Fireless locomotive

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John Ashworth
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Fireless locomotive

Post by John Ashworth »

From Chris J
20 Dec 2007 06:40
subject Fw: PORTER LOCOMOTIVES IN PRESERVATION
Hi all,
Can anyone give more details on these locos please?
Regards,
Chris

----- Original Message -----
From:
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 4:23 PM
Subject: PORTER LOCOMOTIVES IN PRESERVATION

Dear Chris,

I was looking through an inventory of Porter locomotives in preservation. It lists Escort locomotive 666-10 being an 0-4-0F as being preservation with Friends of the Rail at Capital Park.

Bearing in mind that one of the two locos at Simmer & Jack is a Porter I was wondering if you could give me any updated feedback on this? It is basically of personal interest but we could create a link to the story that we are going to do on Simmer & Jack.

Br,
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John Ashworth
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Re: Fireless locomotive

Post by John Ashworth »

666-10 and 666-03 are at Capital Park. Both were donated to FOTR by Iscor, along with a molten steel ladle wagon.

Details of all our locomotives, including 666-10, can be found on our website here.

Both locos are fairly complete and are scheduled for cosmetic restoration at some point in the future.
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Re: Fireless locomotive

Post by John Ashworth »

From John Middleton

20 Dec 2007 22:34
subject Re: Fw: PORTER LOCOMOTIVES IN PRESERVATION

Chris
There were three of them supplied to ISCOR Pretoria of course (not ESCORT), they were Porter 7298 of 1941 and 7388-89 of 1942 originally ISCOR - E, F and G later renumbered 660.08 - 10.

660.08 was scrapped 1987, 660.09 is at SANRASM (having been plinthed outside the ISCOR offices for a while) and 660.10 at FOTR.

There were other Porters in South Africa including some interesting early ones at AECI, Somerset West (a pair of 0-6-0ST) long scrapped of course. Porter later supplied a number of diesels, in particular to ISCOR Vanderbijlpark which had over 20. Some of these found new lives elsewhere and are still in use - 2 at Cape Town Iron & Steel at Kuilsriver, a couple more with Larfarge Cement at Kaalfontein, these 1949 built locos are now nearly 60 years old and still going.

Cheers
John
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Chris Janisch
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Re: Fireless locomotive

Post by Chris Janisch »

Is only one of the locos a Porter?
In which year were they withdawn, and when did they arrive at FOTR? How were they transported to CP?
Awaiting your response Berelowich!
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Nathan Berelowitz
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Re: Fireless locomotive

Post by Nathan Berelowitz »

The lococ were donated to FOTR by ISCOR works and there was a luncheon laid on for us. We had to inspect them where they stood up on the old slag dumping area at the works. There was a crane aswell that the SANRASM blokes were to get, and they were at this function along with us.

Later on, the ISCOR works had the two locos pulled down to the Cor Delphos yard, kindly arranged by then member, Phillip Vn Zyl, who was then still employed as a driver for them. We went up from Capital Park with the Metro 15F 3103 and the caboose to go collect the two locos and the ladle, which was also donated to us.

I have video footage of this and photos of the original ceremony somewhere. We towed the consist don to the shed at a very slow pace, concerned that the slight overhang of the ladle, which is jammed at a certain angle, would swipe a passing train. Fortunately no problems.

Was quiet funny to hear the blasting panting beat of the two fireless locos as the made their way down, for I recall one was still connected up.
One of the locos is a HENSCHELL AND THE OTHER A porter. One has the cylinders under the cab like a cab forward loco whilst the other is the normal way around. Perhaps John Mid can say which is which?

The two locos are to be plinthed at the new site and hopefully in 2008 we will cosmetically restore them as we have a lot of orange paint!
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Dylan Knott
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Re: Fireless locomotive

Post by Dylan Knott »

There are three Fireless locos plinthed in the Strand / Somerset West areas.

AECI #1 0-4-0F Borsig 1909 Plinthed with dynamite wagon outside Main Gate. Completely refurbished in 2004 and dynamite wagon was added to the loco.

AECI #2 0-4-0F Borsig 1912 Plinthed in a playground, Strand. Poor condition although painted in "rainbow" livery.

AECI #3 0-4-0F Bordig 1924 Plinthed in the grounds of the nursery school "Happy Days". Previously plinthed in a park in Drama Street but removed from there in 1982 to its present location. In 2002 all asbestos was removed from the loco and it was also completely refurbished.

Tsitsa 0-4-0F Borsig 1927 Plinthed in a playground in Edgemead, CT. Ex-ESCOM Salt River Power Station.

All info courtesy of JN Middleton.
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Re: Fireless locomotive

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Re: Fireless locomotive

Post by Derek Walker »

There is a fireless loco at the James Hall Museum of Transport in Johannesburg. Painted a sky blue! My old pics show she had a plate on the front that read SAW? SAN? on it. But that seems to have been removed since then.
Not quite on the rails.
Check out my train vids. http://www.youtube.com/user/nixops
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