qtr (12,930 kg) av. Adhesive weight ♠ 61 LT 17 cwt (62,840 kg) ♥ 59 LT (59,950 kg) ♣ 65 LT 8 cwt (66,450 kg) ♦ 59 LT 3 cwt (60,100 kg) Loco weight ♠ 84 LT 17 cwt (86,210 kg) ♥ 83 LT 7 cwt (84,690 kg) ♣ 90 LT 11 cwt (92,000 kg) ♦ 83 LT 12 cwt (84,940 kg) Tender weight 50 LT 18 cwt (51,720 kg) Total weight ♠ 135 LT 15 cwt (137,900 kg) ♥ 134 LT 5 cwt (136,400 kg) ♣ 141 LT 9 cwt (143,700 kg) ♦ 134 LT 10 cwt (136,700 kg) Tender type LP (2-axle bogies) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 10 LT (10.2 t) Water cap 4,250 imp gal (19,300 l) Firebox type ♠♥ Belpaire ♣♦ Round-top  • Firegrate area ♠♥♣♦ 37 sq ft (3.437 m2) Boiler: ​  • Model ♣♦ Watson Standard no. 2  • Pitch ♠♥ 7 ft 7 in (2,311 mm) ♣♦ 8 ft 1 1⁄2 in (2,476 mm)  • Diameter ♠♥♣♦ 5 ft 7 1⁄2 in (1,714 mm)  • Tube plates ♠♥ 19 ft 3⁄8 in (5,801 mm) ♣♦ 19 ft 4 in (5,893 mm) steel ♣♦ 19 ft 3 5⁄8 in (5,883 mm) copper  • Small tubes ♠♥ 139: 2 1⁄4 in (57 mm) ♣♦ 87: 2 1⁄2 in (64 mm)  • Large tubes ♠♥ 24: 5 1⁄2 in (140 mm) ♣♦ 30: 5 1⁄2 in (140 mm) Boiler pressure ♠♣ʘ 190 psi (1,310 kPa) ♠♣ʘ 195 psi (1,344 kPa) ♥♦ʘ 180 psi (1,241 kPa) ♦ʘ 183 psi (1,262 kPa) Safety valve ♠♥ Ramsbottom ♣♦ Pop Heating surface ♠♥ 2,350 sq ft (218 m2) ♣♦ 2,075 sq ft (192.8 m2)  • Tubes ♠♥ 2,212 sq ft (205.5 m2) ♣♦ 1,933 sq ft (179.6 m2)  • Firebox ♠♥ 138 sq ft (12.8 m2) ♣♦ 142 sq ft (13.2 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area ♠♥ 526 sq ft (48.9 m2) ♣♦ 492 sq ft (45.7 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size ♠♥♣♦ 22 in (559 mm) bore ♠♣♦ 21 3⁄4 in (552 mm) bore ♠♥♣♦ 26 in (660 mm) stroke Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type Piston Couplers Johnston link-and-pin AAR knuckle (1930s)
Performance figures Tractive effort ♠♣ʘ 37,360 lbf (166.2 kN) @ 75% ♠♣ʘ 37,480 lbf (166.7 kN) @ 75% ♥ʘ 35,400 lbf (157 kN) @ 75% ♦ʘ 35,980 lbf (160.0 kN) @ 75% ♦ʘ 35,170 lbf (156.4 kN) @ 75%
Career Operators South African Railways Class Class 14C, 14CB, 14CR, 14CRB Number in class 20 Numbers 1761-1780 Delivered 1918-1919 First run 1918 Withdrawn 1980s
The leading coupled axle had flangeless wheels

The South African Railways Class 14C 4-8-2 of 1918 was a steam locomotive.

In 1918 and 1919, the South African Railways placed the first batch of twenty Class 14C steam locomotives with a 4-8-2 Mountain type wheel arrangement in service. Three more batches were acquired between 1919 and 1922, each with a different maximum axle loading, to bring the total in the class to 73. Through reboilerings, rebalancings and cylinder bushings during its service life, this single class eventually ended up as six distinct locomotive classes with two boiler types and a multitude of axle load and boiler pressure configurations.

As a result of wartime disruption in Europe and Britain, the fourth version of the Class 14 locomotive was ordered from the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in Canada in 1918. It was designated Class 14C and the first batch of twenty was delivered in 1918 and early in 1919, numbered in the range from 1761 to 1780.

Until 1922, three more batches of Class 14C would follow from the same manufacturer. All four batches differed in terms of maximum axle loading, adhesive weight and engine weight.

While these locomotives were built to the specifications of D.A. Hendrie, at the time the Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South African Railways (SAR), they were designed by the Canadian manufacturer and the result was a locomotive with some typical North American characteristics. They had large cabs, bar frames, Walschaerts valve gear, Belpaire fireboxes and were superheated.

A prominent distinction from the earlier Classes 14, 14A and 14B locomo­tives was their American style high running boards. It had an even better cylinder design than the Class 14, with larger and straighter ports which resulted in a very sharp, free exhaust.

All four batches were delivered with Type LP tenders, with a coal capacity of 10 long tons (10.2 tonnes) and a water capacity of 4,250 imperial gallons (19,300 litres).

The Class 14C proved to be good locomotives, even though they initially suffered from some rather bad teething troubles. Once these were rectified, they went on to become fine performers which were associated with hard work all through their service lives.