SAR-NG7 & NG8'S

Works Photo of a W.G.Bagnall Ltd SAR-NG7 & NG8

Bagnall & Kerr Stuart.
SAR-NG7 &NG8 No’s 27-32 & 36-38

In 1903 6 locomotives based on the Baldwin design for the Hopefield Railway where ordered from W.G. Bagnall Ltd. A British Company thus slightly unusual to carry the American look. After the experience with the Baldwin 2-6-0’s the wheel arrangement was changed to 4-6-0 to give great stability. These locomotives had ‘bar frames’ and ‘outside cranks’ and Stephenson’s link motion. On the Cape Government Railway (CGR) they where class ‘Type B’.

In 1913 & 1914 a further 3 where ordered one from W.G Bagnell and two from Kerr Stuart. They had longer boilers and where classed as ‘Improved B’s’ They where the mainstay of the motive power on the Avontuur Branch in the Eastern Cape, although some saw service on the Hopefield Branch and in South West Africa(SWA), to help alleviate the motive power shortage after the war in 1914/15 with the German Colonial Army. Although they where relatively new the SAR released No36 &37 to work in SWA. Sydney Moir in his book lists No36 as a class NG7 4-6-0 built by Bagnell and No37 as a class NG8 built by Kerr Stuart in 1914 both to the same design and being ‘improved B’s. Going the Kerr Stuart & Co Ltd Locomotive Works List it shows two loco’s ordered in September 1914 order book numbers 1345 and 1346 and delivered to Algoa Bay. The only difference is their cylinders seem to be a half an inch smaller in diameter.

They where all scraped in 1931 except No27 which was sold to the Eastern Cape Cement Co for use on their line linking to Avontuur Branch from Chelsea.

The Class number SAR-NG7 & NG8 was put aside for these loco’s but never allocated, they operated as ‘Obsolete ex CGR’( even with the last 3 being new and being ordered by the SAR). I had assumed from the information from Leith Paxton and David Bourne’s book, Locomotives of the South African Railways, that the class number NG7 have been set aside for the Hopefield Baldwin’s but seems to be used between the Bagnell and Kerr Stuart 4-6-0’s although it doesn’t mean that they where not used as there where never officially allocated.

Size of Cylinders in inches-12 x 16 Bagnell & 11.½ x16 Kerr Stuart ,Approved H.P. Weight-140 and in Working Order Tons- 40.

Again there is not a lot information regarding these locomotives. My sources being Locomotives of the South African Railways by Leith Paxton and David Bourne, W.G Bagnall Ltd, Narrow Gauge Locomotives and Rolling Stock 1910 ( the copy I have is a Facsimile Reprint Edited By Andrew Neale) Sydney Moir mentions them in his two books Namib Narrow-Gauge and in 24inches Apart and I referred to The Kerr Stuart & Co.Ltd, Locomotive Works List compiled by Frank Jux.
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