Namaqualand 0-4-0WT Condenser

Namaqualand 0-4-0WT Condenser

Kitson works picture of no. 1 John Taylor, c. 1886

Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Kitson and Company Builder Kitson and Company Serial number T198, T220, T234 Build date 1886-1888

Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-4-0WT (Four-coupled)  • UIC Bn2t Driver 2nd coupled axle Gauge 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) Namaqualand Coupled dia. 34 in (864 mm) Wheelbase 6 ft (1,829 mm) Adhesive weight 14 LT 4 cwt (14,430 kg) Loco weight 14 LT 4 cwt (14,430 kg) Tender weight 8 LT 18 cwt (9,043 kg) Tender type 2-axle Fuel type Coal Fuel capacity 16 cu ft (0.45 m3) Coolant cap. 423 sq ft (39.3 m2) cond. surface Water cap 386 imp gal (1,750 l) Firebox type Round-top  • Firegrate area 7.3 sq ft (0.68 m2) Boiler pressure 150 psi (1,034 kPa) Heating surface 187.6 sq ft (17.43 m2)  • Tubes 157.6 sq ft (14.64 m2)  • Firebox 30 sq ft (2.8 m2) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 9 in (229 mm) bore 15 in (381 mm) stroke Valve gear Stephenson Couplers Buffers-and-chain

Performance figures Tractive effort 4,020 lbf (17.9 kN) @ 75%

Career Operators Cape Copper Mining Company Cape Copper Company Number in class 3 Numbers 1-3 Official name John Taylor, Juanita & Jackal Delivered 1886-1888 First run 1886

The Cape Copper Mining Company 0-4-0WT Condenser of 1886 was a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

Between 1886 and 1888, three well-tank condensing locomotives with a 0-4-0 wheel arrangement were placed in service by the Cape Copper Mining Company on its two foot six inch gauge Namaqualand Railway between Port Nolloth and O'okiep in the Cape of Good Hope. They were the first condensing steam locomotives to enter service in South Africa.

The Namaqualand Railway was constructed between 1869 and 1876 by the Cape Copper Mining Company, restructured as the Cape Copper Company in 1888. The 93 ¹⁄₂-mile long (150-kilometre) railway from Port Nolloth on the West Coast to the copper mines around O'okiep was initially exclusively mule-powered, but in 1871 two 0-6-0T locomotives named John King and Miner were acquired by the mining company on an experimental basis. Their use appears to have been restricted mainly to the coastal section of the railway. By July 1887 both of them were permanently out of service.

Between 1886 and 1888, three 0-4-0 well-tank condensing locomotives were acquired from Kitson and Company. They were named John Taylor, Juanita and Jackal respectively and, like the earlier 0-6-0T locomotives, they were operated with tenders due to the scarcity of water along the line. The tenders for the first two locomotives seem to have been acquired separately.

The condensing equipment was mounted overhead in a roof-like frame and consisted of copper coils which formed an atmospheric radiator. Condensed steam was fed back for re-use into the large water tank underneath the locomotive's copper boiler. To protect the motion and bearings as well as working parts of the valve gear above the running boards from wind-blown sand, the locomotive was equipped with sheet-metal casing above and below the running boards, with the centre part of the bottom encasement hinged to allow access to the motion.

The builder's picture of the locomotive shows it without a cab and with only a spectacle plate for crew protection, but in photographs of the locomotives in service, they have cab roofs installed underneath the overhead condensing coils.