134
The NG15 class of locomotives were developed for use on the 60cm gauge lines of South African Railways (SAR) and were an enhancement of an earlier design of 1922 that were designated NG5.
Initially the design started out as 3 locomotives of the Hd class for the Otavi Railway in what is now Namibia but at the time was German South West Africa. Needless to say these locomotives were German built being constructed by Henschel & Sohn in Kassel. The design progressed in 1922 with a further 6 locomotives, again built by Henschel & Sohn, that became the NG5 class.
After trials of one of the locomotives on the Avontuur line the design was altered again to become what we now know as the NG15 class. The preceding classes made use of flangeless driving wheels on one set of the eight coupled driving wheels, however this still proved unsuitable for the tighter curves on the Avontuur line.
The distinctive feature therefore, that differentiated the NG15s from their preceding classes was the use of the Krauss-Helmholtz pony truck for the leading wheels. This system allows the front driving axle some sideways movement so as only the rear three axles form a rigid wheelbase. The front axle is guided around curves by the front pony truck to which it is attached via a pivoted linkage. 134 was built by Anglo-Franco-Belge (Builder's number 2684 of 1952).
Commencing in 1999, work has gone on to strip, clean and assess the condition of the locomotive and its components, preparatory to its restoration and return to service.
Photographs of this locomotive can be found here on the Welsh Highland Railway Project web site.
The locomotive is being restored to working order at the Welsh Highland Railway's Dinas works. It is expected to be in the order of a 5 year restoration process with much of the work being conducted by volunteers. The Project is under the auspices of the Cymdeithas Rheilffordd Eryri on behalf of the Ffestiniog Railway Company.
We are very fortunate compared with a lot of other steam locomotive restorations to be able to conduct much of the work under cover with both the loco and tender chassis now in dry conditions.
A core working group has been set up to mange the restoration and this team reports into both to the Cymdeithas Rheilffordd Eryri as instigators of the work and The Ffestiniog Railway Board as owners of the locomotive. The work is being managed by Peter Randall and Andie Shaw to whom any offers of help should be addressed in the first instance. See http://ng15-134.co.uk/Restoration/HelpUs.html for more details.
[edit] What a fully restored 133 & 134 will look like.
A selection of photos of a fully restored NG15 17 at Sandstone Estates in South Africa, including some of the interior of its cab, can be found here
