CSAR Class C 2-8-4T

IMR Western Australian 2-8-4T CSAR Class C 2-8-4T
Western Australian no. 100, November 1901
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Neilson, Reid & Company Builder Neilson, Reid & Company Serial number 5897-5902 Build date 1900 Total produced 6
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-4T (Berkshire)  • UIC 1'D2'n2t Driver 2nd coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia. 25 in (635 mm) Coupled dia. 38 in (965 mm) Trailing dia. 25 in (635 mm) Wheelbase 28 ft (8,534 mm)  • Coupled 11 ft 3 in (3,429 mm)  • Trailing 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) Wheel spacing (Asymmetrical) 1-2: 3 ft 5 1⁄2 in (1,054 mm) 2-3: 3 ft 5 1⁄2 in (1,054 mm) 3-4: 4 ft 4 in (1,321 mm) Length: ​  • Over couplers 36 ft 1 1⁄2 in (11,011 mm) Height 12 ft 7 1⁄2 in (3,848 mm) Frame type Plate Axle load 8 LT 5 cwt (8,382 kg)  • Leading 6 LT (6,096 kg)  • Coupled 8 LT 5 cwt (8,382 kg)  • Trailing 13 LT (13,210 kg) Adhesive weight 33 LT (33,530 kg) Loco weight 53 LT (53,850 kg) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 2 LT 7 cwt (2.4 t) Water cap 2,000 imp gal (9,100 l) Firebox type Round-top  • Firegrate area 16.7 sq ft (1.55 m2) Boiler: ​  • Pitch 6 ft 7 1⁄2 in (2,019 mm)  • Diameter 4 ft (1,219 mm)  • Tube plates 12 ft 1⁄4 in (3,664 mm)  • Small tubes 167: 1 3⁄4 in (44 mm) Boiler pressure 160 psi (1,103 kPa) Safety valve Ramsbottom Heating surface 1,012.8 sq ft (94.09 m2)  • Tubes 919.5 sq ft (85.42 m2)  • Firebox 93.3 sq ft (8.67 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
Performance figures Tractive effort 19,102 lbf (84.97 kN) @ 75%
Career Operators Imperial Military Railways Central South African Railways Clydesdale Colliery Ogies Colliery Class CSAR Class C Number in class 6 Numbers IMR 100-105, CSAR 203-208 Official name Class C Nicknames Western Australian Delivered 1900 First run 1900 Withdrawn 1912
The 2nd & 3rd coupled axles had flangeless wheels

The Central South African Railways Class C 2-8-4T of 1900 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in Transvaal.

In 1900, during the Second Boer War, the Imperial Military Railways experienced a shortage of locomotives and six 2-8-4T Berkshire type tank locomotives, destined for the Western Australian Government Railways, were diverted to South Africa where they became known as the Western Australians. In 1902, they came onto the roster of the Central South African Railways and were designated Class C.

In 1899, when the Second Boer War broke out, the invading British military forces took control of all railways in the colonies of the Cape of Good Hope and Natal. As possession was obtained, this control was extended to the railways of the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen (OVGS) in the Orange Free State and the Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NZASM) in the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR).

On 7 October 1899, Lieutenant-Colonel E.P.C. Girouard KCMG DSO RE, a Canadian serving in the Royal Engineers and, at the time, the President of the Egyptian State Railways, was appointed as Director of Railways for the South African Field Forces.

While Girouard largely left control of the two colonial railways in the hands of their civilian staff, the railways of the two Boer Republics were worked under the title of Imperial Military Railways (IMR), with civilian and military personnel appointed by him.

The damage which was inflicted on the railways during hostilities and the trans­portation demands of the British military led to a shortage of locomotives. To alleviate the shortage, a shipment of six new K class tank locomotives with a 2-8-4T Berkshire type wheel arrangement were diverted to the IMR in South Africa. They had been built for the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) by Neilson, Reid & Company in 1900.