Rhodesia Railways 19th class
| Industry | Railway transport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1951 |
| Headquarters | Bulawayo , Rhodesia |
| Products | Steam locomotives (19th class) |
Rhodesia Railways 19th Class
The Rhodesia Railways 19th class consisted of twenty 4-8-2 steam locomotives constructed from 1951 to 1953. Their design closely resembled the Class 19D locomotives operated by South African Railways. Notably, these engines represented the final batch of conventional steam locomotives acquired by Rhodesia Railways before transitioning away from non-articulated steam power.
Service
Between 1951 and 1953, Henschel & Son manufactured twenty locomotives for Rhodesia Railways, designated as their 19th class and numbered from 316 through 335. These units were equipped with tenders resembling the SAR Torpedo type; however, they featured plate frame bogies instead of the cast frame Buckeye bogies.[1][2]
In 1954, Henschel produced a single condensing locomotive of the 19C class, numbered 336. Known by the nickname "Silent Suzie," it was intended for operation in Botswana, but it failed to gain favor with the crews. Following a collision, it was converted into a standard non-condensing 19th Class in 1958.[3] The original condensing tender was modified locally in Bulawayo by installing a tank and coal bunker onto its frame, transforming it into a Torpedo-style tender.[2][4] This upgraded tender is currently paired with locomotive no. 330, which is preserved at the Bulawayo Railway Museum.[5]
By February 1979, only three locomotives remained in active service: no. 328 was assigned to the Bulawayo depot, no. 329 served at Lobatse in Botswana, and no. 330 was stationed at Mafeking in South Africa. Additionally, nine more locomotives were held in storage.[6]
| Initial Number | Henschel Serial Number | Year Built | Final Disposition | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 316 | 27386 | 1952 | Scrapped 1976 | |
| 317 | 27387 | 1952 | Scrapped 1976 | |
| 318 | 27388 | 1952 | Scrapped 1980 | |
| 319 | 27389 | 1952 | Sold to Selebi-Pikwe | |
| 320 | 27390 | 1952 | Sold to Wankie Colliery | |
| 321 | 27391 | 1952 | Scrapped 1976 | |
| 322 | 27392 | 1952 | Sold to Selebi-Pikwe | |
| 323 | 27393 | 1952 | Scrapped 1976 | |
| 324 | 27394 | 1952 | Scrapped 1976 | |
| 325 | 27395 | 1952 | Sold to Wankie Colliery | |
| 326 | 27396 | 1952 | Sold to Wankie Colliery | |
| 327 | 27397 | 1952 | Scrapped 1980 | |
| 328 | 27398 | 1952 | Sold to Selebi-Pikwe | |
| 329 | 27399 | 1952 | Scrapped 1976 | |
| 330 | 27400 | 1952 | Preserved at Bulawayo Railway Museum | |
| 331 | 27401 | 1952 | Scrapped 1976 | |
| 332 | 27402 | 1952 | Scrapped 1976 | |
| 333 | 27403 | 1952 | Scrapped by1979 | |
| 334 | 27404 | 1952 | Scrapped by1979 | |
| 335 | 27405 | 1952 | Scrapped1976 |
Wankie Colliery
Concurrently with the Rhodesia Railways procurement, the Hwange Colliery—then operating under the name Wankie Coal Company—aimed to reduce expenses associated with relying on Rhodesia Railways for rail services at its mining sites, which incurred a cost of £50 per shunting operation.[3]
To address this, the colliery placed an order for four locomotives matching the specifications of the 19th class, each priced at £47,000, from the North British Locomotive Company. These units were distinguished from those ordered by Rhodesia Railways by incorporating a 12th class tender and omitting a superheater. The locomotives were assigned numbers 1 through 4.[3][2] Subsequently, several of the Rhodesian 19th class engines were acquired by Wankie Colliery, thereby extending the fleet initially established by these four locomotives.[7][8]
- ↑ Template:Durrant-Twilight
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pattison, R.G. (2005). Thundering Smoke, (1st ed.). Ilminster, Somerset: Sable Publishing House. pp. 127-130. ISBN 0-9549488-1-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Garratt 1974, p. 167.
- ↑ Durrant 1997.
- ↑ Hamer, E.D. (2001). Locomotives Zimbabwe and Botswana, (1st ed.). Malmö: Frank Stenvalls Förlag. pp. 60-61. ISBN 91-7266-152-6.
- ↑ Hamer, E. D. (February 1979). "Last Stronghold of Steam". Railway Magazine. pp. 62–63 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ Johnson, Lou (1989). World Steam Since 1980. Silver Link for W.H. Smith. p. 93. ISBN 9780947971335 – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ The Glorious Age of Steam. London: Reader's Digest. 1997. pp. 92–93. ISBN 9780276423352 – via Internet Archive.