THIS WILL BE BACK AT CAPE TOWN STATION AGAIN SOON. The Cape Town Railway & Dock 0-4-0T of 1859 is a South African steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Cape Colony. In September 1859 Messrs. E. & J. Pickering, contractors to the Cape Town Railway and Dock Company for the construction of the Cape Town-Wellington railway line, imported a small 0-4-0 side-tank steam locomotive from England for use during the construction of the railway. This locomotive, later to become engine number 9 of the Cape Town Railway and Dock Company and then of the Cape Government Railways, was the first locomotive in South Africa. It has been declared a heritage object and was plinthed in the main concourse of Cape Town station. Early in 1874, by that time on the roster of the Cape Government Railways, the locomotive was rebuilt to a 0-4-2T configuration before it was shipped to Port Alfred, where it served as construction locomotive on the banks of the Kowie River. While serving at Port Alfred, it was nicknamed ”Blackie”.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 06:42:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015