The South African Railways Class 8D 4-8-0 of 1903 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape of Good Hope.

[2] While these first Schenectady- and ALCO-built 2-8-0 locomotives were being subjected to exhaustive testing on all types of traffic and under varying conditions, some trouble was experienced with the leading two-wheeled pony truck.

When designs were prepared at Salt River for a later order for more locomotives, the pony truck was replaced with a four-wheeled bogie.

[2][4][5] The locomotives were delivered with Type XE1 tenders and distributed between the CGR's Midland, Eastern and Western systems.

[9] Fourteen were equipped with superheated boilers, 20 inches (508 millimetres) bore cylinders and inside admission piston valves, and were reclassified to Class 8DW.

A similar chimney, the shape of which earned it a nickname that referred to a night bucket, was also tested on Class 5B no.

[10] In SAR service, the 4-8-0 Class 8 family of locomotives served on every system in the country and, in the 1920s, became the mainstay of motive power on many branch lines.