South African Class 17 4-8-0TT

South African Class 17 4-8-0TT
SAR Class 17 no. 1432, circa 1930
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Natal Government Railways (William Milne) Builder Dübs and Company South African Railways Serial number See table Model SAR Class 17 Build date 1926-1929 Total produced 21
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-0TT (Mastodon)  • UIC 2’Dn2t Driver 2nd coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia. 25+3⁄4 in (654 mm) Coupled dia. 39 in (991 mm) Tender wheels 34 in (864 mm) Wheelbase 44 ft 11+1⁄2 in (13,703 mm) ​  • Engine 19 ft 9 in (6,020 mm)  • Leading 5 ft (1,524 mm)  • Coupled 11 ft (3,353 mm)  • Tender 16 ft 1 in (4,902 mm)  • Tender bogie 4 ft 7 in (1,397 mm) Length: ​  • Over couplers 52 ft 2+1⁄2 in (15,913 mm) Height 12 ft 2+1⁄2 in (3,721 mm) Frame type Plate Axle load 8 LT 10 cwt (8,636 kg) ​  • Leading 9 LT 6 cwt (9,449 kg)  • 1st coupled 8 LT 2 cwt (8,230 kg)  • 2nd coupled 8 LT 10 cwt (8,636 kg)  • 3rd coupled 8 LT 3 cwt (8,281 kg)  • 4th coupled 8 LT 3 cwt (8,281 kg)  • Tender bogie Bogie 1: 16 LT 15 cwt (17,020 kg) Bogie 2: 17 LT 18 cwt (18,190 kg) Adhesive weight 32 LT 18 cwt (33,430 kg) Loco weight 42 LT 4 cwt (42,880 kg) Tender weight 34 LT 13 cwt (35,210 kg) Total weight 76 LT 17 cwt (78,080 kg) Tender type 2-axle bogies or 3-axle Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 5 LT 10 cwt (5.6 t) Water cap. 1,358 imp gal (6,170 L) engine Tender cap. 2,600 imp gal (11,800 L) tender Firebox: ​  • Type Belpaire  • Grate area 24 sq ft (2.2 m2) Boiler: ​  • Pitch 7 ft (2,134 mm)  • Diameter 3 ft 10+3⁄4 in (1,187 mm)  • Tube plates 10 ft 10+1⁄8 in (3,305 mm)  • Small tubes 187: 1+3⁄4 in (44 mm) Boiler pressure 160 psi (1,103 kPa) Safety valve Ramsbottom Heating surface: ​  • Firebox 62 sq ft (5.8 m2)  • Tubes 930 sq ft (86 m2)  • Total surface 992 sq ft (92.2 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 17 in (432 mm) bore 21 in (533 mm) stroke Valve gear Stephenson Valve type Slide Couplers Johnston link-and-pin AAR knuckle (1930s)
Performance figures Tractive effort 18,670 lbf (83.0 kN) @ 75%
Career Operators South African Railways Class Class 17 Number in class 21 Numbers 1415–1435 Delivered 1926-1929 First run 1926 Withdrawn 1961
The leading coupled axle had flangeless wheels

The South African Railways Class 17 4-8-0TT of 1926 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Natal Colony.

Between 1926 and 1929, to address a shortage of suitable shunting locomotives, the South African Railways rebuilt twenty-one Class A 4-8-2 Mountain type tank steam locomotives to Class 17 4-8-0 Mastodon type tank-and-tender locomotives.^[1][2][3][4]