South African Class 26 4-8-4

South African Class 26 4-8-4 Red Devil

The Red Devil at Pretoria, 25 April 1981

Type and origin Power type Steam Designer South African Railways (David Wardale) Builder South African Railways Serial number Henschel 28769 Model Class 26 Build date 1981 Total produced 1

Specifications Configuration 4-8-4 (Northern) Driver 2nd coupled axle Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Leading dia. 30 in (762 mm) Coupled dia. 60 in (1,524 mm) Trailing dia. 30 in (762 mm) Tender wheels 34 in (864 mm) Minimum curve 275 ft (84 m) Wheelbase 81 ft 4 11⁄16 in (24,808 mm)  • Engine 38 ft (11,582 mm)  • Leading 6 ft 10 in (2,083 mm)  • Coupled 15 ft 9 in (4,801 mm)  • Trailing 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm)  • Tender 32 ft (9,754 mm)  • Tender bogie 10 ft (3,048 mm) Length: ​  • Over couplers 91 ft 6 9⁄16 in (27,903 mm) Height 13 ft (3,962 mm) Frame type Cast Axle load 18 LT 14 cwt (19,000 kg)  • Leading 21 LT 2 cwt (21,440 kg)  • 1st coupled 18 LT 10 cwt (18,800 kg)  • 2nd coupled 18 LT 14 cwt (19,000 kg)  • 3rd coupled 18 LT 12 cwt (18,900 kg)  • 4th coupled 18 LT 9 cwt (18,750 kg)  • Trailing 22 LT 12 cwt (22,960 kg)  • Tender bogie Bogie 1: 51 LT 6 cwt (52,120 kg) Bogie 2: 54 LT 5 cwt (55,120 kg)  • Tender axle 18 LT 1 cwt 2 qtr (18,370 kg) Adhesive weight 74 LT 5 cwt (75,440 kg) Loco weight 117 LT 9 cwt (119,300 kg) Tender weight 105 LT 11 cwt (107,200 kg) Total weight 232 LT (235,700 kg) Tender type EW1 (3-axle bogies) Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 20 LT (20.3 t) Water cap 10,500 imp gal (47,700 l) Fuel consumption 700 km (430 mi) range Water consumption 230 km (140 mi) range Firebox type Round-top  • Firegrate area 70 sq ft (6.5 m2) Boiler: ​  • Type Domeless  • Pitch 9 ft 1 5⁄8 in (2,784 mm)  • Diameter 6 ft 4 1⁄8 in (1,934 mm)  • Tube plates 19 ft (5,791 mm)  • Small tubes 158: 2 1⁄2 in (64 mm)  • Large tubes 40: 5 1⁄2 in (140 mm) Boiler pressure 225 psi (1,551 kPa) Safety valve Ross Pop Heating surface 3,390 sq ft (315 m2)  • Tubes 3,059 sq ft (284.2 m2)  • Arch tubes 37 sq ft (3.4 m2)  • Firebox 294 sq ft (27.3 m2) Superheater: ​  • Heating area 1,014.3 sq ft (94.23 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 24 in (610 mm) bore 28 in (711 mm) stroke Valve gear Walschaerts Valve type 310 mm (12.2 in) Piston Valve travel 156 mm (6.1 in) Valve lap 55 mm (2.2 in) steam lap 4 mm (0.2 in) exhaust lap Loco brake Vacuum Couplers AAR knuckle

Performance figures Power output: ​  • Starting Maximum recorded 3,350 kW (4,490 hp) @ 75.5 km/h (46.9 mph)  • Continuous Probable absolute 3,750 kW (5,030 hp) @ 100 km/h (62 mph) Tractive effort: ​  • Starting 231 kN (52,000 lbf)  • Continuous 166 kN (37,000 lbf) @ 25% adh.

Career Operators South African Railways Spoornet Class Class 26 Number in class 1 Numbers 3450 Official name L.D. Porta Nicknames Red Devil Delivered 1981 First run 6 February 1981

External video

South African Railways RED DEVIL on goods 1991 Chasing Class 26 no. 3450 on the De Aar to Kimberley line in 1991, near Spytfontein. (Time 2:50)

External video

South African Steam: 19D Ceres and Porterville Branch Line Class 19D no. 3323 at work on a mixed train from Wolseley to Prince Alfred Hamlet and return on 28 May 2002. Class 26 no. 3450, The Red Devil, shunting empty wagons at Wolseley before a run through towards Dal Josafat (Begins at 11:32). Class 19D no. 3321 and 3323 on the Union Limited from Hermon to Porterville. (Time 17:21)

The South African Railways Class 26 4-8-4 of 1981 was a steam locomotive.

The Class 26, popularly known as the Red Devil, was a 4-8-4 steam locomotive which was rebuilt from a Class 25NC locomotive by mechanical engineer David Wardale from England, while in the employ of the South African Railways. The rebuilding took place at the Salt River Works in Cape Town and was based on the principles developed by Argentinian mechanical engineer L.D. Porta.

The original locomotive from which the Class 26 was rebuilt, entered service in 1953 as the last of the Class 25NC 4-8-4 Northern type locomotives to be built. The Class 25 condensing and Class 25NC non-condensing locomotives were designed by the South African Railways (SAR) under the direction of L.C. Grubb, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the SAR from 1949 to 1954, and in conjunction with Henschel and Son. The first Class 25, no. 3451, most of the Class 25 condensing tenders and Class 25NC locomotives in the number range from 3412 to 3450 were built by Henschel, while Class 25NC locomotives in the number range from 3401 to 3411 and the other eighty-nine Class 25 condensing locomotives were built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow, Scotland.

The rebuilding project suffered from the outset from, at best, half-hearted support on the side of the SAR management, who had by then already decided to replace all steam traction with electric and diesel-electric power.

Wardale, however, was determined to demonstrate that the efficiency of steam locomotives could be drastically increased by making use of a Gas Producer Combustion System (GPCS) to produce more steam for less fuel consumed, and the Lempor exhaust system developed by Argentinian mechanical engineer L.D. Porta to utilise steam with maximum efficiency.

As a trial run, Wardale was allowed to carry out extensive modifications on a Krupp-built Class 19D 4-8-2 Mountain type branchline locomotive, no. 2644. A GPCS and tandem dual Lempor exhausts were installed, along with some other small improvements which included high mounted smoke deflectors.