| PPR 55 Tonner 2-6-4T NZASM 55 Tonner 2-6-4T IMR 55 Tonner 2-6-4T CSAR Class D 2-6-4T South African Class D 2-6-4T | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway no. 1President Kruger, CSAR Class D no. 209, SAR Class D no. 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheSouth African Railways Class D 2-6-4T of 1898 was a steam locomotive from the pre-Union era inTransvaal.
Between 1898 and 1900, the Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway placed six55 Tonner2-6-4T "Adriatic" type tanksteam locomotives in service. During theSecond Boer War, the Transvaal government took possession of the railway and it was operated as part of theNetherlands-South African Railway Company, until the Imperial Military Railways took over all railway operations in theZuid-Afrikaansche Republiek.[1][2]
At the end of the war, these locomotives were taken onto the roster of theCentral South African Railways, renumbered and designated Class D. In 1912, when these engines were assimilated into theSouth African Railways, they were renumbered once again, but retained their Class D classification.[1][2][3]

The Pretoria-Pietersburg Railway (PPR) was a private railway which operated betweenPretoria West via Warmbad and Nylstroom to Pietersburg. It was constructed under a concession granted by the government of theSouth African Republic (ZAR) to Hendrik Jacobus Schoeman on 30 October 1895. Construction commenced in 1897 and the railway was opened to traffic as far as Nylstroom by 1 July 1898. Potgietersrus was reached on 1 October 1898 and Pietersburg on 1 May 1899.[1][2][4][5]
In 1897, the PPR ordered six2-6-4T locomotives fromBeyer, Peacock & Company. At the time, these locomotives were amongst the most advanced designs yet to be seen in South Africa.[1][2][6]
The locomotives were the first in South Africa to be equipped withBelpaire fireboxes. The cylinders were arranged outside the plate frames, while the valves were arranged above the cylinders and actuated byWalschaerts valve gear.[1][2]
Five of the six locomotives were delivered to the PPR in 1898. They were to be numbered in the range from 1 to 6, but no. 5 was lost at sea. No. 6 was therefore renumbered to no. 5 to rectify the gap in the numbering sequence and a replacement for the lost locomotive was ordered from Beyer, Peacock & Company.[1][7]
Of these locomotives, no. 1 was the only one to be named. It bore the namePresident Kruger in cast brass plates on the tank sides.[1][2]
As a result of the outbreak of the Second Boer War in 1899, the ZAR government took possession of the PPR and its rolling stock in October 1899, just five months after completion of the railway. The line was then briefly worked by the Nederlandsche-Zuid-Afrikaansche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NZASM), until that railway was itself seized by the Imperial Military Railways (IMR) by the end of the same year.[1]
With these locomotives being the only mainline engines to actually see service on the PPR, and with the railway only being in existence for five months before it was taken possession of by the NZASM, it was not officially classified. For lack of a classification, they are referred to as55 Tonners, since the NZASM also classified its own locomotives according to their weight.
At the outbreak of the war, control of all railways in theCape of Good Hope andColony of Natal was taken over by the invading British military. It was operated by the IMR, which was established on 7 October 1899 upon the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel E.P.C. Girouard KCMG DSO RE as Director of Railways for the South African Field Forces. While Girouard largely left control of theCape Government Railways (CGR) and theNatal Government Railways (NGR) in the hands of the civilian staff, the railway lines of the Oranje-Vrijstaat Gouwerment-Spoorwegen (OVGS) in theOrange Free State and of the NZASM and its recently seized PPR in the ZAR came under the IMR's control as possession was obtained of their lines.[1]
The replacement sixth locomotive was delivered to the IMR in 1900 and became the new no. 6.[1]
Hostilities ceased on 1 June 1902. On 1 July 1902, the IMR was transferred to civilian control and became theCentral South African Railways (CSAR). These six locomotives were taken onto its roster, designated the CSAR's Class D and renumbered in the range from 209 to 214.[1][3]
During 1904, all six locomotives were upgraded by the CSAR by having their cylinder diameter increased by 1 inch (25 millimetres), which improved their hauling capacity by 15%. This resulted in the engines being able to haul the same load as a7th Class locomotive.[1][3][8]
When theUnion of South Africa was established on 31 May 1910, the three Colonial government railways (CGR, NGR and CSAR) were united under a single administration to control and administer the railways, ports and harbours of the Union. Although theSouth 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.[3][9][10]
In 1912, these six locomotives retained their Class D designation on the South African Railways (SAR), but they were renumbered once again, in the range from 56 to 61. In SAR service, the Class D was used on suburban traffic on the Witwatersrand and in the Western Cape. They gave good service until they were withdrawn from service and scrapped in 1930.[2][6]
The Class D works numbers and renumbering are listed in the table.[1][3][6]
Works no. | Year built | PPR no. | IMR no. | CSAR no. | SAR no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3943 | 1897 | 1 | 1 | 209 | 56 |
| 3944 | 1897 | 2 | 2 | 210 | 57 |
| 3945 | 1897 | 3 | 3 | 211 | 58 |
| 3946 | 1897 | 4 | 4 | 212 | 59 |
| 3948 | 1897 | 5 | 5 | 213 | 61 |
| 4127 | 1900 | 6 | 214 | 60 |
Media related toSouth African Class D 2-6-4T at Wikimedia Commons