South African type XM tender

South African type XM tender

Type XM tender on Class 4A

Type and origin Locomotive Class 4A Designer Cape Government Railways (H.M. Beatty) Builder North British Locomotive Company In service 1913-1914

Specifications Configuration 2-axle bogies Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge Length 25 ft 1 in (7,645 mm) Wheel dia. 33 1⁄2 in (851 mm) as built 34 in (864 mm) retyred Wheelbase 16 ft 1 in (4,902 mm)  • Bogie 4 ft 7 in (1,397 mm) Axle load 11 LT 18 cwt (12,090 kg)  • Front bogie 23 LT 9 cwt (23,830 kg)  • Rear bogie 23 LT 16 cwt (24,180 kg) Weight empty 47,920 lb (21,740 kg) Weight w/o 47 LT 5 cwt (48,010 kg) Fuel type Coal Fuel cap. 8 LT (8.1 t) Water cap. 4,000 imp gal (18,200 l) Stoking Manual Couplers Drawbar & Johnston link-and-pin Drawbar & AAR knuckle (1930s)

Career Operators South African Railways Numbers SAR 1551-1560

The South African type XM tender was a steam locomotive tender.

Ten Type XM tenders entered service in 1913, as tenders to the Class 4A 4-8-2 Mountain type steam locomotives which were acquired by the South African Railways in that year.

Type XM tenders were built by the North British Locomotive Company in 1913.

The original Class 4 Mountain type locomotive was designed as a heavy mixed traffic locomotive by H.M. Beatty, the last Chief Locomotive Superintendent of the Cape Government Railways (CGR), at the Salt River shops. Soon after the South African Railways (SAR) locomotive renumbering project was implemented in 1912, an order was placed with North British for a further ten locomotives of this type. They were delivered late in 1913 and were designated Class 4A. The Type XM entered service as tenders to these engines.

The Type XM tender had a coal capacity of 8 long tons (8.1 tonnes), a water capacity of 4,000 imperial gallons (18,200 litres) and a maximum axle loading of 11 long tons 18 hundredweight (12,090 kilograms).

In the SAR years, tenders were numbered for the engines they were delivered with. In most cases, an oval number plate, bearing the engine number and often also the tender type, would be attached to the rear end of the tender. Only the ten Class 4A locomotives were delivered new with Type XM tenders, numbered in the SAR number range from 1551 to 1560.

Since many tender types are interchangeable between different locomotive classes and types, a tender classification system was adopted by the SAR. The first letter of the tender type indicates the classes of engines to which it could be coupled. The "X_" tenders could be used with the locomotive classes as shown.

The second letter indicates the tender's water capacity. The "_M" tenders had a capacity of 4,000 imperial gallons (18,200 litres; 4,800 US gallons).

A number, when added after the letter code, usually indicates differences between similar tender types, such as function, wheelbase or coal bunker capacity.

Pictures of most of these locomotives in service show them with a modified tender with built-up sides to the coal bunker to increase the coal capacity. Early versions of the built-up coal bunker sides were in the form of a slatted open-top cage, made of rectangular steel rods. Later versions were constructed of sheet-metal.