The South African Railways Class 6D of 1898 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.
In 1898, a fourth batch of 33 6th Class steam locomotives were placed in service by the Cape Government Railways. In 1912, when these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways, they were renumbered and designated Class 6D.Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office, Pretoria, January 1912, pp. 8, 12, 14, 31-32 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)
Manufacturer The original 6th Class passenger steam locomotive was designed at the Salt River works of the Cape Government Railways (CGR) in 1893, at the same time as the 7th Class and both according to the specifications of Michael Stephens, at the time Chief Locomotive Superintendent of the CGR, and under the supervision of H.M. Beatty, at the time Locomotive Superintendent of the Western System.
The 33 locomotives in this fourth group of the CGR 6th Class were built in 1898 by Neilson, Reid and Company. Of these engines, 26 went to the CGR's Western System, numbered in the range from 234 to 259, three to the Midland System, numbered 585, 586 and 594, and four to the Eastern System, numbered in the range from 665 to 668.Neilson, Reid works list, compiled by Austrian locomotive historian Bernhard Schmeiser
These locomotives represented a further advance on earlier 6th Class locomotives, with a greater heating surface and a larger firegrate area. They did, however, revert to the same Type YC six-wheeled tenders which were earlier used with the second group of 6th Class locomotives, later the Class 6A.
Class 6 sub-classes When the Union of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910, the three Colonial government railways (CGR, Natal Government Railways and Central South African Railways) were united under a single administration to control and administer the railways, ports and harbours of the Union. Although the South African Railways and Harbours came into existence in 1910, the actual classification and renumbering of all the rolling stock of the three constituent railways were only implemented with effect from 1 January 1912.The South African Railways – Historical Survey. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978, p. 25.
When these locomotives were assimilated into the South African Railways (SAR) in 1912, they were renumbered in the range from 565 to 597 and designated Class 6D. The rest of the CGR's 6th Class locomotives, together with the Class 6-L1 to 6L3 locomotives which had been inherited by the Central South African Railways from the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen via the Imperial Military Railways, were grouped into thirteen more sub-classes by the SAR. The locomotives became SAR Classes 6, 6A to 6C, 6E to 6H and 6J to 6L, the locomotives became Class 6Y and the locomotives became Class 6Z.South African Railways and Harbours Locomotive Diagram Book, 2'0" & 3'6" Gauge Steam Locomotives, 15 August 1941, as amended
Service South Africa The Class 6 series of locomotives were introduced primarily as passenger locomotives, but when the class became displaced by larger and more powerful locomotive classes, it literally became a Jack-of-all-trades which proved itself as one of the most useful and successful locomotive classes ever to be designed at the Salt River shops. It went on to see service in all parts of the country, except Natal, and was used on all types of traffic.
After the Simon's Town line in Cape Town was electrified in 1928, Class 6D engines that used to haul commuters on this line became dock shunting engines in Table Bay Harbour. This continued until they were gradually replaced by new Class S2 0-8-0 shunting engines from 1952.Soul of A Railway, System 1, Part 16: Table Bay Harbour © Les Pivnic. Caption 109. (Accessed on 30 June 2017)
Sudan During the Second World War, sixteen locomotives of the Classes 6 to 6D were transferred to the Middle East to assist with the war effort during the North African Campaign. The two Class 6D locomotives in this group were numbers 572 and 587. They did not return to South Africa after the war and were sold to the Sudan Railways Corporation in 1942. Sudan Railways renumbered them M714 and M715, in the same order as their former SAR engine numbers.Class 6 to 6D sold to Sudan Railways during the WWII North African Campaign, list compiled by Austrian locomotive historian Reimar Holzinger
Renumbering The Class 6D works numbers, system allocation and renumbering are listed in the table. +Class 6D Works numbers and renumberingWorks no.CGRno.CGRsystemSARno.Sudanno.5240 234 Western565 5241 235 Western566 5242 236 Western567 5245 237 Western568 5246 238 Western569 5247 239 Western570 5249 240 Western571 5250 241 Western572 M7145251 242 Western573 5252 243 Western574 5257 244 Western575 5258 245 Western576 5259 246 Western577 5260 247 Western578 5261 248 Western579 5262 249 Western580 5263 250 Western581 5264 251 Western582 5265 252 Western583 5266 253 Western584 5267 254 Western585 5268 255 Western586 5269 256 Western587 M7155270 257 Western588 5271 258 Western589 5272 259 Western590 5248 585 Midland591 5253 586 Midland592 5255 594 Midland593 5243 665 Eastern594 5244 666 Eastern595 5254 667 Eastern596 5256 668 Eastern597
Preservation Only one of these locomotives survives. No. 579 is plinthed at King William's Town Station Forecourt.- No 579 at King Williams Town Station - 7 April 2012. (Accessed on 6 December 2017)
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