South African locomotive numbering and classification
The Union of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910 in terms of the South Africa Act, which unified the former Cape Colony, Natal Colony and the two colonised former republics, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.
Nearly two years after the establishment of the Union of South Africa, on 1 January 1912, a carefully planned reclassification and renumbering scheme was brought into operation.
Locomotives reboilered with Watson Standard boilers (see below), were reclassified with an additional "R" suffix, for example Classes 12R and 12AR.
[3][4][5] Soon after A.G. Watson was appointment as Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the South African Railways (SAR) in 1929, he set out on a program of standardisation of locomotive boilers and engine parts, which ultimately led to a considerable reduction in the time taken for locomotive repairs.
To cut down on maintenance costs, he abandoned the Belpaire firebox altogether and reverted to the round-top type.
1, but with the boiler barrel lengthened by 2 feet 5 inches (737 millimetres), and was suitable for the Classes 19, 19A and 19B.
2, but with the boiler barrel lengthened by 2 feet 4 inches (711 millimetres), and was suitable for the Classes 15, 15A and 15B.
[3][4][5] The Union-Garratt was a unique locomotive type which can best be described as a hybrid between a Garratt and a Modified Fairlie.
[4][5] Ex CGR Classes which were considered obsolete but which were still retained in service when the SAR renumbering came into effect in 1912, were reclassified and renumbered with a numeral 0 prefix to their existing CGR classifications as well as to their existing engine numbers, as in Class 05 no.
0123, while obsolete NGR and CSAR locomotives remained unclassified but with a numeral 0 prefixed to their existing engine numbers.
[7] Around 1960 the SAR adopted a new classification system for electric and diesel powered locomotives.
[7][8] In 1992, when the only South African electro-diesel locomotives to date were taken into service, they were grouped with the diesel-electrics as Class 38-000.
They were originally cast in a leaded bronze and were usually kept brightly polished by engine crews.
During the SAR era, they were also often unofficially used to display the engine's home depot by the colour of the recessed middle part of the plate.
[9] The number plates date back to the early years of the CGR and NGR and are highly sought after by collectors as well as scrap metal peddlers.
Unfortunately, this has led to a rhinoceros horn type situation, where the plates were illegally removed from many locomotives.
In later years, in an attempt to discourage theft, most modern engines bore plates which were cast in aluminium instead of leaded bronze.
Eventually, when the SAR became Spoornet in 1990, it was decided to permanently remove these prized items from all electric and diesel-electric locomotives when they were repainted in post-SAR liveries.
