{{Short description|Class of 1 South African steam railcar}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Use South African English|date=March 2014}} {{Infobox locomotive | name = CGR Railmotor<br>South African Railmotor | image = CGR Railmotor 1906.jpg | alt = | caption = | hatnote = | powertype = Steam | designer = [[North British Locomotive Company]] | builder = '''Engine:''' North British Locomotive Company<br>'''Coach:''' [[Metro-Cammell#Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Ltd|Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage & Wagon]] | ordernumber = | serialnumber = 16627 | buildmodel = | builddate = 1905 | totalproduction = 1 | rebuilder = | rebuilddate = | numberrebuilt = | whytetype = [[0-4-0+4]] (Four-coupled) | aarwheels = [[AAR wheel arrangement#B-2|B-2]] | uicclass = B'2'n2t | driver = 2nd coupled axle | gauge = {{Track gauge|Cape|allk=on}} | leadingdiameter = | coupleddiameter = | trailingdiameter = | tenderdiameter = | minimumcurve = | wheelbase = | engine total = | leading = | coupled = | trailing = | tender total = | tenderbogie = | pivotcentres = | wheelspacing = | length = | over couplers = | over bufferbeams = | width = | height = | frametype = | axleload = | leadingbogie/pony= | coupled all = | coupled 1 = | coupled 2 = | coupled 3 = | coupled 4 = | coupled 5 = | coupled 6 = | coupled 7 = | coupled 8 = | trail bogie/pony = | tenderbogieload = | tenderaxle = | weightondrivers = | locoweight = | tenderweight = | locotenderweight = | tendertype = | fueltype = Coal | fuelcap = | watercap = | tendercap = | sandcap = | fireboxtype = Round-top | firearea = | boiler = | pitch = | boilertype = | diameterinside = | lengthinside = | smalltubediameter= | largetubediameter= | boilerpressure = | safetyvalvetype = [[Safety valve#Salter spring balance valves|Salter]] | feedwaterheater = | totalsurface = | tubearea = | fluearea = | tubesandflues = | fireboxarea = | superheatertype = | superheaterarea = | cylindercount = Two outside | cylindersize = | frontcylindersize= | rearcylindersize = | hpcylindersize = | lpcylindersize = | valvegear = | valvetype = | valvetravel = | valvelap = | valvelead = | transmission = | trainheating = | locobrakes = | trainbrakes = | safety = | coupling = [[Railway coupling#Johnston coupler|Johnston link-and-pin]] | maxspeed = | poweroutput = | tractiveeffort = | factorofadhesion = | locobrakeforce = | operator = [[Cape Government Railways]]<br>[[South African Railways]] | operatorclass = Railmotor | powerclass = | numinclass = 1 | fleetnumbers = | officialname = | nicknames = | axleloadclass = | locale = | deliverydate = 1906 | firstrundate = 1906 | lastrundate = | withdrawndate = 1918 | preservedunits = | restoredate = | scrapdate = | currentowner = | disposition = | notes = }}
The '''Cape Government Railways Railmotor''' of 1906 was a one-off South African steam railmotor locomotive from the pre-[[Union of South Africa|Union]] era in the [[Cape Colony|Cape of Good Hope]].
In 1906, the [[Cape Government Railways]] acquired a single self-contained Railmotor for low-volume passenger service. The railmotor was a {{nowrap|0-4-0}} side-tank locomotive with a passenger coach on a single bogie as an integral part of the locomotive itself.<ref name="Ostendorf">{{Cite book|title=Dampftriebwagen, Bauarten, Typen und Systeme|last1=Ostendorf|first1=Rolf|year=1977|publisher= Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart |language=German|pages=134–135|isbn=3-87943-517-0}}</ref>
==Manufacturer== A single [[railmotor]] was built in 1905 and delivered to the [[Cape Government Railways]] (CGR) in 1906. The railmotor was a self-contained motor-coach in which the locomotive and coach were embodied in a single vehicle, with a driver's station at the rear end of the coach for reverse running. The locomotive part was a 0-4-0 side-tank engine which was built by [[North British Locomotive Company]], while the coach part was built by [[Metro-Cammell#Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Ltd|Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage & Wagon]]. It was the first steam railmotor to enter service on the CGR.<ref name="Ostendorf" /><ref name="LMCWR">{{cite news |title=South African Railways |work=[[Locomotive, Railway Carriage & Wagon Review]] |url=https://archive.org/details/locomotiverailwa1219unse/page/120/mode/1up |date=1906-07-14 |publisher=Locomotive Publishing Company |page=120}}</ref>
==Layout== The coach provides accommodation for 20 first class and 16 third class passengers.<ref name="LMCWR" /> It was the only known steam railcar with a [[cab forward]] locomotive. To negotiate curves and points, the power unit of the locomotive pivoted like a bogie.<ref name="Ostendorf" />
==Service==
===Cape Government Railways=== The railmotor was intended for low-volume passenger service and was initially placed in service on the [[Franschhoek]] branch line. In its later years the railmotor worked a shuttle service between Bellville and Salt River.<ref name="Ostendorf" />
===South African Railways=== When the [[Union of South Africa]] was established on 31 May 1910, the three Colonial government railways (CGR, [[Natal Government Railways]] and [[Central South African Railways]]) were united under a single administration to control and administer the railways, ports and harbours of the Union. Although the [[South African Railways and Harbours Administration|South 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.<ref name="SAR History">''The South African Railways - Historical Survey''. Editor George Hart, Publisher Bill Hart, Sponsored by Dorbyl Ltd., Published c. 1978.</ref><ref name="SAR Renumber"/>
In 1912, the railmotor was taken onto the SAR roster as an unclassified locomotive and was excluded from the renumbering schedules.<ref name="SAR Renumber">Classification of S.A.R. Engines with Renumbering Lists, issued by the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office, Pretoria, January 1912, p. 2 (Reprinted in April 1987 by SATS Museum, R.3125-6/9/11-1000)</ref>
==Withdrawal== [[File:CGR Railmotor 1906 Power Unit.jpg|thumb|Works photo of the power unit.]] The railmotor's advantage of easy reversing without the need to run a locomotive around at terminals, which would require a passing loop, was offset by the major disadvantage that any down-time for locomotive maintenance placed the entire vehicle out of service. This was possibly the reason why the railmotor did not have a long service life and was withdrawn from service in 1918.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.railmotor93.org/why/why.html |title=GWR Steam Railmotor and Trailer Project - Why Railmotors? |access-date=2 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109214037/http://www.railmotor93.org/why/why.html |archive-date=9 January 2014 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}} {{Commons category|CGR Railmotor|position=left}} {{Locomotives of the Cape Government Railways}} {{Locomotives of South Africa}}
[[Category:CGR locomotives|0410]] [[Category:Individual locomotives of South Africa|0410]] [[Category:0-4-0+4 locomotives]] [[Category:B-2 locomotives]] [[Category:B2 locomotives]] [[Category:NBL locomotives]] [[Category:Cape gauge railway locomotives]] [[Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1906]] [[Category:1906 in South Africa]] [[Category:Scrapped locomotives]]